Never ending courses and tickets

[flyingsausage]

I have missed out on a few jobs this year with different courses and tickets being asked for and many of them I have not even heard of
One day first aid course
Three day first aid course
Rope access course {offshore and onshore}
Two day confined spaces course (for water treatment}
G4/5 Certificate {Windfarms turbines)
DSB {Norway}
PASMA (mobile scaffolding)
2391 (speaks for it's self)
PAT Testing (City & Guilds)
Asbestoes Awareness
DIsclosure Scotland
Security Clearance for Selafield
Security Clearance for submarines (Barrow)
Airport Pass
WI1 for substations (Scottish Power)
Compex Ex5 and Ex6
Compex Ex7 and Ex8
A 7.5 tonne truck licence
Meter fitting tickets (single and three phase)
Shell safety rules (offshore)
HV cable jointing course
Offshore First Aid training course
Some Highways ticket for street lighting
Medical for PTS
PTS
LUL (London Underground)
HNC (Electricial Engineering)

There are a few more that I might not be able to remember.This is what I have been up against this year and no on wants to send you on any training or courses.
It is a sad day but the shift from direct to agency employment has happened and with all these different tickets and courses asked for along with all the revelent experience it is no wonder that sparks are unemployed and are struggling for work as half the jobs advertised you can't be qualified for.
I've spent a few thousand over the last two years on courses and still can't seem to get a books in job Safety Passport,17th Edition,IPAF,DOMS,EUSR,Compex Ex1 to Ex4,British and Norwegian Survival and Medicals.(I am still not working,any offers?)
These will start to run out next year and I don't know if it is worth renewing any off them
again.
The future does not look bright for our trade as many young sparks are getting pumped as soon as their time is out and can't get a sniff of a job,this will leave a very large skills gap at some time in the future as most will leave the trade.
I also don't like to see the drop in apprentice numbers over the past three years,the short term views and quick fix angency use of large companies never fails to surprise me.As in the long term the number of qualified experienced tradesmen will go down rapidly at this rate with no one to replace them.
The deskilling of our trade with Improvers or mates does not help either in the short or long term and also the constant driving down of rates make it better to sign on than take short term temp work these days as you can be worse off for working now.(in some cases)
Also agencies phone men up to work away from home and not pay dig money is another one of the scandels in the trade.
So what is your thought s on the future of our once proud trade and what courses and tickets are keeping you out of work? The move views the better.

 

[stef]

I have missed out on a few jobs this year with different courses and tickets being asked for and many of them I have not even heard of
One day first aid course
Three day first aid course
Rope access course {offshore and onshore}
Two day confined spaces course (for water treatment}
G4/5 Certificate {Windfarms turbines)
DSB {Norway}
PASMA (mobile scaffolding)
2391 (speaks for it's self)
PAT Testing (City & Guilds)
Asbestoes Awareness
DIsclosure Scotland
Security Clearance for Selafield
Security Clearance for submarines (Barrow)
Airport Pass
WI1 for substations (Scottish Power)
Compex Ex5 and Ex6
Compex Ex7 and Ex8
A 7.5 tonne truck licence
Meter fitting tickets (single and three phase)
Shell safety rules (offshore)
HV cable jointing course
Offshore First Aid training course
Some Highways ticket for street lighting
Medical for PTS
PTS
LUL (London Underground)
HNC (Electricial Engineering)

There are a few more that I might not be able to remember.This is what I have been up against this year and no on wants to send you on any training or courses.
It is a sad day but the shift from direct to agency employment has happened and with all these different tickets and courses asked for along with all the revelent experience it is no wonder that sparks are unemployed and are struggling for work as half the jobs advertised you can't be qualified for.
I've spent a few thousand over the last two years on courses and still can't seem to get a books in job Safety Passport,17th Edition,IPAF,DOMS,EUSR,Compex Ex1 to Ex4,British and Norwegian Survival and Medicals.(I am still not working,any offers?)
These will start to run out next year and I don't know if it is worth renewing any off them
again.
The future does not look bright for our trade as many young sparks are getting pumped as soon as their time is out and can't get a sniff of a job,this will leave a very large skills gap at some time in the future as most will leave the trade.
I also don't like to see the drop in apprentice numbers over the past three years,the short term views and quick fix angency use of large companies never fails to surprise me.As in the long term the number of qualified experienced tradesmen will go down rapidly at this rate with no one to replace them.
The deskilling of our trade with Improvers or mates does not help either in the short or long term and also the constant driving down of rates make it better to sign on than take short term temp work these days as you can be worse off for working now.(in some cases)
Also agencies phone men up to work away from home and not pay dig money is another one of the scandels in the trade.
So what is your thought s on the future of our once proud trade and what courses and tickets are keeping you out of work? The move views the better.

That's the trouble nowadays: recruiting is a big money making business and no longer a job advertisement. The quality of those
agencies range form bad to 'there are none'. Prospective employers read the legislations up and down to cover themselves,
write a 'must have' list and leave the rest to the agency. The agency don't know anything about the subject and act only on behalf
of the employer. Don't get me wrong, there are a few very good agencies but only a few amongst a mass of bad ones.
I remember those days when you bought the Thursday's local paper with page filling job ads which clearly described the
needs of the employer. You applied for three jobs and got four offers. Nowadays it is all done by agencies. Sad really.

 

[flyingsausage]

I remember only ten years ago if there was a job in the paper for sparks you had a chance of getting it.Now it seems half the job adverts are only for agencies to get a data base as there is no job in the first place.
It is not just the agencie scum,but also the companies for using agencies in the first place.
In the past six months I have had two interviews for companies and they have never even contacted me to let me know that I didn't get the job.If you go to an interview you always used to get a phone call to let you know if you were lucky or not.
I think most companies are looking for a mystical super spark that has every ticket and course going and will work for £6 an hour,as that is the way the rate for sparks is heading.

 

[gareth jones]

The answer's obvious- become a trainer or run a training college (like AbleSkills)! Most folk on this forum are in the same situation- lifetime of courses- on application forms for jobs I have to put 'see attached sheets' where it says 'list qualifications in this tiny box'. But as we've all experienced, there's people out there with a ton of quali's, alot of talk who are totally useless such is life...

 

[Guest111]

I remember a few years ago going for a job interview and the guy was saying he wanted all kinds of certificates plus own tools plus test gear plus own vehicle plus they wanted me to design circuits.in the end I told him that yes I could deliver what he wanted but not for the wage he was offering,I got the job but didn,t stick it for long as it was totally rubbish.However times are getting harder and it,s true that agencies have largely taken over as the prime method of recruiting staff unfortunately not only do they sometimes recruit unsuitable staff but also if you get the job it may be for someone you wouldn,t want to work for,how many of us have been to an interview only to decide part way through that we wouldn,t work for them if they were the last employer going?

 

[Silly Sausage]

............... how many of us have been to an interview only to decide part way through that we wouldn,t work for them ...........?

Years ago in my 'C' programming days, I went for an interview with a cash register company.
About 20 mins in, they say to me 'You're not really interested in EPOS systems, are you?'
'Correct' says I, 'Shall we call it a day?', and on my way I went.