Do you not feel that the term Electrical Trainee is derogatory

[dazza1981]

Electrical Trainee= 5 wasted weeks

 

[Badged01]

Electrical Trainee= 5 wasted weeks

Not time spend learning is wasted :smiley2: OK, you may not learn all you need to know in 5 weeks ......

 

[dazza1981]

Not time spend learning is wasted :smiley2: OK, you may not learn all you need to know in 5 weeks ......

Of course you can.... 5 weeks and your ready wire some serious 13 amp plugs UNSUPERVISED!!!!

 

[pepparz]

Electrical Trainee guys are usually completely decked out in full ppe , hard hat ,goggles, ear defenders job lot, and you think wow they look the business then they go and make a complete balls up of the job.

 

[dazza1981]

Electrical Trainee guys are usually completely decked out in full ppe , hard hat ,goggles, ear defenders job lot, and you think wow they look the business then they go and make a complete balls up of the job.

Some carry a neon screwdriver pep!!!! Thats when you know they finished the 5 week course and splashed out on some serious kit!!!

 

[pepparz]

I know a lad who said he got a 13 Amp electric shock. When I asked him how he knew it was 13 amp he said cos it was off a 13amp plug

 

[dazza1981]

I know a lad who said he got a 13 Amp electric shock. When I asked him how he knew it was 13 amp he said cos it was off a 13amp plug

Ha love it.... We had a so called sparks come on site and he thought a fuse was called an amp!!!

 

[Badged01]

I know a lad who said he got a 13 Amp electric shock. When I asked him how he knew it was 13 amp he said cos it was off a 13amp plug

You should have advised him the 'shock' could have been 3A, 5A or any of the other fuses avail out there ....

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Ha love it.... We had a so called sparks come on site and he thought a fuse was called an amp!!!

Clearly a 'professional' electrician with his site JIB card .....

 

[pepparz]

The same lad fell through a ceiling onto the bathroom sink and ended up with the biggest bruised stomach you've ever seen.

 

[dazza1981]

ON the other hand theres an old chap on site who has no electrical qualifications what so ever and has been doing it all his life with the same firm and he is just the dogs muts..... there is nothing he dont know.

 

[Badged01]

ON the other hand theres an old chap on site who has no electrical qualifications what so ever and has been doing it all his life with the same firm and he is just the dogs muts..... there is nothing he dont know.

So he's lower than a Electrical Trainee? Not having done any courses at all?

 

[dazza1981]

So he's lower than a Electrical Trainee? Not having done any courses at all?

I suppose he is lower than a snakes belly in terms of qualifications yeah!!
But he does know his stuff.

 

[MDJ]

I have worked with Sparks who never went to tech, they trained in the 50s as on site apprentices and learned the trade hands on, some of them went on to run decent businesses, I still keep in touch with one guy who is 77 now and only retired 5 years ago at 72, he was a brillaint electrician but didn't go to tech, that said he would definately pass the 2382 and the part p multi choice exams so he could get his DIs ticket as well lol

 

[Adam W]

ON the other hand theres an old chap on site who has no electrical qualifications what so ever and has been doing it all his life with the same firm and he is just the dogs muts..... there is nothing he dont know.

How come he never went to college?

When I was in my 3rd year I worked with a 'mate' who didn't have any electrical qualifications and had been doing it his whole life; his dad was a sparks (I'd worked with him on the previous job) and he knew the boss so he was on more money than me. He seemed to think he'd avoided college and had just picked everything up on site instead, and then some.
He didn't have a clue.

 

[dazza1981]

I have worked with Sparks who never went to tech, they trained in the 50s as on site apprentices and learned the trade hands on, some of them went on to run decent businesses, I still keep in touch with one guy who is 77 now and only retired 5 years ago at 72, he was a brillaint electrician but didn't go to tech, that said he would definately pass the 2382 and the part p multi choice exams so he could get his DIs ticket as well lol

When i qualified a couple of years ago i was lucky enough to be working as a sparks doing an apprenticeship.... but the majority in my class were office boys and literally had no idea how to even strip cable or what fixings were required to fix swa etc.
Saying that they were awesome at the maths and formulas etc which i wasnt but they all got there certificates and would be shocking on site.
I guess my point is yes the theory is needed and core knowledge but if you are working alongside a decent spark or sparks and getting hands on and really want to learn then it is doable to skip college.
Although most sites want an ecs card with your qualifications on the back.

 

[dazza1981]

How come he never went to college?

When I was in my 3rd year I worked with a 'mate' who didn't have any electrical qualifications and had been doing it his whole life; his dad was a sparks (I'd worked with him on the previous job) and he knew the boss so he was on more money than me. He seemed to think he'd avoided college and had just picked everything up on site instead, and then some.
He didn't have a clue.

I have no idea why he never went to college.... not really my business but he runs rings round most sparks on site

 

[MDJ]

When i qualified a couple of years ago i was lucky enough to be working as a sparks doing an apprenticeship.... but the majority in my class were office boys and literally had no idea how to even strip cable or what fixings were required to fix swa etc.
Saying that they were awesome at the maths and formulas etc which i wasnt but they all got there certificates and would be shocking on site.
I guess my point is yes the theory is needed and core knowledge but if you are working alongside a decent spark or sparks and getting hands on and really want to learn then it is doable to skip college.
Although most sites want an ecs card with your qualifications on the back.

Absolutely today they do, but in the 50-s and 60s experience and a directors signature got them the Card, today the paper work is required and to be fair rightly so. A combination of 3-4 years at college and working on site with Electricians must be the way forward in the trade, or what is left of it due to it being broken up into modules now.

 

[dazza1981]

Absolutely today they do, but in the 50-s and 60s experience and a directors signature got them the Card, today the paper work is required and to be fair rightly so. A combination of 3-4 years at college and working on site with Electricians must be the way forward in the trade, or what is left of it due to it being broken up into modules now.

YEP mike could not agree more.

 

[Badged01]

Fuels the debate on competency! Is it a mixture of theory, training and experience or are there exceptions? Isnt this how we ended up with the so called Electrical Trainee problem? Someone decided you didnt need to have all 3 in-depth? Once you start bending rules down the slippery slide to the bottom you go .......

 

[MDJ]

Fuels the debate on competency! Is it a mixture of theory, training and experience or are there exceptions? Isnt this how we ended up with the so called Electrical Trainee problem? Someone decided you didnt need to have all 3 in-depth? Once you start bending rules down the slippery slide to the bottom you go .......

Great point, I think if you go to college and never go on site at all then the 5 week course is a total joke, on the other hand I suppose if you are an experienced electricians mate who has worked on site for ten years then take the 5 week course you could be considered a very experienced electrician once the paper work comes through.