M

M.J.

Afternoon all,

I've been lurking around these forums for a while now and thought it was the right time to make an account. I'm approaching a juncture now where I need to make a decision about changing my career path, so I thought I'd seek the advice of some of the more seasoned sparks on here. The people down at my local job centre are about as useful as a chocolate teapot with all of this, so I really do need some solid advice.

The title is a slight embellishment. Bit of context; I'm a bog-standard 20-something who graduated from university within the last few years with a degree in Economics & History, for all the good that has done me so far. You know the type, and unfortunately there are more of us being churned out every year.& Unsurprisingly, employers have a hard time imagining how someone with such a limited skill set can add value to their organisation and I've been working the last couple of years in sales/retail.

I'm currently unemployed (going on 10 months) after I made the easy decision to quit my last job. I'm growing sick of jumping through hoops to land another white-collar job I'll hate, and each of these jobs now has a 5-7 stage recruitment process because the unskilled labour market is so competitive nowadays. My worked 40+ years in construction until retirement (bricklayer and the like) and never tires of telling me that "if you don't have a skill, you don't have a value to the world".

Teenage me thought he was talking out his a**e but now I see what he was saying all this time. Time for a career change. I've done my research so I'm not entirely clueless, I know I need G 2365 (Level 2 & 3)

I've found a few providers which offer for around £7,000 for Levels 2 & 3. Is it a good idea to pursue these qualifications? Some are spread out over 1-2 years whilst others say they can train you up in 14 weeks (7 weeks for each) and provide accommodation for the duration (I'll be travelling from up North). Are these 14 week ones a gimmick, or are they worth it??<

Any recommended providers?? If I get C & G 2365 (Level 2 & 3) do I still have to work as an apprentice? I can't afford to take the apprentice route as it's criminal what they get paid and I won't be able to support myself for 3+ years on £3.60 an hour. Is there a job out there for me when/if I get C & G 2365 (Level 2 &amp; 3) I don't want to get my qualifications, pay £7000...then struggle to land a job like I am now; I need to know if there's a good market out there for willing, able-minded people with freshly minted C &amp; G quals.?

What do you do after C & G 2365? Go straight into paying & learning for AMC2 AND NVQ3? Look for work? I do want to work towards AMC & NVQ3 but I know less about them and am hoping someone can clear that up for me. I've had my fingers burnt with these 'qualifications' that cost a lot of money and aren't worth much. I paid over a grand for a PRINCE2 Project Management qualification as I thought it would help me get into that sector, but employers aren't interested and there was no job waiting at the end of it...or 10 months later.

I just want the simple life and a bit of money at the end of each month, I'm not bothered about being a Master Electrician. It would be nice to one day set up a business, who knows? I'd like to be the man that my family & friends can come to if they want patio lighting fitted or favours done, you know? It seems like there's about a dozen different types of electrician job titles so I can't even wrap my head around those. I think I want to be in "installation" of some sort?

Sorry if this is a bit long, I appreciate any help you're able to give me as this is doing my nut in now.

Cheers!
 
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If you copy/paste a post from elsewhere it often ends up with stray code in it that can't be understood by the forum software.

