ECS card arggggghhhhhhhh.

[AJshep]

Hi I’m having trouble with getting “Completed Apprenticeship” on back of my card although I’m graded as an “Installation Technical”.

I finished my apprenticeship in 1998. I didn’t ever remember receiving a JIB409 did they even exist then ? No idea where my training deeds are either. Did anyone finish their apprenticeship in 1998 or around that time and get a JIB 409 ?

You wouldn't have.. I had the same but I did get a certificate stating I completed my apprenticeship but the JIB wouldn't accept it.
I had to email my old training provider (JTL) a form and someone there signed it and emailed it back to me.
Apparently you could get your old firm who you trained with to sign it too if they are still around.

 

[Nolan1977]

Thanks so much. No wonder I can’t find one.

What form do I need to send to JTL. I emailed them last night asking if they had any record of me

 

[AJshep]

It's ECS own form you can download it on their website basically it's just a blank form I emailed this over to someone at JTL, they signed stamped and signed it and sent it back.

Its a complete PITA as i had a letter headed letter and a certificate from JTL congratualating me on completing my apprenticeship and stating that I'd left funded training.

if you send me a pm on here I'll see if i can hunt out the form. It was back in 2018 but sure I'll have on my PC somewhere

Thanks so much. No wonder I can’t find one.

What form do I need to send to JTL. I emailed them last night asking if they had any record of me

 

[Chaz_smith]

So I formally completed and finished my electrotechnical apprenticeship with JTL in 2003.
My apprenticeship was a standard five year and we only got entered into doing our AM2 once we had completed 5 years experience and shown neccessary experience in our log books. In this time I completed the various courses...
C&G Part 1 & 2 (236 I believe) AM1, AM2 and NVQ levels 2 & 3 (which were log book based)
Once I completed I got a nice certificate from JTL, and headed signed letters which also had JIB mark on it saying I've completed a formal apprenticeship in the electrotechnical industry and it listed all my quals. I also got a nice letter from JTL congratulating me and saying I've left funded training and my training contract was sent back to me.

Anyway I never applied for my card back then, my logic was I'll do my 2391 then get a "approved" card. So a few years later that's what I did, but unfortunately I never got around to applying for my card either and to be honest I never needed it.

Anyway now 15 years later, I want my card. My qualifications have been checked and verified, however I'm getting placed on hold because ECS think I'm still an Apprentice, they won't except my completion certificate, they won't except my my formal letters from JTL they won't except my original training contract from JTL because it says training deeds on the top .
The only thing they will except is a JIB409 form, the trouble is I no longer have contact with the company I completed my apprenticeship with back in 2003.

When I rang them up the woman said " I can see you have completed, but we can only accept an original training contract or a JIB409".

I work for myself now, I've tried sending copys off to JTL but I never get anything back. A few months this has been going on now.

Surely it can't be this hard, does everyone have this issue.

hi , did you get anywhere with this , i have had an absolute nightmare with these people ?

 

[Chaz_smith]

Has anyone found a way around this ? I've been trying to gain a gold card on behalf for my Dad. (family business ) . He had a gold card through the NICEIC but it expired ! The whole thing is an absolute ---- take and money making scam! He has had over 40 years experience and forgotten more than i know .! He runs his own company and has given so much to the trade over the years and employment for others , only to be told by someone who has no clue what's going on that he can't have a gold card . We have all his original certs and they've been kept immaculate but we don't have the apprenticeship deeds and the firm stopped trading in 1986 . They are saying he needs NVQ level 3 its a bloody joke ! Surely he hasn't now got to pay close to £2000 for an experienced worker assessment !!?? I can't seem to find anyone else really kicking off about this !! would have thought people would be up in arms over it ! any info would be very welcome . thanks

 

[westward10]

Why does he need one.

 

[Chaz_smith]

Why does he need one.

Because its required on contract we have , but yes that's exactly what he said !! (with a few added swear words in the sentence !!!)

