career prospects

[electros]

hello and merry Xmas!

I have read on the web, comments from electricians argueing that the trade of electrician is overpopulated and no more profitable. I have actually read that it's dead.

At the same time, I see numerous of vacancies for maintenance engineers electrically biased at several industries, paying very well. At reed.co.uk I see that such vacancies are significantly more that other engineering discipline vacancies and they don't attract too many applications (most below 10), which means to me that the prospects of finding a good job are very well.

But where is the truth actually? Do I miss something?

Thanks!

 

[Johnuk]

you will find them jobs are posted on 100's off sites and they always want multi skilled

 

[Pete999]

Or the 5wws aren't confident in applying???

 

[camerabloke]

Electrical Trainee shouldn't be allowed to apply

 

[Pete999]

Trouble is they do and foxtrot utopia when they get these jobs and give the trade a bad name

 

[electros]

sorry?
any translation?

 

[Pete999]

Trying not to get the Mods on my back Foxtrot (F) Utopia (U) up when they get these jobs

 

[electros]

what is foxtrot, utopia, Electrical Trainee?

 

[camerabloke]

Foxtrot=f
Utopia=up
Fu
F&@k up

 

[Pete999]

Nice you got it then

 

[electros]

anyone serious here?

 

[Pete999]

A Electrical Trainee is someone who takes the short cut to become "qualified" and has possibly not had the experience to take on a maintenance role, hence the f%&k up reference

 

[VoltzElectrical]

A Electrical Trainee wouldn't get the job in reality.

 

[electros]

ok, but what about the contradicting views regarding the prospects of a career in electrician trade?

can the electrician trade be so devalued and with very bad prospects, while at the same time the electrician maintenance trade to offer a great career?

 

[camerabloke]

The industry has been devalued because its so easy become part p and anyone can do it in 5 weeks. It's also due to the fact that the doors have been opened in the eu to allow immigrants the chance to work for less money. Electrics was once a prestige trade, now it's seen less so because anyone can sling in a cable and pretend they care about the customer and the regulations

 

[Pete999]

Depends what you are aiming for, you say Electrician in a general term, there are domestic, commercial and industrial installation Electricians and maintenance Electricians I have worked in all 4 areas and believe me it's not easy, a maintenance Electrician is a different animal all together, he.she needs to understand the processes of what he/she has to maintain, whereas an installation Electrician installs, tests and usually that's it. I started off as a house basher, did commercial and industrial installs and tried my hand at maintenance, and went into management, do I feel devalued? no

 

[Knobhead]

The best work ever is as a multi-skilled engineer. It’s not easy. Everything lies on your shoulder.

Electrical fault finding along with precision fitting were part of everyday life. If you’ve got the skill it’s great fun!


Towards the end I spent most of my time programming PLC’s and maintenance planning.

If you go in to industry, don’t expect to be where you thought you should be. It’s like shifting sand, constantly moving.

 

[electros]

If you go in to industry, don’t expect to be where you thought you should be. It’s like shifting sand, constantly moving.

can you elaborate please?

 

[Engineer54]

hello and merry Xmas!

I have read on the web, comments from electricians argueing that the trade of electrician is overpopulated and no more profitable. I have actually read that it's dead.

At the same time, I see numerous of vacancies for maintenance engineers electrically biased at several industries, paying very well. At reed.co.uk I see that such vacancies are significantly more that other engineering discipline vacancies and they don't attract too many applications (most below 10), which means to me that the prospects of finding a good job are very well.

But where is the truth actually? Do I miss something?

Thanks!

You will find that these maintenance vacancies require electronic skills as well as electrical and often also call for ONC/HNC qualifications. The problem these days, is that the industry training is basically revolving around the domestic sector and not the full spectrum of the industry, as it once did. Therefore as one would expect, a shortage of fully qualified industrial/large commercial electricians/technicians!!


The back door short course wannabe's have absolutely no chance of ever being taken on in the sort of positions you're reading about. There are quite a few around that think maintenance electricians just go around changing Flu tubes and changing broken/damaged accessories and the like. In industry you couldn't be further from the truth, the plants rely on it's maintenance staff on an hour to hour, day to day, week to week basis. The pressure can be unrelenting.


What i'm saying is, don't run away with the idea that because you see a vacancy in industry don't for a second think that you can automatically fill that vacancy, the required skill levels (including extensive fault finding skills) are/can be beyond most qualified electricians these days!!

 

[electros]

You will find that these maintenance vacancies require electronic skills as well as electrical and often also call for ONC/HNC qualifications. The problem these days, is that the industry training is basically revolving around the domestic sector and not the full spectrum of the industry, as it once did. Therefore as one would expect, a shortage of fully qualified industrial/large commercial electricians/technicians!!


The back door short course wannabe's have absolutely no chance of ever being taken on in the sort of positions you're reading about. There are quite a few around that think maintenance electricians just go around changing Flu tubes and changing broken/damaged accessories and the like. In industry you couldn't be further from the truth, the plants rely on it's maintenance staff on an hour to hour, day to day, week to week basis. The pressure can be unrelenting.