Afternoon all,<br><br>I've been lurking around these forums for a while now and thought it was the right time to make an account. I'm approaching a juncture now where I need to make a decision about changing my career path, so I thought I'd seek the advice of some of the more seasoned sparks on here. The people down at my local job centre are about as useful as a chocolate teapot with all of this, so I really do need some solid advice.<br><br>The title is a slight embellishment. Bit of context; I'm a bog-standard 20-something who graduated from university within the last few years with a degree in Economics & History, for all the good that has done me so far. You know the type, and unfortunately there are more of us being churned out every year.*<br><br>Unsurprisingly, employers have a hard time imagining how someone with such a limited skill set can add value to their organisation and*I've been working the last couple of years in sales/retail. I'm*currently unemployed (going on 10 months) after I made the easy decision to quit my last job. I'm growing sick of jumping through hoops to land another white-collar job I'll hate, and each of these jobs now has a 5-7 stage recruitment process because the unskilled labour market is so competitive nowadays.<br><br>My worked 40+ years in construction until retirement (bricklayer and the like) and never tires of telling me that <em>"if you don't have a skill, you don't have a value to the world"</em>. Teenage me thought he was talking out his a**e<i>,*</i>but now I see what he was saying all this time.*<strong>Time for a career change.</strong><br><br>I've done my research so I'm not entirely clueless, I know I need:<ul><li><span style="color:#ff0000;">C & G 2365 (Level 2 & 3)</span></li><li><span style="color:#ff0000;">AMC2</span></li><li><span style="color:#ff0000;">NVQ3</span></li></ul><span style="color:#ff0000;"><br></span><u>I've found a few providers which offer*<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">C & G 2365*</span>for around £7,000 for <span style="color:#ff0000;">Levels 2 & 3</span>.</u> <ul><li>Is it a good idea to pursue these qualifications? Some are spread out over 1-2 years whilst others say they can train you up in 14 weeks (7 weeks for each) and provide accommodation for the duration (I'll be travelling from up North). Are these 14 week ones a gimmick, or are they worth it??</li><li>Any recommended providers??</li><li>If I get*<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">C & G 2365 (Level 2 & 3)*</span>do I still have to work as an apprentice? I can't afford to take the apprentice route as it's criminal what they get paid and I won't be able to support myself for 3+ years on £3.60 an hour.*</li><li>Is there a job out there for me when/if I get*<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">C & G 2365 (Level 2 & 3)</span>??*I don't want to get my qualifications, pay £7000...then struggle to land a job like I am now; I need to know if there's a good market out there for willing, able-minded people with freshly minted C & G quals.?</li><li>What do you do after C & G 2365? Go straight into paying &*learning for AMC2 AND NVQ3? Look for work?</li></ul><br><br>I do want to work towards*<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">AMC &*</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">NVQ3</span>*but I know less about them*and am hoping someone can clear that up for me.*<br><br>I've had my fingers burnt with these <em>'qualifications'</em>*<img src="http://www.electriciansforums.co.uk/images/smilies/joker.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Joker" smilieid="237" class="inlineimg">*that cost a lot of money and aren't worth much. I paid*over a grand for a PRINCE2 Project Management qualification as I thought it would help me get into that sector, but employers aren't interested and there was no job waiting at the end of it...or 10 months later.<br><br>I just want the simple life and a bit of money at the end of each month, I'm not bothered about being a Master Electrician. It would be nice to one day set up a business, who knows? I'd like to be the man that my family & friends can come to if they want patio lighting fitted or favours done, you know? It seems like there's about a dozen different types of electrician job titles so I can't even wrap my head around those. I think I want to be in "installation" of some sort?<br><br>Sorry if this is a bit long, I appreciate any help you're able to give me as this is doing my nut in now.<br><br>Cheers!<br><br><br><br>
 
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Thank you mate, I originally had this formatted with bullet points etc to make it easier read before my internet went off, but can't seem to find a button to edit it back? I'll see if I can sort that mess out since no-one like a wall of text
 
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I did my apprencticeship as an adult trainee due to being too old to be an apprentice, think the cut off is 20/21......... I started off doing some agency work as an electricians mate, I then managed to get the employer to take me on as an adult trainee, my rate of pay started at over £10 p/h, I was day release from college for 3 years, it was pretty intense and a lot of work is done outside of college using the on site training! I would look at going down this route if possible, my background was mainly landscaping, I just blagged the sparkies mate job through the agency then never looked back! Good luck!
 
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If you can't get on an apprenticeship to do the 2357, then 2365-02 and 2365-03 are the correct courses. As you say, you will go on from these to do the NVQ and the AM2.

£7k sounds like an awful lot of money. Even private training providers will do you the same courses for just over half that, and colleges even less.

There is a LOT of material in the 2365 level 2 and 3 courses - as there should be, being core technical qualifications. I would question whether that amount of information can go in, in 14 weeks. More importantly, I would question whether it would stay there!

The 2365 is a technical qualification. Apart from some basic installation on a board in level 2, and some testing and fault-finding in level 3, it is pretty much all theory. You need to learn the practical side of things on the job. Whilst you're studying for your 2365, get an ECS card, apply to agencies, get yourself on site.

Finally, once you have signed up for your course, apply to join the trainee section. You will receive very friendly advice and help in this special section of the forum. In the past, mentors from this section of the board have offered one or two trainees opportunities to get practical experience. See this thread for instructions on how to apply: http://www.electriciansforums.co.uk/apply-gain-access-trainee-only-forum/

:)
 
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Economist to....Electrician? *HELP NEEDED*
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Electrician Courses : Electrical Quals
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