 

[MJPD29]

It is a money making scheme, I've never applied for a card, and never will. Only do hazardous area work and have never even heard one mentioned. Its a real shame your contract is demanding them, because they really are a load of crap.

 

[Chaz_smith]

It is a money making scheme, I've never applied for a card, and never will. Only do hazardous area work and have never even heard one mentioned. Its a real shame your contract is demanding them, because they really are a load of crap.

Yeh massive money making scheme! Unfortunately of the proper big building sites won’t even let you on site without one . Obviously it’s not a problem if it’s just domestic work .

 

[MJPD29]

Strange, I do zero domestic work and spent a huge amount of time on large building sites but never heard one mentioned. Is this just the norm now?

 

[I'mAvillen]

Hi I’m having trouble with getting “Completed Apprenticeship” on back of my card although I’m graded as an “Installation Technical”.

I finished my apprenticeship in 1998. I didn’t ever remember receiving a JIB409 did they even exist then ? No idea where my training deeds are either. Did anyone finish their apprenticeship in 1998 or around that time and get a JIB 409 ?

Hi Nolan, I'm guessing but i think they only have your technical qualifications, site experience cert's are missing. Maybe also AM2. Anyway, who wants to be an electrician? Biggest ripoff game in the world! You name me a trade where you get a book that keeps renewing over and over again? And, then have to pay an arm and a leg to complete a course related to that book.

 

[oscar21]

If more people took my approach then we wouldn't have this nonsense to deal with in the first place. Building sites need electricians at the end of the day, good ones aren't that easy to come by so when youturn up and they say have you got this card and that card just reply "look, I don't want your life story, do you want the job doing or not mate". If everyone said that then the work place would be a lot more simple. The rubbish sparks would soon get weeded out.

 

[nicebutdim]

If more people took my approach then we wouldn't have this nonsense to deal with in the first place. Building sites need electricians at the end of the day, good ones aren't that easy to come by so when youturn up and they say have you got this card and that card just reply "look, I don't want your life story, do you want the job doing or not mate". If everyone said that then the work place would be a lot more simple. The rubbish sparks would soon get weeded out.

Similar applies to domestic guys cutting prices to nothing, but it'll never happen. Things have been great for a while, but as work dries up it'll be back to the same old. Best qualified among all trades, but not a lick of sense among them.

 

[1David]

I am experiencing a similar problem except I don't have the completion certificate from pre 1994.
I contacted the JIB who have no record of my apprenticeship - so I can't progress!!

Very frustrating - I can't register, can't get a Gold Card. can't join a scheme!!

Effectively I'm unemployable.

So I formally completed and finished my electrotechnical apprenticeship with JTL in 2003.
My apprenticeship was a standard five year and we only got entered into doing our AM2 once we had completed 5 years experience and shown neccessary experience in our log books. In this time I completed the various courses...
C&G Part 1 & 2 (236 I believe) AM1, AM2 and NVQ levels 2 & 3 (which were log book based)
Once I completed I got a nice certificate from JTL, and headed signed letters which also had JIB mark on it saying I've completed a formal apprenticeship in the electrotechnical industry and it listed all my quals. I also got a nice letter from JTL congratulating me and saying I've left funded training and my training contract was sent back to me.

Anyway I never applied for my card back then, my logic was I'll do my 2391 then get a "approved" card. So a few years later that's what I did, but unfortunately I never got around to applying for my card either and to be honest I never needed it.

Anyway now 15 years later, I want my card. My qualifications have been checked and verified, however I'm getting placed on hold because ECS think I'm still an Apprentice, they won't except my completion certificate, they won't except my my formal letters from JTL they won't except my original training contract from JTL because it says training deeds on the top .
The only thing they will except is a JIB409 form, the trouble is I no longer have contact with the company I completed my apprenticeship with back in 2003.

When I rang them up the woman said " I can see you have completed, but we can only accept an original training contract or a JIB409".

I work for myself now, I've tried sending copys off to JTL but I never get anything back. A few months this has been going on now.

Surely it can't be this hard, does everyone have this issue.