Typical "retraining" questions

[YoungRookie]

I appreciate you must get lots of these messages a week on here but I'm thinking of retraining and becoming an electrician.

I'm 22 and working in an office. My old job was part-time and I'd get work with mates labouring and painting so I've had experience in trades but my current full time role has now become unstable and I am now looking at my work experience and CV and not seeing a lot so I want to move into a trade.

I have started looking at becoming an electrician and looking into the basics of electrical installation and sourcing out colleges that offer Level 2 City & Guilds courses a couple of nights a week (with the opportunity to progress onto Level 3 & then other required courses). I'm hoping that because I'm still relatively young that it counts on my side because I am still young and can still learn and take everything on board.

I just want some reassurance that I am doing the right thing or any feedback that more experienced electricians can offer really. What are my chances of work when I complete these qualifications?

 

[flameport]

What are my chances of work when I complete these qualifications?

If you just attend the college and get those pieces of paper, then your chances of employment are pretty much zero.

The point of those 1 day / 2 nights courses is that for the rest of the time, you are supposed to be working for an electrical company, and therefore actually doing some electrical work.

Qualifications alone are worthless, and for the NVQ level whatever thing you probably need these days, obtaining it involves work based assessments anyway, so you can't qualify without actual working.

 

[flyingsparks]

Approach some local electrical firms or one man bands and offer to do some labouring for them. Expect it to be hard and boring work like knocking out boxes and pulling in cables. Don't expect to be paid much/ if anything. If you work hard and show you are keen then there is a good chance someone will take you on. At least then you can also get some hands on experience and decide if it's what you really want to do before paying out a lot of money on the qualifications.

I know if I had a young person come and offer to help me on Saturdays etc and if they were keen and hard working I would definitely consider taking them on.

If someone does take you on, Expect it to be hard and boring work for little reward. It's when you qualify and and run your own jobs that hopefully you will reap the rewards.

Good luck!

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

At 22 you stand a chance of getting some funding from the government a bit of a rarity in itself.

As already mentioned quals alone are not enough, you require hands on experience. Which could be difficult, would start approaching electricians in your area now.

 

[ericmark]

Both my son and I both started with different trades. In both cases our swap was only possible because of who we knew not what we knew. In both cases now we have collage and university qualifications in both cases level 5 but without having some one who was willing to give us that first job it would not have been possible.

My father was a technical manager of a steel works power station and my father-in-law electrical project director for a hospital board so I had a back ground where I could ask questions. My son also had me to ask questions and even borrowed all my university books.

Many who retrain can't get employment and the only option is to work as a sole trader which is why electricians get a bad name. Because they are lacking and can't get personal recommendations they join things like rated tradesmen and now seeing some one is a member of one of these does the opposite to what is intended and makes people avoid members as the scam is now known to be nothing more than a scam.

There will clearly be the good guys who get tared with same brush but when the IT bubble burst then many thought since they could wire a LAN cable they could also wire a house and the market was flooded with 1 week wonders which in turn resulted in employers being unwilling to take on anyone without a track record.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

On the positives side at least the OP is going down the right track by gaining accredited qualifications over a period of time and intends to progress from that. Rather then the fast track 5 day electricians courses, where you learn jacobs jobby and come out of the other end a hazard waiting to happen for some poor sod!

 

[ericmark]

On the positives side at least the OP is going down the right track by gaining accredited qualifications over a period of time and intends to progress from that. Rather then the fast track 5 day electricians courses, where you learn jacobs jobby and come out of the other end a hazard waiting to happen for some poor sod!

I agree but think the 5 day courses have now gone but the damage has been done. Many firms will not employ people who have retrained because they remember those days.

Many a dilutee became a good tradesman and the WW2 idea that some one who has done the job for 5 years should move to another job so returning forces personal could return to their old trade to me was flawed even if it did mean my dad got work.

However it does take doing the job as well as college and unless you have some one you know who can get you a job then likely you will not use the skills learnt.