Level 2 electrical installation course

[Matter]

Get out there as a 'mate' and start earning half decent money.

Level 2 and 3 at college is gonna cost you 2 years of your life (at least - when the pandemic hit some colleges were put back by 1 or 2 years and some even more - i know lads who started in 2017 and still haven't finished due to that and other problems with staffing, supplies, equipment etc.) and several thousand pounds. Then when you have level 2 and 3 you're not considered qualified by anyone and will be on mate's money anyway.

Then there's the fact that college doesn't actually teach you anything about being a real life spark and only teaches you book-electrics.

Personally i wouldn't go that route and would try to get into the industry another way.

If i were in your shoes i'd go get the BS7671 regs book, copy of the on-site guide and the 'guidance note 3' and go pass your 18th edition. Then get an ECS/CSCS card and the world will open up to you.

Can you get an electrical cscs card with the 18th edition. Or do you mean a general cscs card

 

[Matter]

One of the issues is that my local colleges offer the level 2 electrical installation diapolma. But known seem to offer the level 3. I feel I could possibly get evidence for my nvq onsite with the electrians I know. But why does no where seem to offer the level 3 diapolma in electrics. Just online training places and able skills. I live in Halifax near leeds

 

[davesparks]

Utter nonsense!

You can go and get your quals yourself whilst working, no apprenticeship, level 2/3 or college needed.

Not nonsense at all, an apprenticeship, formal or informal, is necessary.

You cannot learn to be an electrician without practical training and working with electricians to learn and gain experience, that's what an apprenticeship is.

 

[Bob Geldoff1234]

Working on the job gives a lot of practical experience enabling you to wire all sorts of installations.But without the theory of why your doing it then you'll never progress enough to be fully qualified and could end up doing a dangerous install due to the lack of knowledge of the theory side of things.

 

[swaRRR]

Not nonsense at all, an apprenticeship, formal or informal, is necessary.

Absolutely, provably, 100% false. Unless you're trying to make 'apprenticeship' an umbrella term that means 'learning from anyone else in any capacity'. In which case everyone does an apprenticeship in absolutely every discipline.

This guy is asking how to get into the biz and you're telling him he needs an apprenticeship. Wrong. Utter nonsense as you would say.

 

[swaRRR]

Can you get an electrical cscs card with the 18th edition. Or do you mean a general cscs card

I don't have an ECS card but you can take a 3 hour online course then do the exam for like £99. I got my CSCS card then went and got my 18th edition on my own.

 

[Matter]

Depends what you want to do. Most employers don't recognise these qualifications so after 2 years of study you would be expected to work for mates/apprentices wages while you build up real life experience.

I did level 2 at college and it was a waste of time in terms of gaining knowledge and experience. The other kids were passing and didn't know what an MCB was.

So how did you get qualified/ gain experience?

 

[Matter]

Get out there as a 'mate' and start earning half decent money.

Level 2 and 3 at college is gonna cost you 2 years of your life (at least - when the pandemic hit some colleges were put back by 1 or 2 years and some even more - i know lads who started in 2017 and still haven't finished due to that and other problems with staffing, supplies, equipment etc.) and several thousand pounds. Then when you have level 2 and 3 you're not considered qualified by anyone and will be on mate's money anyway.

Then there's the fact that college doesn't actually teach you anything about being a real life spark and only teaches you book-electrics.

Personally i wouldn't go that route and would try to get into the industry another way.

If i were in your shoes i'd go get the BS7671 regs book, copy of the on-site guide and the 'guidance note 3' and go pass your 18th edition. Then get an ECS/CSCS card and the world will open up to you.

I am thinking of doing the 18th addition.

 

[Matter]

Get out there as a 'mate' and start earning half decent money.

Level 2 and 3 at college is gonna cost you 2 years of your life (at least - when the pandemic hit some colleges were put back by 1 or 2 years and some even more - i know lads who started in 2017 and still haven't finished due to that and other problems with staffing, supplies, equipment etc.) and several thousand pounds. Then when you have level 2 and 3 you're not considered qualified by anyone and will be on mate's money anyway.

Then there's the fact that college doesn't actually teach you anything about being a real life spark and only teaches you book-electrics.

Personally i wouldn't go that route and would try to get into the industry another way.

If i were in your shoes i'd go get the BS7671 regs book, copy of the on-site guide and the 'guidance note 3' and go pass your 18th edition. Then get an ECS/CSCS card and the world will open up to you.

But if I went this route how would I eventually get some qualifications to be qualified?

 

[nicebutdim]

But if I went this route how would I eventually get some qualifications to be qualified?

There is an experienced worker route, which has previoously been mentioned in this thread.