What i'm saying is, don't run away with the idea that because you see a vacancy in industry don't for a second think that you can automatically fill that vacancy, the required skill levels (including extensive fault finding skills) are/can be beyond most qualified electricians these days!!

tell me more about this and other attractive engineering pathways

 

[spark 68]

Further more if you look a bit deeper at some of these job offers not all are what they seem.

For instance I got sent one of these jobs, and in the small print you were required to work on the production line when not doing maintenance which of course you were expected to meet targets in line with the staff who normally only do that job, which of course you probably would struggle to keep up with, which in turn means getting docked wages.

A friend who did a similar job/position also got docked because whilst attending to a breakdown because he did not meet his production quota for the day/week FFS!

Also the wages can be p!ss poor, they often want people who are expert in hydraulics, pneumatic as well as electrical, with PLC programming on top, all for less than a PLC programmer has the potential to earn alone!
In short they want everything, but are willing to pay as little as possible

Add in a good dollop of stress and stupid timeframes in a FMCG environment, you can see why some of these jobs can be hard to fill.

All that glistens is not gold, the devil is in the details a lot of the time.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

You are lying underneath a conveyor, finishing some wiring mods to upgrade the drives. You have been there all day and are looking forward to getting out into the daylight and heading home. The phone rings - a machining cell has stopped and thrown a bunch of errors that no-one understands. 'Get your 4R $E down here now and fix it because we've got 50 men standing around waiting...'

An axis motor burnt out on that machine last week. The programming was always a bit suspect, there have been some mods that weren't written up, by the guys from Singapore where it is now 2AM. You find some burnt wiring, there's a dead signal conditioner board, replacing it doesn't bring the encoders back to life... the men are still waiting and material is piling up at the loader, soon they will have to stop the upstream process, then there will be 40 more men waiting...

The phone rings - there's an ACB that won't reset, can you come over urgently please? 'OK, will be with you as soon as I've done this...'

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Electrical Trainee shouldn't be allowed to apply

Electrical Trainee shouldn`t be allowed to trade as electricians.......caus they aint....

 

[Marvo]

You are lying underneath a conveyor, finishing some wiring mods to upgrade the drives. You have been there all day and are looking forward to getting out into the daylight and heading home. The phone rings - a machining cell has stopped and thrown a bunch of errors that no-one understands. 'Get your 4R $E down here now and fix it because we've got 50 men standing around waiting...'

An axis motor burnt out on that machine last week. The programming was always a bit suspect, there have been some mods that weren't written up, by the guys from Singapore where it is now 2AM. You find some burnt wiring, there's a dead signal conditioner board, replacing it doesn't bring the encoders back to life... the men are still waiting and material is piling up at the loader, soon they will have to stop the upstream process, then there will be 40 more men waiting...

The phone rings - there's an ACB that won't reset, can you come over urgently please? 'OK, will be with you as soon as I've done this...'

I laughed nervously when I read this, it's all too familiar territory. You're either in a similar maintenance field or you've been stalking me haven't you?

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Any resemblance to persons living or dead was purely coincidental! It's familiar territory but I don't work in it much now, 75% of my time is in my workshop / office working on projects. I'm still in the firing line for emergency callouts because for stuff I've designed and built, it's difficult to avoid. Luckily I enjoy it, especially when something explodes spectacularly. The ones I dread usually start out with 'It's full of water' or 'We lost the neutral' because you know the damage will be widespread and there's no likelihood of a quick fix, only thankless slog.

 

[electros]

industrial maintenance

hello

as I am interested in a industrial maintenance career and I see there are some engineers here, can you tell me please:

1) are factories that process metals, steel, aluminum, etc, like foundries and precision engineering shops, safe to work at?
2) which industries pays well its maintenance technicians?
3) can you describe me a typical day? how much of your time you spend it on production floor?

any other info trully welcomed!
thanks!

 

[Marvo]

The ones I dread usually start out with 'It's full of water' or 'We lost the neutral' because you know the damage will be widespread and there's no likelihood of a quick fix, only thankless slog.

My favorite is 'the problem started 8 months ago and it's been getting progressively worse until this morning it went bang and we lost the entire power to that line.' obviously the the entire workforce is standing socializing and what wasn't urgent 8 months ago is a catastrophy now.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Oh yes, that old chestnut. Often leads into 'Why is this overload set at 30A? Has anyone changed anything in this panel?' followed by suspiciously vigorous shaking of heads and people looking at each other furtively.

 

[Marvo]

Yep, one of the prerequisites for becoming a factory maintenance electrician is to be a full-time pathological liar. I was going to say the only time they don't lie is when they're sleeping but I've met some who've made me doubt this is true. I've come across one or two that the rule doesn't apply to but they're few and far between.

 

[Marvo]

Re: industrial maintenance

Two similar threads merged.

 

[electros]

as I am interested in a industrial maintenance career and I see there are some engineers here, can you tell me please:

1) are factories that process metals, steel, aluminum, etc, like foundries and precision engineering shops, safe to work at?
2) which industries pays well its maintenance technicians?
3) can you describe me a typical day? how much of your time you spend it on production floor?

any other info trully welcomed!

