cookstar

iTrader: (6)

I'm considering a home study route to gain the required qualifications, as I am a shift worker at the moment any college or evening classes are out for me at the moment. I have a basic grasp already and carry out quite a few minor jobs at the moment.

Is this a route any of you took, and if so do you have any recommendations as to what institutes to approach etc.

dunx

iTrader: (3)

I haven't done it, but a large amount relies on employment based experience, short of working for free ( like a 16 year old ).... no-one will be interested, as you'll cost them money.

This country is screw'd.

dunx

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

So it's not possible to do without working for a firm?

Dedrater

To be an Electrician (domestic, industrial and commercial) from what my mate has told me, you will need to complete projects using evidence from jobs you have carried out with a firm, who will give you the opportunity to do that work, I don't think there is a way round that.

But you can become a domestic installer and get on the Part P competent person scheme, in a relevantly short amount of time,but are not considered a proper electrician (though I assume some/lots of approved jib gold card electricians do domestic work)

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

It's the domestic part P area I'm most interested in. i think I'll give the training centre a call tomorrow.

mikef04

iTrader: (7)

city and guilds have just made this easier as they are scrapping the 2330 and replacing it with a 2357 in which you select units approiate for the type of electrical work you wish to carry out ie. domestic, commercial, industrial. then broken down even further into other speciaisms ie roadworking, street lighting, fire alarms. i would not advise the part p route as it isn't all it claims to be and there is a huge difference between an electrician and some one who holds a part p. I'm both a qualified electrician and hold a part p which was a huge waste of time. hth

Coffin Dodger

Interested in this too. One of my ideas for getting out of the job rut I'm stuck in at the moment is to do some sort of home cinema / streaming media players / etc. consultancy and installation service but as part of that I'd like to be able to do home automation i.e. lighting etc.

Being able to part P certify the work I would do would definitely be pretty useful. Ironically I've got a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering but this obviously does not qualify me to wire up a plug

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

Things may have changed since 1999 but you can attain your NVQ2 without on site experience but NVQ3 which focuses more on 3 phase you cannot.
If you are not in the 16-24 age group then you can pretty much forget any apprenticeships, electricians mate may be your best bet for gaining on site experience but you will probably be paying your own course fees which can get expensive.

Leslie

Once upon a time there used to be a wide spaced apprentice scheme where you could learn a job in a practical manner and earn a bit of money too. What happened to all that I wonder?

Les

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

Any kind of apprenticeship scheme, or working as a mate etc is not an option I'm afraid, I simply could not afford to do it. Which is why I was looking to do a distance learning course.

I just want to be qualified enough to rewire a house, and make alterations, so very much doubt 3 phase would ever come into it.

fitzscoob

Modern Apprenticeships still exist Les, although they are not quite the same as the bookbinding apprenticeship my dad learnt the trade on 50 years ago.

I undertook a modern apprenticeship around 10 years ago now, they still exist in some shape or form. Some colleges even find you work placements.

Leslie

Thanks, I am relieved to hear it is not completely dead then. Good to hear you can get a job through the scheme too.

Les

belliott69

iTrader: (3)

not being funny but i'm a fully qualified electrician and managed to do the apprenticeship right the way through even though most of my work was domestic and the work is screwed. what i mean is that i got finished off a year ago due to being the last one in the firm, first one out after i got offered a bit more money to go there. i still haven't found a job due to there not being alot of work about and every job i apply for treat me fine until they ask for my age. because i'm 22 they don't want me and it'll be the same for anyone that hasn't done have any work based experience. the last job i applied for told me that they had 56 applicants including me for one post and that due to me being young and not experienced enough they didn't even want to interview me, even after i had told them that i had been doing it since i was 14 and had been running jobs and working above people who are older then me in my job before last.

anyway if you decide to do it i good luck and hope it works out for you as it is actually a great job to do.

Coffin Dodger

Have you tried / thought about going self employed? I'd have thought they'd be quite a lot of call for an electrician to do odd jobs as well as re-wires, work on new builds with small firm type builders, extensions, etc. Put an advert in the local paper, yellow pages, etc.

As we are being increasingly told that we can't tamper with our home electrics surely that would increase the number of odd jobs. My Dad had no end of trouble trying to find a spark to come and wire up his new cooker as they all said they were too busy. I'd have done it for him if I was closer to home but he got someone in the end.

tempop1

If you are confident enough you can always do the work yourself and have a qualified sparkey to sign it off.

Tempo

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

This is what I have been doing so far, it's just the testing and fault finding knowledge I don't have yet.

To be clear this will not be for a career change, but more for doing work to my own properties.

Adrian F

I am electrician by trade and was a contracts manager for 10 years employing electricians and the 1st thing we insisted on was JIB Approved grade before we even interviewed.

I have some friends in the trade who are struggling to keep in work even with all their JIB grade cards and ECS, and did full apprenticeship and late 20's and good intelligent sparks

it is a very difficult time in the trade and i think will be for a few years.

In the 90's wages dropped in 92 and stayed at that level until 97 as there was to much labour chasing to little work. so therefore i wouldn't expect things to improve alot until 2012.

Doing the odd job for the local domestic builder or house holder market is flooded and unless you have a long established reputation i would say you will have to be very lucky to be better off than on benefit.

Firms wont take on apprenticeships in a deep recession, when things pick up then they will take apprenticeships.

jsh1

iTrader: (1)

I am currently doing my Level 3 on a day release at a local college and our Lecturer has been informing us that all of the regulations are changing this year and that we have been fortunate to complete the course before these changes.

I am self employed as a designer and installer of Home Cinemas, Distributed Audio/Video and Home Automation etc, and thought an electricians qualification would be very useful to me.

To complete the qualification and be able to get a trade card, once I have finished college, I have to complete a portfolio with photographic evidence of all of the modules required.

However, as of September we have been told that you will NO longer be able to undertake any Electrical qualification unless you are employed within the industry already. It will essentially prevent anyone from undertaking a career change, or adding this to their qualifications.

Also Part P is being scrapped as well in favour of the new qualifications.

Jason

Leslie

Over the top again then. How restrictive life is becoming these days!

Les