My understanding is that the 5 day wonder courses are phasing out - being replaced by NVQ3?
Does 'NVQ' still stand for 'not very qualified'?
It probably does but what is the alternative? Right now you have kitchen fitters, plumbers, carpenters even roofers all doing domestic electrics. Now most of them are very good at their primary job but have limited electrical knowledge but may well do the job (additional spur, modify lighting circuit etc) safely provided they have basic training.
Then you have the people that were accountants one day then went on a 5 day course (but likely a 3 - 7 week course) and call themselves electricians. Many of which are working alone as "self employed electricians" Many of these people get through the self certification process and become registered. Are they really electricians? Well it takes 5 years to get 5 years experience and it takes 10 years to get 10 years experience so absolutely they are not electricians yet.
If the training schemes and the self certifications schemes did not exist then how many of these people would still go off and do what they do? I suspect at least 70% of them. The system is a far distant from perfect but is it not better to train them and register them then let them run riot?
Actually I don't know what side I fall on. On one hand I think despite the system being imperfect it has some benefit. On the other hand as someone who did a recognised apprenticeship, spent over six years at college and continues to train and re-train it irritates me intensely that anyone dare call themselves and electrician, electrical engineer or electronics engineer on seven weeks training. Its not the seven week. Its the fact that most of them are oblivious of terms like RMS, Power Factor, Phase Angle etc, etc. They have vitually no electrical science training.
breath - breath - breath - deep breath---- OK I'm fine now
I doubt that NVQ 3 is very significant but it's a step up from VRQ level 2 with its 60 multiple choice questions. At least it includes some experience.
If I had my choice for youngsters I would bring back 4 - 5 year apprenticeships with day release at college. It worked - why was it ever changed ?
For adults I would insist on two years experience + C&G2391 minimum before they could register but that will probably never happen.