Unqualified, inexperienced badged "electricians"

[highspark]

How can we put an end to this drivel? Why is there people out there unqualified and inexperienced bluffing their way into work. Taking work from fully qualified time served lads?Theres a couple in my area. Driving round in vans with schemes tatooed all over them. They look the biz - the outfit. But I know they are not electricians. They are chancers bluffing their way through. The 17th Edition minimum requirement to have a schemes backing...its a farce. The problem I have is the customers can't differenciate from a fully qualified. 17th edition, 2391, tech cert nvq3 electrician from a 17th edition short course idiot! It boils my blood

 

[highspark]

I think he meant to renew membership. Elecsa are £350 I think. Napit £408 and I dnt care about the niceic

 

[paulrutterford]

I am 38 and trying to change career. I think my chances of an apprenticeship are pretty slim and I don't have mates in the business. Neither have I the finance to do a full degree so I'm hoping to get some electrician's mate work after I complete the practical training side of the distance learning course I'm on. I understand what you're saying about people who are not conscientious, but I wouldn't knock the course. For some of us, it is the only option.
Secondly, my previous business was hard to break in to and there are some established practitioners who do a pretty shoddy job - in my opinion - because their income is pretty much secured by the dearth of opportunities for newcomers.

 

[Dave 85]

@ dave 85. which scam are you with at £350? that's £100 less than elecsa!

I am actually with elecsa mate, I don't take much notice of what they bill me for assessment cos its direct debited but it was around the £350 mark when I first joined 3 yr ago if I recall correctly.

 

[ipf]

B******s to this lot, I'm giving it all up to be an airline pilot.....new 5 week course..... latest offer from Virgin.

 

[telectrix]

yeah, but with virgin, you are restricted to balloon flying for 2 years till you get more experience.

 

[Dave 85]

B******s to this lot, I'm giving it all up to be an airline pilot.....new 5 week course..... latest offer from Virgin.

I heard its 120k training then 90k a year for BA apparently. Not bad if you got the money to train.

 

[dixon9]

Of course industrial work is far more technically challenging and requires greater education and technical knowledge, but no serious company is going to emply a Electrical Trainee to do this typr of work. The domestic, self employed, running a small firm whatever route requires less technaical knowledge but requires far more of other skills: Social skills, business sense, good judgement, ability to work quickley and efficently, customer interaction, dispute solving, book keeping...I could go on for ever.

Off on a slight tangent here but....

Sorry but I have to strongly disagree with you there. I have and do work in both industrial and domestic sectors and my opinion is that the OPPOSITE is true.

Most commercial electricians spend their time carrying out the instructions of the designer. They could be days at a time making off and terminating SWA, pulling through cables, pulling up floor sockets etc etc... In general it can be very boring work and not technically challenging. Reference methods, cable calcs etc...most do not perform these tasks. Testing? Most aren't even interested in this side or don't know a great deal about the theory behind it. Those that do test I would put on a par with most all-round domestic sparks.

You could argue that the designers in the commercial industry have greater knowledge but even then I'm not 100% convinced. Mosern domestic design can be just as challenging in a lot of cases.

The all-round domestic spark has to perform ALL tasks. The common fallacy (that has always amazed me), is that because commercial sparks work with higher voltages and currents that the work must be somehow "superior".

 

[Engineer54]

Are you saying that a fully qualified industrial electrician is not up to the standard of a Domestic installer?? ....hahaha!! Go on tell me that's what you saying??

 

[D80]

Are you saying that a fully qualified industrial electrician is not up to the standard of a Domestic installer?? ....hahaha!! Go on tell me that's what you saying??

These days NIC DI > NIC AC

 

[highspark]

Don't think he's saying that tbh. I think what he is saying is that no matter what what sector you are in the principles are all the same. He is right in the sense that domestic spark will tend to reference the regs more rather than following someone else's design

 

[Engineer54]

These days NIC DI > NIC AC

Thankfully, ...i don't think you'll find the NIC presence in the industrial sector. Maybe only in outside contractor side of things...

 

[gdr7671]

exactly it's become a joke now.

 

[alarm man]

Off on a slight tangent here but....

Sorry but I have to strongly disagree with you there. I have and do work in both industrial and domestic sectors and my opinion is that the OPPOSITE is true.

Most commercial electricians spend their time carrying out the instructions of the designer. They could be days at a time making off and terminating SWA, pulling through cables, pulling up floor sockets etc etc... In general it can be very boring work and not technically challenging. Reference methods, cable calcs etc...most do not perform these tasks. Testing? Most aren't even interested in this side or don't know a great deal about the theory behind it. Those that do test I would put on a par with most all-round domestic sparks.

You could argue that the designers in the commercial industry have greater knowledge but even then I'm not 100% convinced. Mosern domestic design can be just as challenging in a lot of cases.

The all-round domestic spark has to perform ALL tasks. The common fallacy (that has always amazed me), is that because commercial sparks work with higher voltages and currents that the work must be somehow "superior".

if its that hard why are all the office boys jumping out of their chairs to be a di,

 

[TaffyDuck]

Well we do 80% domestic, 10% commercial 10% Light industrial. Its rare that we have designers involved in comm/Ind as its nearly all upgrades but the truth is that in domestic as long as you follow a few basic principles you dont need to worry too much about voltage drop, segregation ,external influences, banks of IT, etc etc etc. Thats a day to day issue outside of domestic so cant say I agree Dixon

 

[dixon9]

Are you saying that a fully qualified industrial electrician is not up to the standard of a Domestic installer?? ....hahaha!! Go on tell me that's what you saying??

Of course I am not saying that.

I am referring to industrial and commercial electricians compared to domestic electricians (in general). Please see quote I responded to in the post.