I really think there are sparks who think they are fully qualified doing EICR’s and are so far out of their depth that they don’t know what they are doing
IMO the 2391 , 2394/5 has little value since the fast track training organisations got hold of it and turned it into a paper excerise that generates cash, the fact that you can pass the exam with no real site work experience clearly demonstrates this.
I completely agree and I’ll hold my hands up to being one of those who did 2391-52 through what can only be described as a money making organisation rather than a learning provider.
I was an avionic technician and supervisor in the RAF for 10 years and when it came to leaving I knew I was going to end up in a maintenance job in a commercial or industrial environment, and that I’d need PLC experience and an 18th edition certificate to meet the “must haves” for most of those job adverts. My 10 years of experience with electrical and electronic systems and the underpinning electrical principles knowledge from the excellent training only went so far, ultimately the knowledge and experience was aircraft based and I didn’t have the required civilian ticks.
So, I went off and researched the courses available concentrating on those that allowed me to use my learning credits for funding. I came across one provider that offered a four week combined PLC (10 days), 18th (3 days) and 2391-52 (5 days + 1 day practical exam at later date) course which used the maximum funding from one of my three credits, plus a personal contribution of about £900.
No prior experience was required, other than a basic understanding of electrical principles which was assumed rather than assessed. I sat the course with four other military guys, all of us aircraft avionic techs and none of us with any domestic or commercial experience. Until the first afternoon of 2391-52 I had never taken the cover off of a DB or CU, let alone used an MFT or done EFLI testing.
Unsurprisingly the 5 of us really struggled with both the practical and theory elements. Not only were the wiring and installation methods physically different, the terminology was also completely foreign. TN-C-S, TT, Zs, Ze, R1+R2? None of those are relevant to aircraft, nor are there any directly related principles to compare to. Safe isolation procedure? Unplug the power lead, switch off the battery and hang a sign up. Maybe disconnect the battery if you’re breaking into fuel lines/tanks. Test to confirm dead? Maybe flick a couple of switches and make sure the equipment doesn’t come on. All of these skills apprentice electricians take for granted had to be learned in the space of 5 days!
All 5 of us complained at the time, and it’s a complaint repeated every time they run the course I imagine, that 2391-52 is not suitable for people like us with no site experience of normal, “civilian”, electrical supplies when even experienced electricians were struggling. There were at least two domestic installers and an ex-apprentice with 17 years experience who needed the certificate for his employer (local council). They found the theory hard but at least understood the terminology and were brilliant at the practical testing.
The provider shrugged off our complaints, just happy to be getting the money at the end of the day. Of the 5 military guys 3 of us passed the theory exams and, as far as I’m aware, I’m the only one to have gone back and passed the practical exam. I didn’t need to, and certainly don’t need the qualification for my day job, but it seemed a waste to go to all the effort of learning it all, and paying for the course, to not get something out of it. I only passed it all through studying the books in my own time and practicing at home and at work with an MFT I bought for myself. I was, and am, a little shocked at the complete lack of testing or even adherence to the regs I’ve come across in the places I’ve worked by colleagues who do call themselves electricians.
I do not claim to be an electrician or any sort of regs expert and nor do I run around house bashing for a living now. I’ve spent the 18 months since doing the course getting site experience alongside my day job as a maintenance tech by going out with a couple of qualified electricians and doing jobs with them in my own time. I’ve learned so much more from them, from this forum and the multitude of YouTube electricians (Dave Savery and SparkyNinja mainly) than I ever would have from the course alone.
It’s from that limited site experience and my own further studying that I’ve learnt how to read the certificates with a critical eye and see the things that don’t add up on paper. My 2391-52 certificate is just that, it’s almost worthless without the hard earned experience.
