Choosing between courses, advice please!

[Wilko2812]

Hi all,
Quick bit about me, I'm 25, just leaving the army after joining straight from school.

I've done labouring when I have time off quite a few times, working for a family friend, I said I want to leave and he offered me a job. Mainly working in domestic work.

When getting out of the army you get a decent(ish) amount of money to retrain.
I know definitely there is no substitute for experience and what ever course I will do will have no substitute for that lack of experience but it seems stupid not to use the free money available to me.

I have narrowed down the course providers to two different companies, and was just after opinions on which on me you would choose. (I have asked my future employer but a few different opinions never hurt anyone)

The first company offers;
City and guilds;
4141-02
4141-01 (level 3)
2393
2392-10
2382-15
2377 22 & 2377- 32
mans NICEIC / ELECSA OKA assessment.

The second company offers;
City and guilds;
4555
2393 (level 3)
2382-12
2377-22
2392-10 (level 2)
and EAL Level 3 (equivalent c&g 2394 (although I have read about that qualification on this forum))


so basically my question is which company would offer me the best start for domestic electrics?

Cheers for any help

Dan

 

[Adam W]

How much do they cost?
In my experience these courses tend to be thrown together to get the most money out of you leaving you with a load of worthless qualifications - both of them include In Service Inspection & Testing of Electrical Equipment (formerly PAT testing) which you'd rarely use in domestic electrics.
For a similar price you could train to be an electrician; it'd take a bit longer (1 day a week) but you'd have a trade at the end of it.

You might find you'll learn more working with this mate of yours than you do at a training centre.

The City & Guilds 4555 appears to be an introduction to tiling?

 

[Wilko2812]

Cost is
£3400 for the first one and £2,000 for the second, but this cost will be covered by funding from the army so won't actually cost me much at all.

Just double checked the website and it does say 4555, and that it is an introduction course. I googled it and for example 4555- 05 is an intro to carpentry course.

Like I said I'm under no illusion that this is going to be a magical course but if I could get one decent qualification out of it it could be worth my time.

The funding is weird, it's basically these courses or nothing, the funding won't cover my local college (which I intend to do afterwards)

thanks again for your help

 

[Wilko2812]

Cheers Neil, and yeah I know,that's why I'm trying to gauge opinions on here rather than in with the education officer who's telling me that these courses are mega, when I know they're definitely not.
thanks for the help and hope you're getting on well on the outside.

 

[Wilko2812]

I'll have a look through to see if the qualifications you mentioned are available.
Getting out in September so got a reasonable amount to sort stuff

 

[terry1969]

save your money mate

 

[DuaneMHunt1976]

2365 level 2 & 3 and then as Eodnell said the cross over to the 2357

I think a lot of the courses are not needed, the 2394 and 2395 as well as the 2377
i would suggest always improving yourself with qualifications ... they are like Pokemon, gotta catch them all.
2394 Initial Verification, you will be shown how to do that all in the 2365 Level 3 i guess, i was in the 2330 level 3 (now defunked) as well as the 2395 Peridoics (dam i never spell that the same way twice)
2377-22 and 32, ive done the 2377-22 as some thing to do, shocked if any one dosnt pass it, as it was open book even in the City and Guilds version. (some people i know at a BIG ELECTRICAL Company didnt pass and they are still doing PAT testing)

But take each course at a time and plan for your next move when you have done it.
I myself would like to do the 2919 (Car electrical Points really) and the one that Eodnell suggest the Bridge 2357 and AM2
I think the 2396 (design) might be too complex for me as i guess it would be very Wordy (and for a dyslexic i am worried about it and im not even doing the course)