Transitioning From The Army With 16Th Edition

[MartinLav]

I am a fully time served electrician up to 16th edition and have had vast experience working in the domestic,commercial and industrial side of life, I left that behind and joined the army for 5 years and I am now trying to get back into it and was wondering how I do the 17th edition as i see a lot of 17th edition courses and how do I go about registering as an electrician again and who with. I can't seem to get any solid answers and I don't want to be seen as a cowboy. I have just moved to the Wolverhampton area and I'm finding it hard to figure this out on my own. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers. Marty

 

[Manator]

Hi Marty and welcome to the forum. Your best bet is to call the local colleges most do the courses you will need.

 

[MartinLav]

Cheers,

Will this get me JIB qualified again and is it better going with the likes of NICEIC or what? I am a very competent spark but finding it very hard to get any work around this area. While I was in the army I was still doing some of my own work but with my accent (I'm from Armagh) in the mid lands I think is putting people off.

 

[Evans Electric]

Hi  Martin ,  welcome to the Forum .

My thinking is ....once a Sparks always a Sparks . If you did your time & have a basic Electrical C&Gs  then you are an electrician 

You can do the 17th update at the local colleges as I'm sure you already know,   cost me around £400   for a 10 week night school course .  You need this really , quite a few important changes in there.

Did you have a JIB card ?     If so just apply to renew it.  That can be helpful .

You may find the self employed route to be more positive than looking for direct employment .   

 

[MartinLav]

Exactly,I'm just finding it very hard at the minute to try and make sense of it.i was working for a small contractor in Stafford for a few months but his work dried up and with my accent (I'm from Northern Ireland ) I'm finding it a bit hard for people around here to warm to me.i have just registered as self employed and i have just completed a CSCS card today. Does this count or do I need an electrical one?

 

[Evans Electric]

Marty  I'd have thought that accent round here would be quite common .   Can't you imitate a Yam Yam accent .

Ask Steptoe (Forum member)  how he gets on .

Just to back track , the JIB will have your details but insist that you complete the Health & Safety course  before they will issue your card . This is a simple half hour jobby with a load of other sparks .   You can register for that at the ECA  HQ  not far from you at the Chase Golf Course , Penkridge/ Rugeley  area.     Another money making scheme  but what can you do ? 

You will , by the way , need that card for construction  site work in a lot of cases.   Its a case of  no H&S card  no job.

For working with builders on domestic you need to join a Part P  scam   Scheme  so you can sign off the jobs , thats another £400  but to be honest , registering 2 jobs and you've covered the outlay against paying a third party to do it . 

 

[MartinLav]

Cheers this is a great help. Is having Part P the way forward then? With regard to the yam yam accent I think il stick to my own

 

[Evans Electric]

Exactly,I'm just finding it very hard at the minute to try and make sense of it.i was working for a small contractor in Stafford for a few months but his work dried up and with my accent (I'm from Northern Ireland ) I'm finding it a bit hard for people around here to warm to me.i have just registered as self employed and i have just completed a CSCS card today. Does this count or do I need an electrical one?

Yes  I think you need the electrical one  to apply for your JIB card to be renewed .

As you know there are hundreds of different races and accents in the Midlands but I think I know what you mean ,  thousands of Paddies from the Irish Republic live & work here with no problem but there are unfortunate connotations with a strong Northern Irish accent that says you hate Brits, you kill our soldiers , is your car about to blow up ?         Please don't take offense  but thats how it is.   

Theres a mad ( but respected) Ulsterman on here who will, I'm sure, have an opinion  and some advice.  

 

[steptoe]

:slap Marty

you're not related to Eugene are you?  [is that asking too much?!?! ]

yer, you have to speak really posh and proper, though I am from the sticks, Ballymena hae ,!  :slap

even after 25years travelling my missus still cant understand me after about 30 seconds on the phone home ,

if you previously held JIB then as Evans said, simply renew it, and that includes the CSCS/ECS H&S exam that it seems you have already done,

upgrading to 17th should be pretty easy for you,

I went from 15th to 17th on a 3day course, I didnt have 16th as I was out of UK at the time.

do NOT fall for these advertised schemes/scams offering you all that crap for a few K , you DONT need it.!!!!!!!

