Help/info for approved assesment

[Heeshny]

Finally got my date for my approved assessment after almost 5 yrs after passing my trade test, however I have zero information on what's involved, what I need or what I should revise.
First off I am in located in scotland,

My date is a week on Thursday which is pretty short notice. I have read some threads on this but dated 2010, anyone able to help that's been to sit it more recently?
I am an industrial sparky and what I found for my trade test was it aimed more at domestic electricians which I have only encountered when rewiring my own house and the occasional job for a friend,

any help would be much appreciated

cheers
paul

 

[sedgy34]

If you mean your joining a scam!
They should send you a welcome pack including info on what they will be looking to assess.

 

[Heeshny]

Joining a scam!?!?
One of my colleagues has a friend in sjib office so found my date out through contacts, still not received the pack and with only a couple weeks to go thought I would try get the info myself, or help from someone on here! I like to be prepared, as the old saying goes fail to prepare then prepare to fail,

 

[Elmer BeFuddled]

Sedgy means scheme (scam) as in Part P certified. That doesn't come in to your equation though, being from the Northern Territories? (Sorry, I mean Scotland)

 

[sedgy34]

Oh yes I forgot Scotland is blessed without part p boll0x

 

[Elmer BeFuddled]

Oh yes I forgot Scotland is blessed without part p boll0x

It is early, you need more caffeine!

 

[Heeshny]

Yea part p is thankfully a southern money maker!
i have heard the same about the approved assessment though, that its not real world scenarios etc hence why I am slightly apprehensive about it.

 

[sedgy34]

How does it work in Scotland then, surely being Time served isn't sufficient lol

 

[Heeshny]

Sit your trade test after your college completion,
then wait 2 years and your made to sit a separate test to become approved, it's frustrating as I think it should be based on merit of work rather than a test, but unfortunately some company's deem you must have it to be entitled to a wage increase. Not the fact you might be supervising a £5mil contract!

 

[sedgy34]

So when you pass trAde test you classed as an improver until your 2nd test to be an approved spark, that seems reasonable does this cost anything

 

[Heeshny]

You sit a FICA, final integrated competency assessment after you finish college,
that's you a spark,
you then sit an ACA, approved competency assessment, which cannot be sat until min 2 yrs more experience.
You then are deemed approved.
This means if your company is a member of sjib or jib down south they must pay you in relation to your grade.
Personally I think the whole system is flawed, the sjib qualifications are not recognised in many country's however city and guilds is, you can sit a city and guilds exam but at your cost etc. to many poor electricians doing 3 yrs at college and claiming to be sparks when they are far from it.

anyway we deviate from topic!
Got my approved in 12 days and just hoping someone out there has sat it recently and could advice on what's involved.

 

[marc_v33]

thisseems to becoming up alot more recently and i hate our friends fromdown south getting confused by this!!!
I have mine monday and il do some sort of write up on it after it if on of the mods could make it a sticky somehwere?
anyway there are some useful posts on here so far this onei found best when i was looking!
http://www.electriciansforums.net/e...trical-nvqs/23331-sjib-approved-aca-test.html
as far as im aware nothing has change on what has to be done in the test!

hope thats helps just now

 

[Heeshny]

Cheers mark good luck with yours bud, I saw that post but was unsure if it was the most relevant and if it was correct for this year! Did you get a pack through with info about it?

 

[marc_v33]

yea, doesnt give you any information on what to expect tho just says about the sections its split into etc

 

[Heeshny]

When did you receive it as mine is next Thursday and not got a clue what's what. That thread is my lifeline just now!

 

[marc_v33]

i got it through a couple of weeks ago but they had sent it to my employer in december and the usual must have sat on someones desk for weeks. to be honest mate iv found that post ideal so far and just refer to that for any info

 

[Heeshny]

If you don't mind stick a thread up after you sit yours for some updated info that would be great,
how long have you been out your time?
Looks pretty straight forward from that thread tbh.

 

[Sparkystu79]

I did the aca 2 years ago, shouldn't be anything to worry about if you are confident, not much different to the FICA. Risk assessment, quite a bit of testing, fault finding and a couple of multiple choice question papers.

 

[Heeshny]

Cheers stu, I am quietly confident. Don't do much testing but know the theory behind it and good knowledge of the processes for each test. Need to look out the regs book and osg to refresh myself

 

[paul_h]

Buy urself the guidance note 3 and read it from cover to cover. Just the usual stuff as said above risk assessments fault finding etc hardest bit IMO was the 50 questions in 90 mins. U need to go like **** lol. Only other thing I was told about was wen doing the Ze u have to clip a plastic sheet round the booth to cover all exposed metallic parts. Good luck