Thought this might be of interest and use to anyone looking to undertake the various short training courses.
So here is my recent experience - note I am HV trained, looking to move to domestic/small commercial
Week 1
Monday
Arrive at 08:00 as directed. Time seems to be for the convenience of the Instructors and most people have had to travel a long way and had an early start. Not ideal. Stupid ----s on motorway managed to run into one-another causing nearly an hour delay, so now having to miss breakfast.
Some confusion on arrival as there is no front office just a waiting area and no-one co-ordinating new trainees. After 20 minutes hanging about decide to look for someone in the depths of the building. Come across someone who is in their 2nd week who suggests hanging about outside.
08:30 we find someone from the provider and explain. Some subsequent confusion as to who is our Instructor, and whether or not there is a classroom.
08:45 we now have an Instructor and a classroom. It is an interior room which has no daylight, only artificial lighting.
09:00 after more confusion and much toing and froing our Instructor ready to start.
We now learn that the classroom is not ideal and it is cold for him. Problems with the interface between IT, computers and screen.
Everyone wonder what the hell and feeling hungry. Could have had breakfast after all.
09:15 finally we start. No class introductions nor experience questions, simply straight into basic electrical. Should be straight-forward.
10:30 and 30 minute break. Not straight-forward and some items in contradiction with my experience and training. Maybe its because it is domestic ??
Rumour has it that there is a hot food trailer around the corner but apparently she has decided not to turn up today. Instructor advises that there is no food brought in so we are on our own. A van calls by sometime between 11:00 and 12:00 we may hear it or maybe not. Seemingly we could leave the classroom to get some food but the Instructor will keep going as he brings his own food in. Couple of us rush to local supermarket to grab something to eat.
Come back and find that the kitchen has no tea/coffee/sugar/milk. Seems that trainees are led to the machine dispenser - which of course you pay for. I have been in this situation before so I have everything I need except milk. Manage to blag some milk from one of the kind people in one of the offices. Rush back to the classroom and have to eat during training.
12:30 Instructor advises 1 hour for lunch.
Couple of older guys and someone who speaks poor English are having problems keeping up. Pace is quite fast and there is no checking on everyone's understanding. Some people feeling uncomfortable about asking questions. Instructor has made it clear his job is not to help pass the exam, simply to pass across the information in the slides.
There is nowhere to go and so most people go and sit in class. Mood is quite gloomy, not helped by the poor lighting. One or two (including self) wondering what the hell have I gotten into.
15:30 Finished for the day. Spent the afternoon on calculations and some people now actively struggling.
Tuesday
More of same. Some word that "practical will take place. Most people in the course have a good knowledge of the practical side from having done various bits of DIY, however there is no dispute that there is a lot to be learnt. Man whose second language is English appears to have moved to another course. Some older guys quite worried in morning about how much maths there will be in the exam.
Try to raise this with the Instructor (who is ex-Army instructor - Is this how they train ???) with no success. Apparently his task is to pass the information not to help us pass. Not what I am asking. Now asking questions that I know the others are struggling with so as to try to help them. Am now considered as either the idiot child or the one who is going to be a problem.
Group fracturing a little between those who want to understand better and one who is unhappy at the delays this is causing.
People now openly talking of quitting, especially around the need for working out complicated maths. Some not done fractions for tens of years.
Whole lighting and room environment not helping and stay behind to help a couple of guys who are desperately worried and are not fully confident with the maths. Asked the Instructor if there are any materials for homework. Told there are none and all of this should be simple. Probably so. Ask again how much maths is in the exam but back to the I am not here to help you pass scenario. Understand that the next week will be a full week of exams.
Wednesday
Today we are to do some practical. Not what I had expected simply get some wire and wire up a lighting circuit. Find that the tools supplied are absolute rubbish and damaged. Instructor suggests we should bring our own tools. The various light fittings are missing vital screws and this that are there are either threaded or the head burred over. How the hell can anyone create a ring circuit with this crap ?? One poor guy who brought his own tools is a sort of tool storeman, lending us his own kit.
Find out in the afternoon that most of the live testers are either malfunctioning or need batteries. Manage to order a next day delivery Kewtech tester.
Thursday
More of the same. By now we have all either brought in our own tools or stormed the local tool merchant (with discount !) en-masse to buy up what we need. Wiring up a ring main after we have proved continuity of the lighting circuit. MFM appear to have issues, fortunately I have brought my own.
No instruction on the little "tricks" or how wiring should be run simply left to get on with it. Class now supporting each other get over problems.
Friday
By now we have created a lighting ring and a socket ring with spur, a cooker point, and hot water connection. Appears we may be ahead.
One or two now getting really worried and we are running self-help in the break times. A week of 05:00 starts and Motorway delays is taking its toll. Try to spend the afternoon revising for the exam but Instructor is not prepared to help in any way or indicate the potential subject areas for Mondays first exam. We don't want the answers simply want to concentrate on that area, given the speed we have worked all week.
Instructor will not be in on Monday but has written on the whiteboard our instructions which pretty much is to continue with wiring, and then strip it out after we have tested it.
Several worried people head home to spend a weekend worrying about maths, with various phone calls over the weekend about calculations.
In summary I have paid the best part of ÂŁ2000 for this and its sh*te.
