Labours with the 17th o.0 was he winding you up ???
Labours are used for one thing labour in no world would they need to know 17th ed
Seems a wind up tbh do you college and keep looking for jobs
If you think that's bad, a lot of companies (I.e about 35-40% of recruitment Agencies, very soon to be more once they all join the bandwagon) want ALL Electricians mates/labourers to have the 17th Edition, the 2377 PAT, the 3 day First Aid, Abrasive Wheels, PASMA, IPAF, Asbestos and an Enhanced Disclosure, as well as their own tools, PPE and Vehicle....
For Pipefitters/ventilation fitters mates they want the IPAF, PASMA, Abrasive wheels, 3 day First Aid,Asbestos, Manual Handling and many are asking for the Telehandler Forklift Licence and/or Banksman signaler /loader......the foreign workers mostly all have it and it's good for shifting heavy sections of pipes about.....not to mention own PPE, Tools and Vehicle....
A lot of these guys don't earn enough to keep their own vehicle on the road, and the Agencies claim the £50 (last time I checked) a head for PPE which they never buy for/give to the labourers/mates (or come to think of it anybody else) they just tell you to get your own then keep the money.....
The tickets cost ££ ££
I mean, for a mate/labourer getting paid in buttons to be asked/told to get:
17th Edition : £450.00
IPAF: £240.00
PASMA: £240.00
3 day first Aid: £600.00
Abrasive Wheels and Disks: £150.00
Asbestos Ticket
75.00
Manual Handling: £170.00 (online multi choice is £35.00 but not accepted by most)
Telehandler Forklift :upwards of £700.00
just to get onto site......then they are only valid for 2 or 3 years, need to "refresh" at 2/3 the cost of doing the whole thing again......and if they do an "update" and jig it about a little bit, then a whole new upgrade to a different certificate name/number at full price....
These guys are getting stung......the Recruitment Agencies can charge out at a higher rate per hour as they are meant to pay sparks and mates more who have certain tickets, but they don't tell you that and just bank/pocket the difference for themselves....
I was told that if a worker has a First Aid certificate, supposedly it is the law that they get paid a slightly higher rate (£1.50 or £2.00, and that was about 3 years ago when it was mentioned to me) this, I was told, was to compensate for the responsibility of being a First Aider on site and to go towards the costs incurred by the worker(s) for keeping up to date with First Aid training.....
If you are a first Aider, ask if you are going to be getting paid a better rate....
I was working beside a spark a few years ago who was in from a different Agency, he was there as he was a designated First Aider on site, and the gaffer pulled him into the office when I was in there and sent him to his car for his first aid certificates, which he scanned for the site records.....the lad told me that he only got the job as he had a first aid ticket, I asked if he was getting paid for it and he had negotiated an extra £2 an hour on top of what the others were getting as he said he would wrap it otherwise.....the Agency were charging him out at £5 an hour extra on top....was a good guy to work with.....after 3 weeks on site he got the old P45-Pumped as a manager moved from another site to the portacabin office who had a first aid certificate and they said he was too expensive to keep, this caused a falling out with the Agency (one of three Agencies supplying workers) resulting in another 6 people( 3 sparks, 3 pipefitters) getting laid off, apparently to do with inability to jump ship/change Agencies due to "finders fee"
So, if you have a First Aid certificate and a Green Sticker on your hardhat,make sure you get extra money, because the agency have put you on the invoice as a first aid operative and are taking money for that...