Apprenticeship vs Evening course

[patMustard]

Hi,

I’m interested in training as an electrician and have an opportunity to work with an electrician. I’m just considering the best route to take.

Is doing an apprenticeship the best route? Or would I be better off working 5 days a week and going to college in the evenings. Are there any benefits or drawbacks to either.

I’ve got a couple of courses I’ve been looking at:

Apprenticeship - Advanced Apprenticeship In Electrical Installation - Advanced Apprenticeship In Electrical Installation - https://www.sccb.ac.uk/619-apprenticeships/level-3/5575-advanced-apprenticeship-in-electrical-installation?highlight=WyJlbGVjdHJpY2FsIiwiaW5zdGFsbGF0aW9uIiwibGV2ZWwiLDMsImVsZWN0cmljYWwgaW5zdGFsbGF0aW9uIiwiZWxlY3RyaWNhbCBpbnN0YWxsYXRpb24gbGV2ZWwiLCJpbnN0YWxsYXRpb24gbGV2ZWwiLCJpbnN0YWxsYXRpb24gbGV2ZWwgMyIsImxldmVsIDMiXQ==

Evening course - Electrical Installation (2365) Diploma Level - 2https://www.sccb.ac.uk/courses/electrical/706-level-2/6404-electrical-installation-2365-diploma-level-2 and then go on to study Electrical Installation Diploma Level 3 - Electrical Installation Diploma Level 3 - BMet - https://www.bmet.ac.uk/course/electrical-installation-diploma-level-3/ and after this get my NVQ

Do the two routes offer the same outcome as I will be gaining on site experience?

Also I would be interested in knowing if there was anything I could start to learn as a complete beginner before I start college/work?

Thanks

 

[telectrix]

first thing is your age. apprenticeship wages are pants, so unless you are still living in the parental home and don't have a mortgage/rent/wife/kids, consider an apprenticeship.
the opportunity you state of working with an electrician will give you practical experience and hopefully a decent wage. also you will be able to start on a portfolio for NVQ, cutting down on the overall training period. evening classes may take a bit longer than full time college, but has the advantage of more time to take it all in and ask any theory questions to the gut you work with, as long as it's not too disruptive of your working time. after all, he/she needs to find you useful and not a drain on his/her time. good luck with whatever you choose, but forget the 5 week domestic installer courses. all you'll do then is house bashing as self-employed sparks, stuck in a race to the bottom as regards price, and broken down back and kness at 50.

. any course that gives you 2365 level 2 and 3 is the way forward, followed on by NVQ3 and AM2. during level 3 you couls also obtain 2391 and 18th ED.

 

[Lister1987]

I'd add that just because a course may be advertised as full time, it doesn't equate to a full time job.

What do I mean by that? My Level 2 course that I completed this year as a 'full-time' course but in reality you were only in college for a max of 15hrs over 3 days, leaving me scope to keep my existing job at a call centre, with chopped hours (15 instead of 37.5), the shortfall in wages was suplimented by Universal Credit (due to employment being under 16hrs and take-home pay being below the exclusion threshold for UC) and Personal Independence Payment (due to disability).

The trade-off between evening courses (aka Part Time) and full time was minimal, yes I took a financial hit (~£150pcm) but it outweighed the potential benefit of doing evening course and getting work in the industry (which is hard enough at the best of times and considering I already had a job (not in the industry but it was a source of income), it made more to take a slight drop in wages in an existing job than try my luck at trying to get a part-time job in the industry when you're not disabled so north on impossible when you are.

Instead I made the most of the tool time at college and gave myself a way of practicing at home (test rig for wiring, testing on existing home install and just generally people king around the house wiring seeing what was done and why it was done the way it was ). It's not perfect but it worked and I was still able to provide for my family.

Horses for courses as they say, what works for one, may not for the other.

 

[patMustard]

Thanks for the replies.

I think I will look into going to college on the evenings and then working with the guy in the days to gain experience. It seems as though the evening college course and apprenticeship will lead to the same end goal but I will just have to be organised with sorting the different courses out myself.

The theory worries me a bit because I'm awful at maths ha but I'm looking forward to challanging myself. I don't mind taking a low wage so much, I know I'll be pretty much useless to start with and I'm learning a skill.

 

[Lister1987]

Thanks for the replies.

I think I will look into going to college on the evenings and then working with the guy in the days to gain experience. It seems as though the evening college course and apprenticeship will lead to the same end goal but I will just have to be organised with sorting the different courses out myself.

The theory worries me a bit because I'm awful at maths ha but I'm looking forward to challanging myself. I don't mind taking a low wage so much, I know I'll be pretty much useless to start with and I'm learning a skill.

Best advise I can give for the theory/maths side is to get the course books and read them, I mean really read them.

I found them great as my theory lecturer's teaching style was severely lacking and the books helped me more than the lecturer.

Look at Joe Robinson Training & John Ward onYoutube too, Joes mathethamics and John's theory are like having 2 extra lecturers on tap ?