Do you not feel that the term Electrical Trainee is derogatory

[brman]

Personally I think the term should be banned. Not only because it is derogatory but because it doesn't mean anything!

Like others have said, whether you have done 5 weeks, 3 years or 20 years training doesn't mean you actually know what you are doing. I think I've said it before but one of the best engineers (and I mean engineer, not electrician or technician) I have ever employed had very limited training in the subject. Compared with one of the worst who had a doctorate.........

But regardless of the "if you haven't done a full apprenticeship you shouldn't be calling yourself an electrician" view the only reason the term Electrical Trainee is used is to be deregatory so if Marvo wants to stop handbag swinging and personal insults then ban the term!

 

[pepparz]

I think the term is only used by people who are jealous as Electrical Trainee have learnt in 5 weeks what others take 20 years to do

 

[NickD]

You buy (literally) into a FIVE WEEK course, and feel WONDERful when you 'graduate'. Where's the poor etymology in that? Perfectly acceptable descriptor as far as I'm concerned.

Last time I saw that argument being used was in attempting to justify the use of a four letter abbreviation of 'Pakistani'.

 

[Darkwood]

I think the term is only used by people who are jealous as Electrical Trainee have learnt in 5 weeks what others take 20 years to do

They don't effect my sector of industry but they have had a knock on effect of saturation of the domestic market meaning we now have actual experienced 4yr college taught sparkies sticking there noses into industrial installs when they clearly have no experience and are not competent to do so.

5week courses came out for those in similar sectors of the industry thus having electrical background and they wanted to transfer to been an Electricians .. due to a total abuse and mis-selling of the courses purely for profit we fine we have a flood of ill prepared and not competent 'Electricians' or DI's that ask the most basic of questions showing the true nature of the value of these courses.

So how can anyone even think that a 4yr course can be compressed into 5weeks and the result been a ready to go Electrician is a wonder to me - hence Electrical Trainee ...yes its derogative and on purpose to send a message that the short cut you want to or have taken holds little respect in the industry.

 

[NickD]

They don't effect my sector of industry but they have had a knock on effect of saturation of the domestic market meaning we now have actual experienced 4yr college taught sparkies sticking there noses into industrial installs when they clearly have no experience and are not competent to do so.

5week courses came out for those in similar sectors of the industry thus having electrical background and they wanted to transfer to been an Electricians .. due to a total abuse and mis-selling of the courses purely for profit we fine we have a flood of ill prepared and not competent 'Electricians' or DI's that ask the most basic of questions showing the true nature of the value of these courses.

So how can anyone even think that a 4yr course can be compressed into 5weeks and the result been a ready to go Electrician is a wonder to me - hence Electrical Trainee ...yes its derogative and on purpose to send a message that the short cut you want to or have taken holds little respect in the industry.

But you've identified two sets of people who do the short courses - those for whom it was arguably intended and are well suited, and those who shouldn't be allowed near it. The Electrical Trainee term tars both those sets of people with the same brush and effectively labels them both as Numpty With An MFT.

 

[pepparz]

Yes I agree darkwood. When I first saw these courses advertised I was shocked, it had taken me over 4 years of college and work experience to get the c&g certificates, how can someone achieve this in 5 weeks.

 

[Fox]

I think the term is only used by people who are jealous as Electrical Trainee have learnt in 5 weeks what others take 20 years to do

And then pop onto an internet forum to post a query as to why their £40 multimeter doesn't carry out an RCD test...

 

[Meggerman]

Yes I agree darkwood. When I first saw these courses advertised I was shocked, it had taken me over 4 years of college and work experience to get the c&g certificates, how can someone achieve this in 5 weeks.

I look at it more like an appetiser, with an NVQ3 for main course and a 2391 for dessert

 

[pepparz]

An NVQ isn't worth jack ****

 

[Meggerman]

an nvq isn't worth jack ****

nvq3 = jib gold card

 

[NickD]

Yes I agree darkwood. When I first saw these courses advertised I was shocked, it had taken me over 4 years of college and work experience to get the c&g certificates, how can someone achieve this in 5 weeks.

But what you don't know is what a given individual's background and training is from before the course. Which as I say is why I think it's unfair to tar everyone who takes this route with the Electrical Trainee brush.

 

[NickD]

nvq3 = jib gold card

So you could buy trainers cheap until they went outof business, big deal. ;-)

 

[Meggerman]

Also I think the 2-3 year to 5 week comparison is flawed. those of you did CG2330 on evening college courses only did one evening a week (4 hours) and at least 6 weeks you don't go. So 46 x 0.5 days = 23 days a year (4.6 weeks). So a 2 year course would be less than 10 weeks at college. Not such a big gap now is it.

 

[NickD]

Also I think the 2-3 year to 5 week comparison is flawed. those of you did CG2330 on evening college courses only did one evening a week (4 hours) and at least 6 weeks you don't go. So 46 x 0.5 days = 23 days a year (4.6 weeks). So a 2 year course would be less than 10 weeks at college. Not such a big gap now is it.

Yeah but don't forget those important hours upon hours of apprenticeship, learning how to try to pull the girls in Admin and getting sent to Stores for a long stand and getting hung from the forklift naked and covered in Swarega.

 

[pepparz]

But what you don't know is what a given individual's background and training is from before the course. Which as I say is why I think it's unfair to tar everyone who takes this route with the Electrical Trainee brush.

So what's the title of someone who is 5weeks from been an electrician
And do the courses differ depending on experience?

 

[Badged01]

... and getting sent to Stores for a long stand ...

I also got a tub of elbow grease and some tartan paint .....

 

[Meggerman]

Pepparz, that would be someone who has nearly completed NVQ3

 

[Darkwood]

But you've identified two sets of people who do the short courses - those for whom it was arguably intended and are well suited, and those who shouldn't be allowed near it. The Electrical Trainee term tars both those sets of people with the same brush and effectively labels them both as Numpty With An MFT.

If they have a background prior to taking the course solely as a transition into the industry then they don't ask the basic stupid questions and don't get accused of been a Electrical Trainee ..there's no wonder about how they were just utilising the course to dot the I's and cross the T's.... I don't attribute the Term 5 week wonder to such a person, I pin it on those with no background whatsoever who take the course then ask the most basic of questions to which make one cringe...these are what we call Electrical Trainee... just because they have taken the 5 week course does not mean the wonder tag is attached to them ... that would be a blanket tag which I don't do...I can't speak for others though.

 

[NickD]

And do the courses differ depending on experience?

Only if you have a good tutor with the flexibility and the course numbers to vary the content in the limited way you can within a few weeks. Which is the problem. You can't get someone with an Electrical Engineering degree and a pastry chef up to the same level of competence in five weeks.

 

[NickD]

I also got a tub of elbow grease and some tartan paint .....

My favourite was a new bubble for the spirit level.