Ask Steptoe (Forum member)  how he gets on .

you called?

Sir Dekeington of the Trophy    :Salute

 

[Evans Electric]

Cheers this is a great help. Is having Part P the way forward then? With regard to the yam yam accent I think il stick to my own

Don't blame you to be honest. :innocent

Unfortunately yes, Part P  if you are self employed will save a lot of heartache and gives you an advantage over non registered sparks .   A builder would want a Gas Sure  plumber  and a Part P sparks to save all the problems of sighning off jobs .

Many Kitchen & bathroom fitters are shying away from doing their own electrics these days I find  ( not all but quite a few)  

:slap Marty

you're not related to Eugene are you?  [is that asking too much?!?! ]

yer, you have to speak really posh and proper, though I am from the sticks, Ballymena hae ,!  :slap

even after 25years travelling my missus still cant understand me after about 30 seconds on the phone home ,

if you previously held JIB then as Evans said, simply renew it, and that includes the CSCS/ECS H&S exam that it seems you have already done,

upgrading to 17th should be pretty easy for you,

I went from 15th to 17th on a 3day course, I didnt have 16th as I was out of UK at the time.

do NOT fall for these advertised schemes/scams offering you all that crap for a few K , you DONT need it.!!!!!!!

you called?

Sir Dekeington of the Trophy    :Salute

Highlights in green  as its St. Paddys day soon.  

Yes I called for some  expert advice for Mr Martin here .....I shone the Bat sign up on the clouds and there you were. !!

 

[steptoe]

Don't blame you to be honest. :innocent

Unfortunately yes, Part P  if you are self employed will save a lot of heartache and gives you an advantage over non registered sparks .   A builder would want a Gas Sure  plumber  and a Part P sparks to save all the problems of sighning off jobs .

Many Kitchen & bathroom fitters are shying away from doing their own electrics these days I find  ( not all but quite a few)  

Highlights in green  as its St. Paddys day soon.  

Yes I called for some  expert advice for Mr Martin here .....I shone the Bat sign up on the clouds and there you were. !!

make up your mind,

is it Guy Martin,

or

Eugene Laverty's brother ??????

:C

 

[Evans Electric]

Never heard of him .........who is he  some sort of  Suzuki superbike racer   I 'spose .   :innocent

Oh don't get him started on bike racing  headbang

 

[steptoe]

Never heard of him .........who is he  some sort of  Suzuki superbike racer   I 'spose .   :innocent

Oh don't get him started on bike racing  headbang

its the National sport of norn iron 

 

[MartinLav]

Cheers for the advice fellas!appreciate it. And I do have an uncle called Eugene Steptoe but I'm a Lavery bit Laverty

*not

 

[steptoe]

Cheers for the advice fellas!appreciate it. And I do have an uncle called Eugene Steptoe but I'm a Lavery bit Laverty

*not

I like you already    :slap

dont like the not Eugene's brother bit though    you coulda got me free tickets  :slap

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

   A builder would want a Gas Sure  plumber

I thought it was Gas safe?

 

[OnOff]

Martin, PM me your email. I have a bunch of scanned 17th Edition question papers and also an exam simulator program which will give you a taste. It is all pre any amendments, circa 2008 but all good for practice and tbh it's pretty easy IMHO. 60 questions, 2 hours unless it's changed.

 

[Evans Electric]

I thought it was Gas safe?

Yes you're right ......getting mixed up there .

Just re- read my posts above ..it seems like you have to join lots of clubs but non of that applies to commercial & industrial work other than possibly NICEIC  if the client demands it .

So:-

Domestic  customer .......Part P scheme  but many manage without it .

Commercial customer .....  You're a sparks , just do it.   Possible NICEIC  if some customer's insurance demand it.

Industrial ............................  Just do it .

Construction sites.................Skill Card  (JIB)   & CSCS  card.

Small builder ........................Just show up & do it  unless its under building control then back to  Part P .