How to become qualified?

[Extrasolar]

I want to become a qualified electrician. I understand that when this Part-P thing comes in diyers won't be able to do their own electrical work. But I want to become qualified anyway.

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  1.)What's the best way to do it?
  2.)What qualifications do you need?
  3.)Anything I should know?

I'm 24 and currently work in full time employment so I need a decent wage to live on. I understand apprenticeships offer little in the way of earnings.

Any info / help will be greatly appreciated.

p.s. I have paid for a course with ICS on electrical engineering (see my post in "your projects" section. But the diploma is not a recognized certificate and I don't want to waste my time on something that will be of no use.

 

[breezer]

well if it is of any use this is how i did it.

Joined electrical installation company as apprentice, they paid for everything. Money will be as you said very low (first pay packet was £62.00, i think, and that was WITH o/t, after aprenticeship left company as electrician, but that was xx years ago

at the same college was a tool maker (that was his trade) and at the time he was almost as old as the lecturrer, he got fed up with tool making and asked his company can he be an aprentice electrican, obviously they said yes, but in his case (lucky bloke) they paid him the same (or almost) / per hour as he normally got as a tool maker to be an aprentice.

At 24 i am sorry to say, i think you are too old, but only becasue you will need money for mortgauge etc.

My nephew (just 16 and 3/4) is doing just that, joined a company and they are paying for his aprenticeship.

having said all that you can always ask local companies are they interested in taking you on. bear in mind if they do, its not easy, you are "the bottom of the pile", have to make tea, sweep up, etc

Qualifications:

English, Maths, able to make good tea, dont argue

Anything you should Know:

Tough job, 2 sorts of electricain.

1)House basher (usually only does house rewires etc)

2)commercial (work with 3 phase, wire armoured cables,pyro, fp200, conduit, cable tray, worst ever is pyro on cable tray)

There are no differences in qualifications, its just that as commercial electricans you do everthing everyday, house bashers ony run t & e and change C.U's

you will also rarely see an electrician who is over 50 unless they are a "maintenance electrican" as it really is hard work.(its not all connecting wires, how do you think the cables and all the switch gear got there, wiring is about 10% of the job)

Now all you have to do is figure out how old i am, and what category i fit in (but don't as i will not say )

and sorry to any other sparks, but that is how i was taught

GOOD LUCK

 

[ban-all-sheds]

What do you mean by "qualified"?

There is no single meaning of that - you've indicated that you do not want to become sufficiently qualified and experienced enough to be adjudged, in Part P terms as "competent", so what do you want?

The qualifications that most electricians have are:

City & Guilds 2360 parts 1 & 2
City & Guilds 2381 (BS7671 wiring regulations)
City & Guilds 2391 (Inspection & testing)

The first is the real killer - 3 years of day-release or 2 evenings per week. And you won't find an electrician who will agree that it's of any value unless you spend the other 4 days per week as an apprentice. Whether this is true, or if they say it because "I did it, so you will have to", or just because it gives them a source of cheap labour I have no idea.

#2381 you can do in a few months of 1-day per week evening classes, and I think it's the same-ish for 2391, although you might struggle with the latter if you don't have some practical experience.

So realistically, the only "recognised qualification" you could get would be 2381. It would no doubt be interesting, and give you personal satisfaction, and improve the safety of any DIY work you do. You could argue that it would (currently) allow you to sign the Design and Construction sections of a certificate, and you could argue that it makes you a "qualified" electrician, but it would not make you a "qualified electrician" - hope you understand what I mean by the difference.

Why do you want to do this?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

At the risk of upsetting Breezer, and the others, some of what he says highlights what is wrong with the system of apprenticeships (and it's not just the electrical trade).

What on earth does making tea, sweeping up, and without arguing doing whatever your "elders and betters" tell you have to do with learning to be an electrician? At least some (privately I suspect a large amount) of apprentices time is not spent on theory or practice but wasted on being a dogsbody. And every generation of electricians perpetuates the system, partly I imagine because they don't like to see the young whippersnappers having an easier time than they did.

There is actually a great deal to be said for the whole general idea of NVQs, and training which is a mixture of practical and theoretical, but the tea-boy/cleaner/errand-boy aspects of apprenticeships belong in the past. According to the devotees, it takes as long to become an electrician as it does a doctor, and that can't be right.

