What has happened to the trade?

[baldyspark]

It seems that every time I check out the forum, so called qualified sparks are asking the most basic questions such as help my rcd is tripping, how do I test? Etc. So many chancers about nowadays who wouldnt know the first thing about fault finding and think Ra is a school subject. As for these courses that try to make an electrician in five weeks, they should be done for putting peoples lives at risk. Please mods take note, how come so many people disagree with the 5 week wonders yet this forum must agree as one sponsor actually provides this course?
Ill not even get started with all these domestic installers whove never even touched pyro, tray, contactors etc....

 

[stean]

I did one of the intense courses, it was a good course and gave me a good insight into the domestic industry and through hard work I achieved some good qualifications.
However, I didnt feel that I knew enough to go out and start house bashing on my own so I enrolled at college and spent 3 years compleying the C&G 2330.
I can see the attraction of the short courses as they are some what misleading in their advertising campaigns. I did mine when I left the armed forces and it gave me a good insight into the domestic world, I think a lot of it also depends on how good the training centres/companies are as well.

 

[Guest111]

Stean,good for you going the right way,what worries me about these courses is the fact they take anyone so long as they can pay,normally there's some kind of apptitude test to see if you are capable of being a spark,as my old fella used to say "some people will never make a tradesman as long as they've got a hole in their a**e.

 

[Mikro]

I done one of those short courses with a view to becoming a domestic installer, I'd say they are only suitable for people with a similar background that would like to change the industry they work in.

Since then I decided that I couldn't be bothered with the self-employed route and ended up doing instruments and controls for an oil company.

I'm just glad that the course was paid by my voluntary redundancy, I'd be a bit peeved if it were my own money :frown:

 

[Dan]

It seems that every time I check out the forum, so called qualified sparks are asking the most basic questions such as help my rcd is tripping, how do I test? Etc. So many chancers about nowadays who wouldnt know the first thing about fault finding and think Ra is a school subject. As for these courses that try to make an electrician in five weeks, they should be done for putting peoples lives at risk. Please mods take note, how come so many people disagree with the 5 week wonders yet this forum must agree as one sponsor actually provides this course?
Ill not even get started with all these domestic installers whove never even touched pyro, tray, contactors etc....

Forumwise I think you have to remember that we have guys on here doing training, guys on here who have only just completed a course, guys on here who are just even thinking about a course and asking about what they're reading online about the courses etc.

Coursewise I think you have to remember that there are all types of courses available for all types of reasons. Short and long ones. Doesn't make a sparky any better or worse if they've passed a short course or a long one, they're still new to the trade and will yet to learn the experience side of things.

The industry as a whole has suffered a lot since 2008 and it's not repaired yet. People will always want to get into a trade, and sparky's and plumbers are common trades people like to think they'll enjoy doing.

I think when you spot a lot of sparks asking basic questions, you'd find they've only done one certain course for one certain type of job they want to take on - maybe? Not everybody wants to do the full works for domestic, commercial, etc etc etc.

 

[guest119]

Hmm, not a good reply Dan, full of holes and wrong terminology (ie, short course , long course still a spark. No, Only JIB/ apprenticeship produces a spark. As most agencies are now realising and specifying so. )

This forum is titled Electricians Forum.(sparks)

Boydy

 

[Guest55]

the above posts just serve to highlight why i only work in the commercial / construction sector - you simply dont get on site without a JIB gold card for 95% of contracts which keeps the chancers , clueless & fast track brigade firmly at the gates.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Personally I think a lot of the seemingly basic questions asked on here by electricians (?) are simply asked in the wrong way.If a guy comes on here and honestly states his background and lack of experience and then asks a 'basic' question I dont have a problem with that,nor does anyone else it seems to me. All too often though they reel off a list of qualifications and big themselves up and then ask why an RCD is tripping.....no wonder they get abuse on here.
It also appears to me rightly or wrongly that many short course merchants (I assume?) bursting with knowledge seem to regard themselves as the electrical police,and usually come on here with tales of appallingly dangerous work by John Wayne and his posse that they have had to put right....only trouble is they dont actually know how it should be done and have to ask on here....so how do they know it's dangerous in the first place?

 

[Rampage]

Ill not even get started with all these domestic installers whove never even touched pyro, tray, contactors etc....

Why would domestic installers need experience with what you've listed? They are unlikely to be experienced in domestic!

 

[oldtimer]

I have never seen the trade so low or undervalued and would add that sadly this forum appears to reflect it. To make matters worse seem to have a selfish attitude where if you hand out any help you dont even get a thanks or the OP coming back to say how the problem was resolved I got a PM a couple of weeks ago asking for a alarm manual fine I sent it but not holding my breath waiting for a thank you.

To sum up there is no respect and your right getting a bit fed up with the chancers who wont buy decent kit to do a job yet when they are on a job sh!tting themselves they whip out a £500 I-Phone to get the answer or in other words why bark if you have a dog and yes no doubt you have heard this from me before but my feeling are is at times I am wasting my time so after Friday me thinks I need a break from this forum for a while.

 

[nickblake]

Sorry to pee on your thread,but you have to blame the death rate caused by faulty electrical installations
It just isn't high enough for a sympathetic hearing

If it ever was to get a lot lot higher, then there would be possibility of action
Possible but not probable

That is why the EICR is a waste of time people ringing you up can you do 4 a day or ones that are done without even looking , I did an inspection yesterday for a landlady the tenant told me 3 hours the last guy was only here for 5 minuets' !!! be honest its all about making money get in quick and get out

 

[bayleydave]

It's a sad state of affairs but I totally agree with you. It's the reason Part P has been watered down. The sooner ALL the associations combine the bigger the voice we will all have, I think.
Dave

 

[chcnorris29]

One day some one asked a "friend" to help. Was down hill from there.

 

[chcnorris29]

Have seen a post about some one worrying about failing am2 because of a few things like not having time before the inspection to pin some sockets back and clip a cable. I know that if this was in a house and they where going to leave it like this then it would be an issue but if they fail the test because of the time of the inspection then this is not fair. and it shows that people who may be fully competent may fail tests because of a few minor things that may be to do with timing of tests ect where as possibly people who should not be doing the work can brag there way through.

 

[Guest111]

Have seen a post about some one worrying about failing am2 because of a few things like not having time before the inspection to pin some sockets back and clip a cable. I know that if this was in a house and they where going to leave it like this then it would be an issue but if they fail the test because of the time of the inspection then this is not fair. and it shows that people who may be fully competent may fail tests because of a few minor things that may be to do with timing of tests ect where as possibly people who should not be doing the work can brag there way through.

It all depends,these exams are timed so that a person up to the correct standard can complete it within the allotted time,sometimes people are slow because they either don,t fully understand what they are doing or they just don't have the level of skill. I once worked with a young lad who was painfully slow,he also kept checking and rechecking his work.I've known him remove a fused spur 3 times to check he'd wired it correctly,The same lad drove 30 miles back to a job once as he wasn't sure he'd connected something up correctly,despite having repeatedly checked it during the day.I know we all have our off days but when someone is that uncertain they should not be doing the job.

 

[chcnorris29]

It all depends,these exams are timed so that a person up to the correct standard can complete it within the allotted time,sometimes people are slow because they either don,t fully understand what they are doing or they just don't have the level of skill. I once worked with a young lad who was painfully slow,he also kept checking and rechecking his work.I've known him remove a fused spur 3 times to check he'd wired it correctly,The same lad drove 30 miles back to a job once as he wasn't sure he'd connected something up correctly,despite having repeatedly checked it during the day.I know we all have our off days but when someone is that uncertain they should not be doing the job.

That's true.