 

[electros]

anyone???

 

[Engineer54]

as I am interested in a industrial maintenance career and I see there are some engineers here, can you tell me please:

1) are factories that process metals, steel, aluminum, etc, like foundries and precision engineering shops, safe to work at?
2) which industries pays well its maintenance technicians?
3) can you describe me a typical day? how much of your time you spend it on production floor?

any other info trully welcomed!

1) Ask Tony about foundries etc.. Safe to work?? That's why you have the HSE!! lol!!
2) If you're basing interest of electrical maintenance in monetary terms you'll probably not succeed!!
3) No-ones going to describe a typical day. You'll be expected to spend whatever time it takes to keep production running. It ain't a walk in the park when problems start appearing for no apparent reasons....

 

[PEG]

1) Safety at these places is proportional to the individuals experience and respect for his trade... 2) Heavy lifts,Mining and Tunneling... 3) Typical? for consistency, apply at local Sainsburys...Production floor=site/trench/flooded access chamber...Please don't think i am being flippant but you are after black and white answers in an opaque taciturn changeable field of skills. You will not readily make yourself employable in these fields,it's the experience you gain in many other areas of the trade,which will enable you to confidently apply and obtain a start... stick at it,good luck,and,remember,if it is easy,you need to aim higher :lips:

 

[electros]

1) Safety at these places is proportional to the individuals experience and respect for his trade... 2) Heavy lifts,Mining and Tunneling... 3) Typical? for consistency, apply at local Sainsburys...Production floor=site/trench/flooded access chamber...Please don't think i am being flippant but you are after black and white answers in an opaque taciturn changeable field of skills. You will not readily make yourself employable in these fields,it's the experience you gain in many other areas of the trade,which will enable you to confidently apply and obtain a start... stick at it,good luck,and,remember,if it is easy,you need to aim higher :lips:

can you tell me please how you 're sure that heavy lifting industry pays well? any references?
also what industry you mean by 'tunneling' ?

 

[Knobhead]

How old are you?

 

[guest119]

No comment :!blank: :banghead::42::ban:

Boydy

 

[GMES]

Electros, don't take this the wrong way but what is your agenda here and your motives because from reading through this thread you have asked the members about every job going in the country , short of a circus clown. and is it all about purely earning money, because if that's the case you may be better going over to the plumbers forum. :sifone:

 

[electros]

How old are you?

sorry, that's a bit sensitive

 

[electros]

Electros, don't take this the wrong way but what is your agenda here and your motives because from reading through this thread you have asked the members about every job going in the country , short of a circus clown. and is it all about purely earning money, because if that's the case you may be better going over to the plumbers forum. :sifone:

it's because I need to get insight for the various alternatives within the trade from people who are into them

it's not only about money, but I would be lying if I say I don't care about money

 

[PEG]

Hi,i am sure heavy lifting paid well because i had a chunk of it,i will admit parts of that job have sunk,ie;drivers of 300 tonne £2million cranes sleeping in the back of vans as routine....don't get me started....But,the repair,maintenance and set-up involved in this industry remains lucrative.Remember,fast track instruction,SLI's,interlocks and alarms may allow a driver to lift an 80 tonne vessel,but let me tell you,it is 7 years plus before you attempt to fix out'....Your second question regarding tunneling,i was referring to sewer/infrastructure work,jacking,boring and under pressure,(no,not what your missus gives you at christmas...) If you are seeking a job offer with details,i cannot help you,this is for you to investigate.Good hunting.

 

[electros]

Hi,i am sure heavy lifting paid well because i had a chunk of it,i will admit parts of that job have sunk,ie;drivers of 300 tonne £2million cranes sleeping in the back of vans as routine....don't get me started....But,the repair,maintenance and set-up involved in this industry remains lucrative.Remember,fast track instruction,SLI's,interlocks and alarms may allow a driver to lift an 80 tonne vessel,but let me tell you,it is 7 years plus before you attempt to fix out'....Your second question regarding tunneling,i was referring to sewer/infrastructure work,jacking,boring and under pressure,(no,not what your missus gives you at christmas...) If you are seeking a job offer with details,i cannot help you,this is for you to investigate.Good hunting.

sorry, but didn't understand much
I could hunt for a position in few heavy lifting companies, but I am not convinced about the profit. I know oil and gas pays well, due to the dangers of the jobs, but I haven't seen any evidence of heavy lifting industry paying well too, maybe a relative job ad?

I had an offer for an interview for such company, but I am not sure I will go. It's that in addition, I am afraid of heights. Doesn't this job involve working in extreme heights?

as for tunneling, is it about maintaining cranes and other construction plant machinery? I don't see the profit of that industry as well.

 

[PEG]

It would appear i am administering a physical form of admonishment to an expired equine...may i advise further integration and research on your part before pressing us on this topic.Over and out :stuart:

 

[electros]

It would appear i am administering a physical form of admonishment to an expired equine...may i advise further integration and research on your part before pressing us on this topic.Over and out :stuart:

I have done small but vital research, which can be condensed in this link:
All Jobs & Vacancies - reed.co.uk

I see crane engineers earning a mere 22,000-26,000