S
skirby
Having worked as an electrician for over 30 years and I've seen a lot of changes since the 14th Edition of the Regs. It seems to me that electricians are no longer valued highly enough for the work they do and the training they have to undertake. Here's how I see things today...
Constant Changes
I accept that electrical safety regulations have to change to keep up with new technology and as a working electrician I need to update my knowledge. But electricians seem to be thrown an increasing amount of hoops to jump through and are expected to pay for the extra time and effort it takes, just to keep doing their job. It takes a good deal of dedication to get trained up and start out as a qualified sparks in the first place and the constant updating and re-issuing of BS7671 Wiring Regs and related courses is a serious bone of contention amongst electricians.
This would be great if we were being paid accordingly but in my experience we are just seen as another trade as far as rates of pay are concerned. Operating as a fully qualified electrician (especially running your own business) has changed from being a regular construction trade job to something far more involved but in my opinion electricians have been de-valued.
Would I recommend anyone to become an electrician today?
Yes I would. Being an electrician an interesting and challenging job and a cut above other trades as for as knowledge and responsibility is concerned (I suppose you’d call that job prestige?). By working for a company (or sub-contracting) where all the paperwork and training is organised for you it can still be a great career.
But in the present economic climate I wouldn’t recommend starting out in the domestic sector or going down the Part P route running your own small business. That’s partly what I do now. It’s interesting going through the process but a lot of effort to deal with all the paperwork, test sheets and registering jobs. On top of all that you’ve got to deal with customers, compete for work and make enough money to earn a living, which isn’t easy at the moment.
Regulation Overkill ?
As I mentioned before, in my experience most people view electricians as just another trade. I think we have respect but aren’t really appreciated for the service we provide (do I hear violins?). Very few builders, carpenters, decorators and plumbers have to update their qualifications or give any sort of certification for their work or may be held accountable the safety of end users of their installations in the same way as electricians. It’s not uncommon to come across plumbers who have de-registered for gas work and just concentrate on the plumbing. They don’t consider the cost (and aggravation) of re-training for a gas cert every few years is worth the effort. It’s also not uncommon to come across electricians who are considering leaving the trade due to over-regulation.
Over the past 20 years we’ve seen that whole industry has evolved around training, testing and regulating electricians and I guess that’s what upsets experienced sparks the most. I’m in favour of updating and improving my skills but when you’re at the recieving end of endless demands for re-training and updating your regs books you’d like to feel that you are actually adding to your value as an electrician, rather than simply keeping yourself in a job.
It seems to be a matter of- “If you want to be in the game you’ll simply have to play by the rules”. The electrical industry is a prime target for regulation overkill and maybe you need to have been around for a while to appreciate how deep it reaches.
The Future
In summary I’m saying, there should be regulation but not so much of it, it should cost us less, and we should be paid a fair wage for what we do. I guess it’s up to us to make sure we get all of these things.
Despite this, youngsters coming into the trade won’t know any different and they’ll take it all in their stride. Electricians and electrical work will always require some sort of regulation and re-training as technology evolves. That’s the nature of the electrical industry.
There will always be electricians and hopefully they will be respected for their knowledge and experience in years to come. An electrician’s life won’t be easy but I hope they will be valued enough to be paid an acceptable rate for doing a responsible and essential job.
We're all in this together. Do you feel de-valued and are you concerned about the over regulation of the electrical industry and the way it affects you as an electrician?
Constant Changes
I accept that electrical safety regulations have to change to keep up with new technology and as a working electrician I need to update my knowledge. But electricians seem to be thrown an increasing amount of hoops to jump through and are expected to pay for the extra time and effort it takes, just to keep doing their job. It takes a good deal of dedication to get trained up and start out as a qualified sparks in the first place and the constant updating and re-issuing of BS7671 Wiring Regs and related courses is a serious bone of contention amongst electricians.
This would be great if we were being paid accordingly but in my experience we are just seen as another trade as far as rates of pay are concerned. Operating as a fully qualified electrician (especially running your own business) has changed from being a regular construction trade job to something far more involved but in my opinion electricians have been de-valued.
Would I recommend anyone to become an electrician today?
Yes I would. Being an electrician an interesting and challenging job and a cut above other trades as for as knowledge and responsibility is concerned (I suppose you’d call that job prestige?). By working for a company (or sub-contracting) where all the paperwork and training is organised for you it can still be a great career.
But in the present economic climate I wouldn’t recommend starting out in the domestic sector or going down the Part P route running your own small business. That’s partly what I do now. It’s interesting going through the process but a lot of effort to deal with all the paperwork, test sheets and registering jobs. On top of all that you’ve got to deal with customers, compete for work and make enough money to earn a living, which isn’t easy at the moment.
Regulation Overkill ?
As I mentioned before, in my experience most people view electricians as just another trade. I think we have respect but aren’t really appreciated for the service we provide (do I hear violins?). Very few builders, carpenters, decorators and plumbers have to update their qualifications or give any sort of certification for their work or may be held accountable the safety of end users of their installations in the same way as electricians. It’s not uncommon to come across plumbers who have de-registered for gas work and just concentrate on the plumbing. They don’t consider the cost (and aggravation) of re-training for a gas cert every few years is worth the effort. It’s also not uncommon to come across electricians who are considering leaving the trade due to over-regulation.
Over the past 20 years we’ve seen that whole industry has evolved around training, testing and regulating electricians and I guess that’s what upsets experienced sparks the most. I’m in favour of updating and improving my skills but when you’re at the recieving end of endless demands for re-training and updating your regs books you’d like to feel that you are actually adding to your value as an electrician, rather than simply keeping yourself in a job.
It seems to be a matter of- “If you want to be in the game you’ll simply have to play by the rules”. The electrical industry is a prime target for regulation overkill and maybe you need to have been around for a while to appreciate how deep it reaches.
The Future
In summary I’m saying, there should be regulation but not so much of it, it should cost us less, and we should be paid a fair wage for what we do. I guess it’s up to us to make sure we get all of these things.
Despite this, youngsters coming into the trade won’t know any different and they’ll take it all in their stride. Electricians and electrical work will always require some sort of regulation and re-training as technology evolves. That’s the nature of the electrical industry.
There will always be electricians and hopefully they will be respected for their knowledge and experience in years to come. An electrician’s life won’t be easy but I hope they will be valued enough to be paid an acceptable rate for doing a responsible and essential job.
We're all in this together. Do you feel de-valued and are you concerned about the over regulation of the electrical industry and the way it affects you as an electrician?
