ECA

[Mikey_A]

Hi Guys and Gals, just gained my 2381 and DI qual. Not one of these fly by night ones either, it took me almost 2 years of very hard work.

A spark i know is letting me get on the tools with him to gain some valuable experience. I contacted CSCS to apply for a card. I was told that i had to go via the ECA route.

What are your thoughts on this. The spark i know says i only need the CSCS card but i keep being redirected to ECA?

 

[Pensdown]

I’m not quite sure (but not surprised) why the CSCS people have told you to contact the ECA because as far as I’m aware there is no such thing as a CSCS card for electricians. Our equivalent is the ECS grading card and to get one you will need to sit the Electrotechnical test which is run by the JIB not the ECA.

The type of card they will issue you will depend on your formal qualification etc but as you probably know, they are only relevant if you want to work on construction sites.

http://www.jib.org.uk/ecs1.htm

 

[Adam_151]

As far as I know the two have been combined, pensdown, AFAIK the OP will be issued a 'grade card' without a grade on, but it may well list the fact that he has 2381 on it

 

[Mikey_A]

As far as I know the two have been combined, pensdown, AFAIK the OP will be issued a 'grade card' without a grade on, but it may well list the fact that he has 2381 on it

Hi Adam, yes the ECA are now affiliated with CSCS.

When i contacted the JIB enquiring about an ECS card he told me i only had to take the Electrical H & S Assessment and once passed to send them my C&G and EAL certificates and they would issue me with a card.

Just wondering if it's worth applying for it yet..can't see myself on construction sites just yet. On the other hand i suppose it's worth having just in case.

 

[Spark123]

I heard the same when I asked JIB about the assessment, the ECA are currently running the "Electrotechnical Certification Scheme Health and Safety Assessment" nationally. Bit of a nuisance as the only test centres in this part of the country are at Lymm or Darlington!!
The test costs £35 and is valid for 2 years. I have the ECA booking form in pdf format, if you want it sent just shout (and put your email addy in your profile).

 

[Pensdown]

From the JIB site

The fee for initial registration and first ECS Card is still £25. This includes the issue of a card valid for three years. Reminders are sent to cardholders when their cards are due for renewal. The fee for renewal or amended cards remains at £15. For replacement of a lost or destroyed card the fee is £5.


I took the test in June this year at the JIB's test centre in Sidcup and it only cost £25 and as quoted on their web site it's valid for 3 years.

Also from the JIB site

As the first craft skills accreditation service in British Industry, independently developed and unique in its time (as the UK Register of Electricians), the Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) is now fully recognised by industry as an equivalent to the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) for other building and construction trades. The ECS is administered by Joint Industry Board and the Scottish Joint Industry Board on behalf of Unite (Amicus section), the Electrical Contractors' Association and Select. To demonstrate this important advance, the ECS Card has been revised to incorporate holograms of the CSCS and ECS Assessment to show achievement in ECS Standards in Health and Safety.

As they used to say on Soap......confused...you will be

 

[Spark123]

This is the booking form JIB sent me: http://www.eca.co.uk/SupportServices/EducationAndTraining/Documents/ECS_BookingForm_140307.pdf

 

[Pensdown]

It looks like the ECA are adding a tenner to the JIB fee because they have to do some administration themselves. Section 16 states that the completed test will be forwarded to the JIB for marking and the JIB will let you know the results. I sat the test at the JIB's offices in Sidcup and the computer automatically gave the results at the end of the test.

I would guess the ECA are providing national test centres for the JIB because they don't have any...?

The 2 year bit must be a typo because I know mines valid for 3 years....it says on the card..expires 25-07-2010

Just to add, there were about 15 of us sitting the test and the lowest score was 39/40. Most people got 40/40 so as far as I can work out the CSCS scheme only proves people can read and use a mouse. Second thoughts, you don't have to be able to read...we were given the option of headphones!