What wasn't mentioned is the fact that a minimum of 5 years demonstrable experience is required, before anyone can even be considered for that.

Within the same 5 year time frame you could have completed a full apprenticeship and have a year time served under your belt.

 

[Matter]

There is an experienced worker route, which has previously been mentioned in this thread.

What wasn't mentioned is the fact that a minimum of 5 years demonstrable experience is required, before anyone can even be considered for that.

Thanks and how do you demonstrate that? The level 2 diapolma route doesnt set my heart elight with the health and safety and communication sections I have done all this with my plumbing nvqs. I get the impression, correct me if I'm wrong that it's for people with no experience in the building trades what so ever and a pre course to help one get an apprentice. Again sorry if I'm wrong there. But I would really like to get in to the industry. So if that's the only route I guess it is.

 

[swaRRR]

So how did you get qualified/ gain experience?

Got a job as a mate. Got some experience plus my 18th and moved up to improver.

 

[swaRRR]

Within the same 5 year time frame you could have completed a full apprenticeship and have a year time served under your belt.

I've said on here before, which went down like a lead balloon but idc, that if you can do basic electrics you can fluff up your CV to get a mate's job.

£15/hr rather than £4-odd an hour for the first year then minimum wage. It's literally a 60 grand difference in terms of wages.

 

[Matter]

I've said on here before, which went down like a lead balloon but idc, that if you can do basic electrics you can fluff up your CV to get a mate's job.

£15/hr rather than £4-odd an hour for the first year then minimum wage. It's literally a 60 grand difference in terms of wages.

So if you do the basic electrics course i.e the level 2 electrical installation you can get the higher rate as a mate?

 

[swaRRR]

So if you do the basic electrics course i.e the level 2 electrical installation you can get the higher rate as a mate?

No i'm saying you can get more money instantly just by being interested in the trade, knowing some basics, getting your 18th edition and then getting out as a mate. Then learn by experience since as a mate nobody expects you to know what you're doing but you get more respect and money than an apprentice. It's kinda like an apprenticeship in that you're allowed to make mistakes and pitch in with stuff you're good at but you're always learning, only you're not bound to one company for 4 years and you don't have to go to college/be on crap money.

Modern apprenticeships are nothing but cheap labour. See the 'apprenticeships' in the service industry for examples, where apparently you need to fill in a portfolio to be able to serve food and wipe down tables.

 

[davesparks]

Then learn by experience since as a mate nobody expects you to know what you're doing but you get more respect and money than an apprentice. It's kinda like an apprenticeship in that you're allowed to make mistakes and pitch in with stuff you're good at

Yes there is more money in being a mate than an apprentice, until the apprentice qualifies and starts earning more.

If you've found work as a mate and have received all the necessary training to become an electrician then you are very lucky. An electricians mate is traditionally a labourer and not a trainee and wouldn't expect to receive the training needed to become an electrican.

Obviously the mate would get trained in some elements, the more day to day basics of installation work, working with containment, pulling cables etc. But not much of the theory, science, testing, fault finding or even connecting up anything much more than basic lights, sockets and maybe single phase DBs.

Modern apprenticeships are nothing but cheap labour.

Having served a modern apprenticeship I can assure you that this is not always the case.
Yes it does happen, unfortunately it always has and probably always will, but that does not mean that all apprenticeships are bad.

 

[nicebutdim]

Having served a modern apprenticeship I can assure you that this is not always the case.
Yes it does happen, unfortunately it always has and probably always will, but that does not mean that all apprenticeships are bad.

Serving a modern apprenticeship as an adult learner has been a great experience from day one and I've never had cause to complain about rates of pay.

 

[Matter]

Thanks for all the responses. Can I ask at one point was the level 2 in electrical installation partially funded? I know someone who paid £600 for it but that was like 10years ago. Is now £1635 at my local college. Thanks

 

[Lister1987]

Thanks for all the responses. Can I ask at one point was the level 2 in electrical installation partially funded? I know someone who paid £600 for it but that was like 10years ago. Is now £1635 at my local college. Thanks

I don't believe that level 2 had any top level funding (unlike the L3 2365/8203-30 had/has), there may have been local subsidies, I know my local college covered the costs of me ne due to low income but I imagine such a scheme would be local/regional.

 

[swaRRR]

Thanks for all the responses. Can I ask at one point was the level 2 in electrical installation partially funded? I know someone who paid £600 for it but that was like 10years ago. Is now £1635 at my local college. Thanks

If you're on the dole it's free. If you work it's very expensive. Level 3 at my local college is over £3.5k and takes a year. For comparison, if you go to a training provider down in Dartford you can get Level 2 and 3 for £4.5k and do the lot in 5 weeks practical in centre, study the book in your own time for the exams.