C
chris-leeds
Hi. By trade I'm a qualified mechanical maintenance engineer with 30 years experience and recently I've been trying to diversify in order to gain not only new, but continual employment.
Over the last couple of years I've passed the nebosh health & safety qualification, the city & guilds 2377 pat testing qualification and recently the city & guilds 2382 17th edition qualification. This week I took the city & guilds 2392 inspection & testing examination after completing the course. I passed the online Gola exam but failed miserably with the practical. I'm annoyed at failing the practical exam, but not as annoyed as I am at what is happening in this country when it comes to securing employment.
These days to be a mechanical maintenance engineer you have to be all things to everybody. You're required to have qualifications and experience of much more than was required of you 20 or 30 years ago. People like myself in their late 40's are having to go out and learn new skills and obtain diverse qualifications or resign themselves to the scrap heap. Gone are the days when we all stuck to our own disciplines, we’re now expected to be multi-skilled, work overtime for single time pay and be on 24 hour call out.
It's not surprising that I failed the 2392 practical because as to date, I have pretty much no knowledge of electrical installations, yet I've taken a course that covers testing your own installations, I'm the first to question the logic in that, but I don't have the time to go on a 2330 course and there are limited options available to people like myself at this time of life with regards to learning new skills.
I know that in a factory environment like I'm used to there is very little need for single phase domestic qualifications, but I guess they're better than none.
I'm determined to pass the 2392 practical exam and then consider scrambling my brain with the 2391 course if I have to. The Part P course is an option I guess, but the cost of that has jumped up at some places to around a £1000 and I don't know how much that course would benefit me. If anyone can advise me it would be much appreciated.
I've even recently completed a night class welding course as well for what it's worth.
I don't think that there are many more courses to be had, and with all those qualifications they aren't worth much without the experience, a kind of chicken and egg situation. I've been considering looking for work as an electricians mate, but I have to question the wisdom of that move for someone in their 40's.
.... Is there anything out there such as a step by step guide to the testing sequence in detail of the 2392 practical exam? Written as if you were talking someone through it... I think the best description is a crib list? Any help would be much appreciated.
Experienced sparks needn't worry that I'm going to let myself loose out there, all I'm hoping for is extra qualifications to secure a job. I’m the first to agree with the requirements of the terms skilled, instructed, an ordinary person.
I am considering out of desperation becoming a freelance health & safety officer and the electrical qualifications would help me to pass comment on some aspects of visited companies’ electrical testing & inspection compliance, which is something I’m guessing not many H&S inspectors have.
Thanks for reading. And best of luck with your employment.
Over the last couple of years I've passed the nebosh health & safety qualification, the city & guilds 2377 pat testing qualification and recently the city & guilds 2382 17th edition qualification. This week I took the city & guilds 2392 inspection & testing examination after completing the course. I passed the online Gola exam but failed miserably with the practical. I'm annoyed at failing the practical exam, but not as annoyed as I am at what is happening in this country when it comes to securing employment.
These days to be a mechanical maintenance engineer you have to be all things to everybody. You're required to have qualifications and experience of much more than was required of you 20 or 30 years ago. People like myself in their late 40's are having to go out and learn new skills and obtain diverse qualifications or resign themselves to the scrap heap. Gone are the days when we all stuck to our own disciplines, we’re now expected to be multi-skilled, work overtime for single time pay and be on 24 hour call out.
It's not surprising that I failed the 2392 practical because as to date, I have pretty much no knowledge of electrical installations, yet I've taken a course that covers testing your own installations, I'm the first to question the logic in that, but I don't have the time to go on a 2330 course and there are limited options available to people like myself at this time of life with regards to learning new skills.
I know that in a factory environment like I'm used to there is very little need for single phase domestic qualifications, but I guess they're better than none.
I'm determined to pass the 2392 practical exam and then consider scrambling my brain with the 2391 course if I have to. The Part P course is an option I guess, but the cost of that has jumped up at some places to around a £1000 and I don't know how much that course would benefit me. If anyone can advise me it would be much appreciated.
I've even recently completed a night class welding course as well for what it's worth.
I don't think that there are many more courses to be had, and with all those qualifications they aren't worth much without the experience, a kind of chicken and egg situation. I've been considering looking for work as an electricians mate, but I have to question the wisdom of that move for someone in their 40's.
.... Is there anything out there such as a step by step guide to the testing sequence in detail of the 2392 practical exam? Written as if you were talking someone through it... I think the best description is a crib list? Any help would be much appreciated.
Experienced sparks needn't worry that I'm going to let myself loose out there, all I'm hoping for is extra qualifications to secure a job. I’m the first to agree with the requirements of the terms skilled, instructed, an ordinary person.
I am considering out of desperation becoming a freelance health & safety officer and the electrical qualifications would help me to pass comment on some aspects of visited companies’ electrical testing & inspection compliance, which is something I’m guessing not many H&S inspectors have.
Thanks for reading. And best of luck with your employment.
