Hi all,
I have just taken redundancy from the Army and am interested in qualifying as an electrician.
I am entitled to some free training from the Army but there are a couple of options and I am unsure what each of them mean.

Below are the two courses I have found but I am unsure if they mean I can start work myself or not.

Electrical Installation Incorporating Part P
Qualifications Gained
ECS Health & Safety - JIB
CITB Electrical Installation Level A Full Scope
17th Edition C&G 2382-12.
Initial Verification and Certification of Electrical installations. C&G 2394.


Domestic Electrical Installation
Qualifications Gained
ECS Health & Safety - JIB
EAL DEI incorporating Part P

There are loads of other providers out there too but its difficult to get a straight answer from somebody who is trying to sell you something!


Any advice is gratefully received.

I am not sure if you are one of the 4000+ planned redundancies from the Army, Navy and Air Force but they should have given you contacts for resettlement training or careers advice.

http://www.forcesrecruitment.co.uk/

http://www.pathfinderinternational.co.uk/

Both of these organisations will have arrangements with various construction training providers and be able to arrange the fee exemption for you.

regards

-------------------------
"Take nothing but a picture,
leave nothing but footprints!"
-------------------------
"Oh! The drama of it all."
-------------------------
"You can throw all the philosophy you like at the problem, but at the end of the day it's just basic electrical theory!"
-------------------------

You don't need any qualifications to work as electrician - you may need a few to register with a scheme provider in order to certify your own domestic work under part P of the building regulations.

The green is usually quite generous for training when you demob - so pick the best course that suits you.

Personally, I would do it via a college and try to get some practical experience along the way. local firm looking for a bit of help maybe, with a few darkers thrown in for friends, family etc

Some of the alternative fast track courses really are *****, though - so if you go that way, pick a good firm

I'm not up to date with current city and guilds course numbers, but you need to consider (in order) 2360, 2391 (testing and inspection) and 2396 (design) over say 4 years. That doesn't mean you can't work in the meantime - and keep in mind that studying can be a hell of a commitment - it's easy to find yourself on the chinstrap

Good luck with it

regards

OMS

-------------------------
Failure is always an option

Difficult to advise when we don't know what it is you want to do. Work for others, work for yourself. Start with others then go it alone? Domestic, commercial, industrial. Become Part P registered? Communications, TV, radio, satelite, power, distribution, control circuits.

Electrician covers a multitude of sins.

Plenty of providers out there - some better than others, some will get you through the exam but no more. Others will provide an element of practical instruction as well. No where near an apprenticeship but a start.

I wont advertise but at least one large provider based near Gatwick is I think ex forces and I believe provides discounts for ex forces personnel.

You don't necessarily have to have any qualifications to work as an electrician in the UK - they're certainly a good idea and will benefit you in many ways, but it does mean you won't easily find a simple list of 'what you must legally have'.

If you want to do domestic work then part P of the building regulations comes into play (in England & Wales). Again "anyone" can do electrical work - but there is a complication - some items of work are 'notifiable' - which means you have two choices: 1. call in the local authorities building control and pay them to oversee and issue a building regs completion certificate (just like builders do for foundations, drains and so on) - but that tends to get expensive. The other option is to join a 'Competent Persons Scheme' which allows you to issue your own building regs (part P) certificates. Each scheme has their own list of requirements (C&G whatever is common).

See here for part P: http://www.planningportal.gov....r/BR_PDF_ADP_2006.pdf

The other bit of the building regs will affect you too - from where you can cut holes in joists, to depth of chases in walls, to the power and controls of lighting - but that's usually not notifiable.

Then there are "voluntary" schemes - which you can join to show customers that you're a good egg. Most existed before part-P but now also run part-p (e.g. Domestic Installer) membership too. NICEIC is probably the most famous, but there are others. Membership often opens doors, especially in the commercial sector.

- Andy.

LWC

Welcome to the forum.

As OMS and Andy have said you don't need any qualifications to work as an electrician although without them you will find it hard. If you can go the local college route over a longer period rather than the instant qualification route providers you will be better off in the long run.

Unfortunately the City and Guilds have made a complete and utter b*lls up of the installation courses. The new qualification for electrical installation is the 2357 but this requires a person to already have an apprenticeship/job to get the qualification. The older qualification was the 2330 which is still running in some places but I think it has a shelf life. I don't think the vested interests who thought up the 2357 had any thought for people like you and other job changers wanting to start a new career later in life.

Once you have an installation qualification get the Regulation qualification 2382, then go for the Initial Inspection and Testing qualification 2394, then the Periodic Inspection and Testing 2395 and then the Design qualification 2396. On the way you might want to do the 2357 qualification PAT Testing as you will be asked at some time to do this. Also the ECS card is needed on a lot of larger sites so get that as soon as you can.

Expect to take 4-5 years to get these qualifications and experience to be a competent electrician. There are plenty of outfits around who offer quick fix training in a few weeks with promises of earning a fortune as a sparks but the reality is very different especially for a person with limited skills and training.

Best thing is to try and get some experience on site as a mate to an electrician to find out what the job involves.


Best of luck.

-------------------------
John Peckham

http://www.astutetechnicalservices.co.uk/

Sorry this made me giggle. A great turn of phrase.

LWClancy, I'm just out of my time -- still learning lots -- bookmark this website, if you are serious about joining the industry this lot on here are a treasure trove of knowledge and a guys and dolls to boot.

LoL - have you never heard the phrase "darker" or "hobble" before

Roughly translated into a job outside your normal job - cash in hand, no money back, no gaurantee - and the revenue don't need to know right !!

OMS

-------------------------
Failure is always an option

We use the word Homer as a private job, before yhe simpsons of course

I have been an Electronics Technician for 10 years in the Army and am looking to work for myself. I have recent experience working with Radio and IP networks and want to try and combine this knowledge to work installing security systems including the required networking (hopefully gaining CCNA cert soon).

So will these quals allow me to do domestic work alone while I figure out my route into security and communications?:
-ECS Health & Safety - JIB
-CITB Electrical Installation Level A Full Scope
-17th Edition C&G 2382-12.
-Initial Verification and Certification of Electrical installations. C&G 2394.

I have done a bit of theory during my time serving (BTEC 3 Electrical and Electronic Engineering) but I realise that doesnt count for much in the real world. It does mean Im not a complete beginner when it comes to the learning side though.

Thanks for all the replies so far

PJ - Private Job, that's bout it.

Homer and Hobble are new to me. Darker could mean a million things lol.

OK - youv'e got some quals and some experience in vaguely electrical things. You also have experience in other things that can translate into valuable skills in civvy street.

I would ring your local college and see what's on offer based on what you already know. From there, you can decide if there are any particular quals you can fastrack via a private learning mob.

Make sure you are getting as much paid as part of your demob as you can.

I'd concentrate on the basics of electrical engineering theory for a little while and look for work as a spark (or mate). Whilst you are doing that you can start to concentrate on the security side of the business - and don't forget that "security" is more than a box of gizmo's and wires. You should be best placed given your current job to also offer real advice on security aspects in domestic and non domestic - so don't miss the opportunity to include such things as lighting in your offerings.

As I said, there is nothing stopping you starting work as an electrician tomorrow - but in practice, there are a few quals that it would be good to get - John listed most of them above

Regards

OMS

-------------------------
Failure is always an option

"Roughly translated into a job outside your normal job - cash in hand, no money back, no gaurantee - and the revenue don't need to know right !!"

It`s called "doing a foreigner" around here (the employed doing a private job for cash that their boss does not know about)

-------------------------
Regards,
Ebee (M I S P N)

Knotted cables cause Lumpy Lektrik