Some advice please

[AC Hertz]

Hi All,

First off, a confession. I’m not an electrician and don’t want to be one but my son, having not done much since doing his A-levels, has decided he does.

He’s looking at parting with the best part of £6K to a company called Access2 trade who will in return train him up to pass C&G 2382 Level 3, 2392 Level 2, 2391 Level 3, 2377 Level 3 and EAL VRQ Level 2.

These mean nothing to me. I’m an aircraft engineer with 40+ years in the business but apart from dabbling with some aircraft 28vdc and occasional 115vac, “I know nothing”. I mean really, a simple household lighting circuit with a switch at the top of the stairs and another at the bottom is just pure black magic in my book and I take my hat off to those that can do that kind of thing.

Anyway, Access2 trade have convinced my son that he could do all these C&G’s in no time and be earning a fortune as a qualified electrician so I’d like to draw on the knowledge in this forum if I may….?

Is Access 2 trade any good? I’ve had a mooch around the forums and it appears that jury is still out on them. Able-skills gets good feedback but there’s hardly anything about A2T. Are they new and not many people use them yet?

I see from reading the ‘Becoming an electrician’ thread that they’re offering the right qualifications but will he really be able to walk into a job once he’s got them and is it feasible to get them as quickly as they suggest or do some of them need a certain amount of practical experience to be ‘valid’? I ask because I often interview people that have decided they want to be an aircraft engineer. They go to college and get all the qualifications but can’t get a job because they have no experience (and sometimes don’t know one end of a spanner from the other).

How long is it going to be before he’s considered ‘competent’ in your industry?

I’m on here as a concerned parent and someone who wants a warm feeling about the £5.8K being value for money.

PM me or reply on forum but all advice and feedback will be gratefully received.

Many thanks

ACH

 

[Des 56]

If I am correct you seem to already have in your head, that nagging little doubt that the description given by the training providor seems overly rosy
During the last few years,co inciding with the advent of part p of the building regs requiring registration for domestic electrical work
The entry criteria along with the system itself,was ill thought out and threw a spanner in the works of what constituted an electrician
This opened doors for the inclusion of the instant electrician,with short course stampedes
The industry as you may be aware has taken a severe blow with the collapse of construction and there are many qualified electricians with large amounts of experience finding themselves without employment
Many of the instant electricians will find employment very difficult to come by, when competing with the full term electricians for the limited vacancies and the industry will probably lose most of the quick trained personel because of this lack of work
Gaining certification with little or no practical experience and then competing against full term electricians in a dwindling market will be very difficult,so I would advise refocusing of your aims
By all means .do the courses in the compressed time period if it is affordable(the full term colege courses would work out vastly cheaper)but redirect his aims to the expanding microgeneration side of the industry
This is fairly new technology that will be expanding for the foreseeable future It has the added advantage of being relatively new to most practising electricians,so the gap between your son and others would be less significant
All in all Industrial maintenance would be way beyhond his expectations Installation would be extreemly difficult whether employed or self employed but the new technology side holds out for beter prospects
Either way it is a gamble,but a gamble that many fathers are more than happy to take to further their childrens prospects
Good luck to him whatever the decision
Des

 

[AC Hertz]

Des,
Many thanks for your input - you got it in one. Perhaps prior to the current economic 'situation' there was a place for the instant electrician but not for sometime now I think.

Sorry to sound thick but could you tell me what 'micro-generation' is? Are we talking renewable energy sources? Wind turbines? Solar cells?

Cheers

A

 

[Des 56]

Yes photovoltaic wind turbines etc
If I were a youngster enetering the industry,then this, coupled with multi media systems, additional to basic installation wiring is the way I see for present and expanding future skills
An alternative would be obtaining the 2391 and concentrating on inspection and testing with a more secure albeit mundane occupation

 

[SallyJo]

Access2 and training to be an electrician

Hi,

Thank you Des for the advice. My 20 year old son and I met with an Access2 rep tonight. I didn't like the pressure to pay £5K up front, and I really didn't like that he said Barclays would pay it for him with a 29.9%APR loan at the end of it.

I don't want to dampen my son's enthusiasm though, he is finally settling into the realisation that he's got to train for a career and I think he'd make a good sparky. Both my father and father-in-law were electricians but sadly both are deceased and can't help except with their example.

How does one get experience with microgeneration though?

Thank you, anybody that has advice.
SJ