Also, the destinction he makes between "house bashers" and "commercial" is interesting, as it highlights quite clearly the difference between the skills/knowledge needed to do house rewires and those needed to do all of that industrial/commercial stuff. (And it's not hard to guess which category he is in )

It makes you wonder how long it would really take to train someone to "house basher" level if they didn't need any top-up of their English, Maths or Science, and they weren't expected to act as valets to the people training them...

 

[breezer]

i am not upset or offended in anyway, it depends how you look at it.

i once as part of my job i was painting lamp posts on a railway station.

now lets look at that again.

who wired the lamp posts? and who put the lamps on the posts....me and the electrician (we had the lamp posts put up for us by a ground works company) painting them to the wonderful grey colour (Two coats and one coat of red oxide) was just the finishing touch, lovely hot summer it was too, (you cant paint outside in the rain) so i am standing there (painting lamp posts) watching the "eye candy". you tell me another job you get paid to watch "eye candy"

although it sounds as though aprentices are "skivys" the lamp posts had to be painted, or when the job is finished some one has to sweep up.

similar for making the tea, when its winter people want lights in the outside car park, and its snowing and very cold, going to make / get the tea is great, you get to come out of the cold and into the warm.

we also worked in a brewery for some months and as aprentice you get to do things like fit a tv aerial in the security guards hut, and get paid for it with lager and are allowed to "test it" (the lager)

i suppose it depends on how you look at it, and the company you work for, but me, when i was an aprentice i enjoyed every minute of it. but don't forget, someone has to tidy up when the job is done, and also as i said actual wiring is only about 10% of the job, it also taught me how to bend conduit, (usefull for bending copper pipes) and other similar skills

 

[il78]

These are my opinions.........

At 24 your not too old, maybe a little late, but if your prepared to work for a small wage who cares its up to you, and at the end of the training the rewards can be nice...

As for qualifications listed above I would agree, depends on who you work for (ie, JIB company)

2360 Parts 1 & 2 (also known as electricians certificate, this also includes 16th edition / C&G 2381) and thats basically it to become qualified (some-one is going to av'a go at me)

other things to help are:

2391 Inspection & Testing
2400 Design & Verification

NVQ Level 3 (usually non JIB)
AM1 / AM2 (usually JIB, although you can pay)

At 25 I'm looking for a career change myself, but its a case of, can I manage on a lower income.......and guess what.....NO

 

[Gees]

I dont think Anyone is ever "too old" to do anything? If you really want it you can get it... Look at me. Apprentice from 1966-1972 5 years hard graft but what has that got to do with what I am about to start doing next week.... NOTHING. I was brought up with tv sets containg valves etc.
But by grabbing training whenever I could I am now starting a new career
in IT with a top notch company.. And i'm 54. So 24 is not too old to start but think of the future....

 

[Extrasolar]

Thanks for your replies guys. They are all helpful. What I am saying is that I don't necessarily want to, say, make a career out of electrical work, but to the point where I can do an installation and be qualified enough to test and pass it. Such as in Part P terms.

When you by an appliance or a socket or whatever and it say's "If unsure seek the advice of a qualified electrician". I would be that qualified electrician. See what I'm saying?

Maybe I'll do nothing or maybe I'll give it a go. Or maybe I have the wrong end of the stick. I'm just looking for advice which I have received and appreciate.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Thanks for your replies guys. They are all helpful. What I am saying is that I don't necessarily want to, say, make a career out of electrical work, but to the point where I can do an installation and be qualified enough to test and pass it. Such as in Part P terms.

That's not possible - the only way that you will be allowed to certify your work under Part P is if you are officially "competent", i.e. registered with the NICEIC, or ECA, or EAS (or is it ECS?). And that means not only the full set of qualifications, including the 3-year 2360 1&2, but also a track record of having already done it. (See other threads here and at Screwfix for rants about the apparent Catch-22 there). And that all means the full apprenticeship thing, including the sweeping up, making tea, painting lamp posts and dribbling at the girlies.

Never mind what you really need to be a competent (in the dictionary sense) "house basher" - what do you think you need to meet the regulatory requirements of Part P?

And if what you want is possible, why are all the electricians who do have all the qualifications, and have made a career out of it moaning that they won't be allowed to sign off their own work unless they join one of these organisations?