Newbie looking for training advice please

[Sprouty]

Hi folks,
New recruit here looking to get into the industry. I'm 33 and currently trucking around the globe. Had enough of it now and it's definitely time for a change. Looking for some advice regarding training, unfortunately the college route wont work for me as I need to be earning ,i can just about afford 2 months off so it looks like the training centre is the only option open to me? I've completed a 3 year apprenticeship in pannel beating when I left school so am familiar with the nvq route. I'm looking at able skills as they seem to offer the best training from the research I've done. Any advice from the experts among us would be greatly appreciated!
Many thanks.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Its not a popular option but is regardless of peoples opinions a valid route into the trade. that is the domestic installer route.
Basically 3 or 4 weeks and a couple of grand is enough to allow you to register with a scheme such as NICEIC. however it gives you very very little practical experience which you can only get doing work as a mate or labourer assisting an electrician.
To join one of the schemes you need 18th edition, a testing qualification 2392 and then sit there online 'test'
then get some testing kit, books, insurance etc and show them a job such as changing your fuse board at home. as long as you arent a numptie you are in and able to sign off jobs.
You will be limited to domestic work only and its always a learning experience, limit yourself to small jobs you understand and build up your knowledge and skills.
Long term options are do your 2365 levels 2 and 3 at college, then the nvq etc.. then you are a 'qualified electrician' but decision is yours.

 

[Sprouty]

OK thanks for the advice. Am not expecting to be fully qualified overnight, just need to find a company willing to gi e the new guy a start. When I started trucking I had all the paperwork and it took me months to find a start, I'm sure this industry will be even tougher to get into, but we'll get there!

 

[Jay 1987]

Hey sprouty

Just a few words of encouragement/advice!

I myself am also a soon to be retiring hgv class 1 truck driver. I am 31 years old, and decided last year August to take the plunge, and pay cut and retrain as a trainee spark! So believe me mate, I understand your position.

I understand the quick, easy money you can make, I understand the routine you can easily find yourself in also.

However, I would say this if you have no experience whatsoever, then I would 10 x 10 ^5
times, go the college route! I cannot stress this enough. You may be asking why !

Point 1, stress and pressure of 4week courses!! learning all that information in a relatively short space of time with no GUARANTEE OF A JOB or even real life experience! (As a newbie is crazy, as well as expensive).

Now some might say, well you have no guarantee of a job at college. However, you have a higher probability of getting a job or experience!

Example 1 my college told us during a workshop lesson that companies, come summertime, are knocking at their door looking for apprentices!

Example 2 in my college we have tutors who have taken on students at level 3 stage as apprentices.

Which leads to Example 3, the tutors at college are usually from the local area with 20-30 years
In the industry, if you do not bring shame to their name, they may let you in with some of their staff room contacts. ( if you get what I mean).


Point 2, College can be done in the evenings like my course, which is weekly on Tuesday and Wednesday evening 17:30 - 20:30pm. Therefore you can work day shifts and go to college at night. Therefore you learn and earn!
It’s a killer but doable

Point 3, the practical day in the workshop goes a long way.

This point for me is very important, especially when there is little or no real life work experience. In the workshop you have resources and space to get things wrong, to try and try again! And if you fail one week you have the peace of mind of coming back next week to rack your brain again! ( with the unlimited support from a tutor and also more advanced students in the class, this is priceless and can turn out to be real value for money and time)


Point 4, In The long run......

You will find that experienced electricians and employers frown upon what they call a 6 week wonder! Your almost deemed as premature... and in some extreme cases even a parasite .... this can turn out to be a valuable excuse to refuse you work!

If you do not have someone to guarantee you experience as a labourer, knowing what I’ve learned now, if I was you I’d stay away from those fast track courses.

Getting onsite......

So when I decided to go the college route, I knew I’d be rowing against the tide trying to get experience. However I knew it was appointed for me to get my foot in the door.

So what I done was made a list from the internet of all the sparks in my local and extended area, domestic and commercial, and started calling them one by one with my pitch. After about 10 phone calls I realised I had missed the pre September boat and everybody was saying the same thing we have taken on apprentices already, phone back in March / April. I then joined this forum and posted an advertisement, and what do you know I was given s shot!

This is how I have gained my experience onsite!!

So I am living proof it can happen!!!


Best of luck mate, Jay

 

[telectrix]

another point to consider is that these short courses have only 1 option after completion...... becoming a self-employed domestic installer. if you apply for a job as a spark in the industry, you will find that a JIB card is required. you will not be able to apply for that from a short course. you need nvq3.

 

[terry1969]

go college mate, evenings most do two nights a week avoid the short courses.

 

[Sprouty]

Thanks very much for the responses.
Just to be clear the course I was looking at is 12 weeks with lvl2, lvl3 portfolio built up on the job, 18th edition and testing too. After lvl3 is complete they have an am2 center to gain the gold card. Am also looking at doing 2.5 days a week at college so I can still earn a bit.

 

[Matt]

Hey folks,

This comment might be a bit late after 4 months but there is one thing I would like to point out in regards to private courses and college - both of them are actually... short courses. I mean college evening courses for adults are. THE DIFFERENCE is in how much practice will you be able to pack into your study because practice/experience is what makes a sparky, right?

What I mean is that going to college twice a week for 3.5h of classes plus a weekend day of between 3-6h which should (but not always) include some practice in a workshop, is pretty much crap compared to a packed course in a private training institution.

Another thing is that a college course lasts about 9 months to complete and goes by C&G 2365, so lvl2 (9 months), lvl3(9months) and then NVQ3(doG knows how long) and then after collecting a portfolio the AM2. All together about... what 2.5 - 3 years?
What I am saying, you need to support yourself through that time, or at least until starting an NVQ, and that is around 2 years of being STUCK in college.
You can do the same in under a year if you want to (or more important if you even are capable) at a private provider but that is not actually the great thing about it. It can actually backfire, as someone has already pointed out on this thread, that you will end up being overwhelemed by info and ultimately fail or barely make it through... which is not a good thing.

Now, when deciding to go for a priave training provider (I think a lost of people do not know aout this) is that you can take your learning in stages, smaller chunks or at a later stage weekend.

Private training providers often organise their courses for 4-6 weeks, with study time organised 5 days a week, 8h per day, usualy 4h theory and 4h practice.

Now, i believe that most guys on this forum will agree that learning on-site is the best way to learn so I would like to hear an opinion about what is a better resolution: 7h per week once for a school year or 4h per day for a month or two?

I am not a complete college hater and I will say that the college route is great for young people, I mean 16-21 year olds because they have the time to dig into it and zero or almost none liability apart from learning the heck out of their time at school. Plus there are loads of government help to get them on their way which become defunct for people above 22 years of age.

I also do not advertise the ALL IN ONE 6 months sparky courses. Especially if you are new to the trade and have never understood electricity. There is a lot to take in and doing it at a fast pace might not be ideal - unless you are a really bright and agile guy who can gobble-up info on the fly and become skillful with tools and install methods at first try. Just be honest when answering that .

Oh and private training centers follow the same C&G rules as colleges do and the tutors are also sparks with experience. So when you finish your lvl2 you can apply for your ECS Trainee card and already look for work as a mate or electrical labourer. Then you can decide to take the lvl3 in weekend mode, which will last roughly about 6-9 months (still beats the college times) AND while a mate you can actually already start building your NVQ experience.