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Daven

Hi everyone,
I know this topic has been raised previously but I am looking for any further up-to-date info/feedback on the training company 'New career Skills'.
My situation is that I have recently been made redundant after 30 years in the print industry, but see this as a positive 'kick up the bum' to get out and do something more fulfilling and rewarding. With this in mind, I am looking at retraining as a domestic spark and eventually going self-employed. Obviously with my age (48) and situation an apprenticeship is not really on the cards, so I have been looking at the best 'fast-track' route forward and have made contact with NCS.
I would say, by the way, that I do recognise there is no substitute for years of experience in the 'real world' and feel that experienced sparks are probably going to be laughing at my 'fast-track' approach, but my options forward do seem limited.
So, NCS, they seem very professional and obviously promise lots for my 6.5k, but my question is do they deliver and are they a worthwhile and good positive step to where I want to be, or do you think they are they just another bunch of con artists selling me short?
Qualifications I apparently come out with are C&G level 3 '2382', C&G level 3 '2377' and EAL level 2 making me Part P compliant.
Any help or advice would be really appreciated and, as this is my first post, please be 'gentle' with me! :)

many thanks ..............
 
Save your money, there is no such thing as a FAST TRACK electrician. The C&G they are plying you, are basically useless apart from the 17th course... Go and sign up with your local collage and get meaningful qualifications including a solid core electrical qualification.

Doing things the RIGHT way will also cost you substantially less than the outrageous 6.5K these jokers are quoting you!!
 
I’m going with E54 on this. Your local collage should be your first port of call. For one thing they don’t regard you as just a source of profit. Which is all you are to fast track providers.
At the end of the day it’s up to you.
But here’s a thing to think about, you finish your course with your piece of paper, what next?
 
If you seriousley want to be an electrician, then go to college and do it right. You can do it part time, a couple of evenings a week and still work and earn money at the same time, it will take longer this way but the best things come to those who do it properly. If you choose the quick route you will most probably be out of work for the best part of 6 - 12 months anyway!

Good luck with what ever you decide.

Jay
 
Hi guys,
many thanks for your advice, I had a feeling that would be the general consensus and that college would be considered my best route forward. I certainly meant no disrespect in regard to wanting to 'fast-track' and only considered this as step in the right direction, starting small and building from there with 'on-the-ground' experience.
If anyone has any advice what I should look for in a college course, again much appreciated.

many thanks
 
I hope you havent already started with ncs , but my experience after many months of research is that new career skills offer much more than they actually deliver. Beware! The course they offer is only the "domestic installer course" not a qualified electrician, the only true qualification is the nvq3, which most other providers will ofer . New career skills charge "twice" the price for their domestic course than other providers, you can become fully qualified with other providers, at less than they charge for the domestic course. The same applies for their plumbing course, which doesnt include gas, one of their "advisors" told a friend of mine that gas was going to run out in the next couple of years, so that is why ncs doesnt do the gas course, uhh!! Steer clear
 
Hi daven, good luck with whatever career you choose but as a quick word of warning take a look at the "electricians unite,jobs in your area" section in here to reveal just how many sparks are out of work looking,even offering their services free of charge to get their apprenticeships finished.
Im from an industrial background which has served me well and the job is brilliant but it was 4 years minimum training then the next 15 learning on the job,there's still a ton of stuff I haven't even scratched the surface of yet.
My fear for you would be at 48 you could find your in your earky 50's by the time your actually getting out there trying to make a name for yourself and already getting a bit fed up of climbing through lofts etc running cables through.
Not trying to put you off but just trying to help you make an informed descision as your clearly an articulate person with a brain and loads of experience to offer as well.
If you want to retrain my advice is look to the green energy sector,that's gonna go massive in the next few years and most of the folk in there are finding their feet so an ideal chance to get a start.
A little test I did to check the market out a few years back was to ring round a load of sparks in the yellow pages and ask how much roughly a periodical inspection would be on a 3 bed house I had and when could they do it.
One guy offered to do it for £50 and would be down in an hour if I needed,all the others were under £100 and could be there the next day at the latest,this proved to me the market was more flooded than I thought and to stick where I was.
Just a thought.
 

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