City and guilds electrical diploma

[Matt887]

Is this city and guilds electrical diploma a worth while qualification in electrics. I'm thinking of going to college on an evening to study it.

 

[ericmark]

For the first time in years I have been asked for my qualifications, and they were interested in my degree.

It seems to satisfy insurance, they need copies, but I have never enquired what the insurance asks for, and there are two sets of people interested in your qualifications the insurance and scheme providers, both want to be able to say they have satisfied themselves you are what you say you are.

Both my son and I took our RAE which in the early days was often enough, then we took three courses one after the other PAT testing, fixed insulation testing and BS7671 in the main enough, I did an apprenticeship but that was some 50 years ago.

 

[SUNRAY]

For the first time in years I have been asked for my qualifications, and they were interested in my degree.

It seems to satisfy insurance, they need copies, but I have never enquired what the insurance asks for, and there are two sets of people interested in your qualifications the insurance and scheme providers, both want to be able to say they have satisfied themselves you are what you say you are.

Both my son and I took our RAE which in the early days was often enough, then we took three courses one after the other PAT testing, fixed insulation testing and BS7671 in the main enough, I did an apprenticeship but that was some 50 years ago.

Sounds very similar to me, started apprenticeship in 1972 college certs/C&G's/HNC's/TEC's to 1984, the last C&G being RAE in 1983. Sadly all of which is so last century until 16th edition in 2004. With all of that 1/2" stack of paper the only things I've ever been asked for are ECS (CSCS), CIS & insurance for site work and headed notepaper (which I print each time required) to open accounts with suppliers, apart from Screwfix who wanted 16th for Electricfix account.

My various insurance providers have never asked for anything but my insurance certs, along with ECS seem to be accepted for al sorts of 'evidence'.

EDIT: Ah forgot passport and police checks for sensitive locations.

 

[SUNRAY]

Is this city and guilds electrical diploma a worth while qualification in electrics. I'm thinking of going to college on an evening to study it.

Sorry, I'm so far out of date I have no idea what bits of paper do what, hopefully someone younger will come along soon.

 

[JohnW2]

... the last C&G being RAE in 1983.

I must be getting old, because I can beat that by 20 years (1963)

Kind Regards, John

 

[SUNRAY]

I must be getting old, because I can beat that by 20 years (1963)

Kind Regards, John

I'd been interested in late 60's with a couple of classmates but somehow didn't get around to the RAE, then the club we attended had a major change of committee. I didn't like what happened so stopped attending in 1973 and basically stopped using the kit and got rid.
In 1981 my girlfriends family were all into CB so my interest piqued.
As it happened one of my college lecturers also took the RAE class and the exam had gone multi guess, I decided to attended about the last half of the course then got a credit and distinction in the exams. Really at 28 it was about 14 years late. My school friends have G8D.. and G8E.. calls mine is G6R..

 

[JohnW2]

As it happened one of my college lecturers also took the RAE class and the exam had gone multi guess, I decided to attended about the last half of the course then got a credit and distinction in the exams. Really at 28 it was about 14 years late.

Yes, and about 14 years later than me. I suppose I was 'precocious' (maybe "sad" in today's parlance!), since I took both the RAE and Morse Test when I was 13, so as to enable me to get my licence on the earliest possible date - my 14th birthday, in August 1963. - and the RAE was certainly not multi-guess when I took it

My school friends have G8D.. and G8E.. calls mine is G6R..

Needless to say, there was no such thing as G8... in my day (everyone had to do the Morse Test) - so mine is G3S..

Kind Regards, John

 

[ericmark]

Well I collected call signs, VP8XBxx, then VP8Bxx, then GW7Mxx, and then VR2Zxx. Never took Morse test, and can't remember format of UK exam, the Falklands was an interview with the post master general, no exam, and could with 3 letter call sign use HF without Morse. The 4 letter call sign starting with X was 2 meter only, and technically it was the set which was licensed not the person.

I started as a motor vehicle and bridge builder as an apprenticeship, I was go with electrics so did the auto electricians course and exams at collage, the move to mains was with SLD pumps, as I was an expert at the time with portable traffic lights, so they taught me pumps.

After that I kept switching for a time between auto electrics and mains, but over time ended up more commercial mains and less auto electrics, around 2001/2 I decided I needs some certificates BS7671:2001 had just come out, so did three courses back to back, 24 weeks of night classes, however did many courses before that point, and some after, but wanted to have some thing everyone knew showed me to be an electrician, latter I went on to get a degree in electrical and electronic engineering, but never really used it.

I found when a firm has PLC's they want some one who can read and write the programs for PLC's, same with motor drives, they want some one who has used them before, they are not interested in if you have your 16,17,18 edition, what they want is some one who can keep their plant running.

It is surprising how many times I have found the same machines, be it filling a bottle with a product, or making a box, must admit when it went from boolean logic to ladder it made it far easier, and not sure I could work with boolean logic now, and I was able to embrace imaginary numbers, but found calculus hard, and not sure why an electrician really needs to know either.

Java Script where 4 + 4 = 44 and value of 4 plus value of 4 = 8 took some getting use to. And I would not think an domestic electrician would ever need to know, however some of the devices today when using geofencing, and smart devices do get complex.

Been out of the game for 10 years, so designing a central heating system is not that easy, even just the electric side, be be it pneumatics or TRV heads the electrician has to learn more than the electrics, he may not need to do the pipe fitting, will not call it plumbing as that is more down to organ building, about the only place lead still used, and a plumber is a worker of lead. But just as we struggle to find a name for some one who fits a loo, we also struggle to define an electrician.

The IT guy clearly works with electrics, as does an instrument technician, and many more trades, I still think of IT as being insulated from terrestrial, not information technology, but I did a Cisco systems course as many other electricians have found they require.

As to remembering it all, well at 70 I don't need to, I was taught "Ackermann steering geometry" but as to remembering anything but the name, and as to why I needed to know VB for applications I don't know. But with many other things I was taught visual basic.

I also was taught how to use steam tables, and how to set up stress relief. Neither am I likely to need again. I suppose same goes for my HGV licence long let go. Although still have a Falklands licence valid for life. But the question must be why do you want the qualification?

I met a guy a member of my local camera club, he was complaining the form did not allow him to enter the letters before and after his name, the Rev Doctor xxxx, etc. Some people just seem to collect them.

So ask yourself why do you want them.