Week 2 to follow in anyone interested.
So here is my recent experience - note I am HV trained, looking to move to domestic/small commercial
Week 1
Monday
Arrive at 08:00 as directed. Time seems to be for the convenience of the Instructors and most people have had to travel a long way and had an early start. Not ideal. Stupid ----s on motorway managed to run into one-another causing nearly an hour delay, so now having to miss breakfast.
Some confusion on arrival as there is no front office just a waiting area and no-one co-ordinating new trainees. After 20 minutes hanging about decide to look for someone in the depths of the building. Come across someone who is in their 2nd week who suggests hanging about outside.
08:30 we find someone from the provider and explain. Some subsequent confusion as to who is our Instructor, and whether or not there is a classroom.
08:45 we now have an Instructor and a classroom. It is an interior room which has no daylight, only artificial lighting.
09:00 after more confusion and much toing and froing our Instructor ready to start.
We now learn that the classroom is not ideal and it is cold for him. Problems with the interface between IT, computers and screen.
Everyone wonder what the hell and feeling hungry. Could have had breakfast after all.
09:15 finally we start. No class introductions nor experience questions, simply straight into basic electrical. Should be straight-forward.
10:30 and 30 minute break. Not straight-forward and some items in contradiction with my experience and training. Maybe its because it is domestic ??
Rumour has it that there is a hot food trailer around the corner but apparently she has decided not to turn up today. Instructor advises that there is no food brought in so we are on our own. A van calls by sometime between 11:00 and 12:00 we may hear it or maybe not. Seemingly we could leave the classroom to get some food but the Instructor will keep going as he brings his own food in. Couple of us rush to local supermarket to grab something to eat.
Come back and find that the kitchen has no tea/coffee/sugar/milk. Seems that trainees are led to the machine dispenser - which of course you pay for. I have been in this situation before so I have everything I need except milk. Manage to blag some milk from one of the kind people in one of the offices. Rush back to the classroom and have to eat during training.
12:30 Instructor advises 1 hour for lunch.
Couple of older guys and someone who speaks poor English are having problems keeping up. Pace is quite fast and there is no checking on everyone's understanding. Some people feeling uncomfortable about asking questions. Instructor has made it clear his job is not to help pass the exam, simply to pass across the information in the slides.
There is nowhere to go and so most people go and sit in class. Mood is quite gloomy, not helped by the poor lighting. One or two (including self) wondering what the hell have I gotten into.
15:30 Finished for the day. Spent the afternoon on calculations and some people now actively struggling.
Tuesday
More of same. Some word that "practical will take place. Most people in the course have a good knowledge of the practical side from having done various bits of DIY, however there is no dispute that there is a lot to be learnt. Man whose second language is English appears to have moved to another course. Some older guys quite worried in morning about how much maths there will be in the exam.
Try to raise this with the Instructor (who is ex-Army instructor - Is this how they train ???) with no success. Apparently his task is to pass the information not to help us pass. Not what I am asking. Now asking questions that I know the others are struggling with so as to try to help them. Am now considered as either the idiot child or the one who is going to be a problem.
Group fracturing a little between those who want to understand better and one who is unhappy at the delays this is causing.
People now openly talking of quitting, especially around the need for working out complicated maths. Some not done fractions for tens of years.
Whole lighting and room environment not helping and stay behind to help a couple of guys who are desperately worried and are not fully confident with the maths. Asked the Instructor if there are any materials for homework. Told there are none and all of this should be simple. Probably so. Ask again how much maths is in the exam but back to the I am not here to help you pass scenario. Understand that the next week will be a full week of exams.
Wednesday
Today we are to do some practical. Not what I had expected simply get some wire and wire up a lighting circuit. Find that the tools supplied are absolute rubbish and damaged. Instructor suggests we should bring our own tools. The various light fittings are missing vital screws and this that are there are either threaded or the head burred over. How the hell can anyone create a ring circuit with this crap ?? One poor guy who brought his own tools is a sort of tool storeman, lending us his own kit.
Find out in the afternoon that most of the live testers are either malfunctioning or need batteries. Manage to order a next day delivery Kewtech tester.
Thursday
More of the same. By now we have all either brought in our own tools or stormed the local tool merchant (with discount !) en-masse to buy up what we need. Wiring up a ring main after we have proved continuity of the lighting circuit. MFM appear to have issues, fortunately I have brought my own.
No instruction on the little "tricks" or how wiring should be run simply left to get on with it. Class now supporting each other get over problems.
Friday
By now we have created a lighting ring and a socket ring with spur, a cooker point, and hot water connection. Appears we may be ahead.
One or two now getting really worried and we are running self-help in the break times. A week of 05:00 starts and Motorway delays is taking its toll. Try to spend the afternoon revising for the exam but Instructor is not prepared to help in any way or indicate the potential subject areas for Mondays first exam. We don't want the answers simply want to concentrate on that area, given the speed we have worked all week.
Instructor will not be in on Monday but has written on the whiteboard our instructions which pretty much is to continue with wiring, and then strip it out after we have tested it.
Several worried people head home to spend a weekend worrying about maths, with various phone calls over the weekend about calculations.
In summary I have paid the best part of ÂŁ2000 for this and its sh*te.
Week 2 to follow in anyone interested.
