RJTaylor
New member
Good evening ladies and gents, my name is Rhys and i'm a 27 year old looking to eventually leave my current dead end job in the motor trade, and start my never ending learning as someone in the electrical industry.
I was kind of looking for some advice on the options open to me and your thoughts on them. I have currently applied to a whopping 10 local companies for a position as an apprentice - all of which have said they have previously taken on mature apprentices so there is some hope there - however if i don't manage to land me an apprenticeship, i am still keen to start on my way to achieving my goals.
If the worst happens and i either don't land an apprenticeship or the only ones i get offered are really financially impossible (have a mortgage so can't even do a year of the minimum apprentice wage). I can see i have a couple of options available to me. I know neither of these two options are in any way as good as an apprenticeship in terms of just hands on actual applicable experience - as lets be realistic in any field classroom learning prepares you for pretty much nothing. But they may be my only way in.
The first is local college part time in the evenings over 2-3 years. I have also registered my interest for this, as a back up and have the first interview in April when they formally start admissions. The only problem with this is my local college only offers EAL courses instead of C&G. I have been a long time lurker here, and am sure i have seen somewhere that EAL isn't industry recognised. The course is this one: http://www.escg.ac.uk/courses/engineering-motor-vehicle/engineering/electrical-installation-evening-level-2-diploma-e/ which also leads onto the level 3. With no real idea about EAL courses and qualifications, would this be applicable to me eventually working in the electrical industry?
The second is the hugely slated (on here at least) "fast track course". I know with these there are many that they try to sell to you that are actually useless, so any advice on if i go this route on which ones to tell them to stick would be greatly appreciated.
Regardless if i had an apprenticeship or took the other two options i'd realistically be looking to work as a domestic electrician and know that i could potentially become a DI without even getting my NVQ3 and register to a Part P Scam, i'd prefer to do the whole hog and learn everything as an apprentice if possible. But again if it isn't feasible at this stage in my life, i might have to take a different route.
Some courses i have found regarding being a DI are:
https://www.ableskills.co.uk/electrical-courses/introduction-to-domestic-electrics/
https://www.ableskills.co.uk/electrical-courses/part-p-training-courses/
https://www.ableskills.co.uk/electrical-courses/domestic-electrician-course/
(however i can't really see much of a difference of my last two - advice on this would be nice)
The goal for me career wise in the electrical industry is to work in houses preforming rewires/Box changes/EICR's/PIR's ect. I have a few friends of the family who are landlords, who have stated if i get qualified enough to carry out work for them it's mine, i also have a friend of the family who runs a building firm and subcontracts the work he can't do, electric work is one of them, so there is scope there for me as well. He does mostly property development as well as new builds (Would being a DI for example allow me to work on new builds).
As for a background i have worked on site before, i have previously been a painter and decorator by trade, which unfortunately didn't work out for me, i loved being in a trade and working with my hands either on site or in a customers home but i think being young and naive didn't help with having to go self employed and find work, since then i have worked in the motor trade in an office job.
I look forward to being part of this forum as for the most part seem really nice and knowledgeable.
Cheers,
Rhys.
I was kind of looking for some advice on the options open to me and your thoughts on them. I have currently applied to a whopping 10 local companies for a position as an apprentice - all of which have said they have previously taken on mature apprentices so there is some hope there - however if i don't manage to land me an apprenticeship, i am still keen to start on my way to achieving my goals.
If the worst happens and i either don't land an apprenticeship or the only ones i get offered are really financially impossible (have a mortgage so can't even do a year of the minimum apprentice wage). I can see i have a couple of options available to me. I know neither of these two options are in any way as good as an apprenticeship in terms of just hands on actual applicable experience - as lets be realistic in any field classroom learning prepares you for pretty much nothing. But they may be my only way in.
The first is local college part time in the evenings over 2-3 years. I have also registered my interest for this, as a back up and have the first interview in April when they formally start admissions. The only problem with this is my local college only offers EAL courses instead of C&G. I have been a long time lurker here, and am sure i have seen somewhere that EAL isn't industry recognised. The course is this one: http://www.escg.ac.uk/courses/engineering-motor-vehicle/engineering/electrical-installation-evening-level-2-diploma-e/ which also leads onto the level 3. With no real idea about EAL courses and qualifications, would this be applicable to me eventually working in the electrical industry?
The second is the hugely slated (on here at least) "fast track course". I know with these there are many that they try to sell to you that are actually useless, so any advice on if i go this route on which ones to tell them to stick would be greatly appreciated.
Regardless if i had an apprenticeship or took the other two options i'd realistically be looking to work as a domestic electrician and know that i could potentially become a DI without even getting my NVQ3 and register to a Part P Scam, i'd prefer to do the whole hog and learn everything as an apprentice if possible. But again if it isn't feasible at this stage in my life, i might have to take a different route.
Some courses i have found regarding being a DI are:
https://www.ableskills.co.uk/electrical-courses/introduction-to-domestic-electrics/
https://www.ableskills.co.uk/electrical-courses/part-p-training-courses/
https://www.ableskills.co.uk/electrical-courses/domestic-electrician-course/
(however i can't really see much of a difference of my last two - advice on this would be nice)
The goal for me career wise in the electrical industry is to work in houses preforming rewires/Box changes/EICR's/PIR's ect. I have a few friends of the family who are landlords, who have stated if i get qualified enough to carry out work for them it's mine, i also have a friend of the family who runs a building firm and subcontracts the work he can't do, electric work is one of them, so there is scope there for me as well. He does mostly property development as well as new builds (Would being a DI for example allow me to work on new builds).
As for a background i have worked on site before, i have previously been a painter and decorator by trade, which unfortunately didn't work out for me, i loved being in a trade and working with my hands either on site or in a customers home but i think being young and naive didn't help with having to go self employed and find work, since then i have worked in the motor trade in an office job.
I look forward to being part of this forum as for the most part seem really nice and knowledgeable.
Cheers,
Rhys.
