# Please help if you can..



## gricey (Feb 9, 2010)

Hi all, 

I am in the process of wanting to change my career. I av been to a few of my local colleges and am wanting to take an electrical course. But am confussed to what and how it will all work. 

The course is only 10 weeks long and costs £5225. This gets me BPEC (level 3), part p - defined scope, part p - A scope, C&G 2382 - 17th edition wiring, C&G 2377 portable appliance testing and C&G 2392 certificate in fundamental inspections, testing and initial verification.

I am worried that i will do the course and then not be able to get a job due to lack of onsite experience. The college as put forward the fact they will put me onsite with a large firm and they will give me a refrence and portfolio if they cant offer me a job at the end of the training.

So just if anyone can offer me advice i would be very gratfull..

The college is MET UK in doncaster.

Thanks


----------



## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

*Help if can*

Not knowing how old you are I can only say that school is the best bet, especially if you have the support of the family,(mom and dad). If you are out of secondary school successfully, with algebra knowlege, then maybe an adult, evening class would be good. Education is always best, even if you get smart enough to not want to do this in the first place.


----------



## chrisb271 (Jul 6, 2007)

I would look around a little more bud before you commit your five grand.
It seems to be the "In-thing" at the moment doing a ten week course and stepping into the big world as an ' Electrician '
Some of us older sparks find this hard to take in as there is no way on earth you can even begin to know whats what after ten weeks,most of us had six years apprenticeships and even then its was the tip of the iceberg.

The bottom line and this is no direspect to you buddy but without a few years experience you are going to find it damn hard to get a decent job,some of the time served bods round here are struggling for jobs,its a vicious circle,no experience no job and vice-versa.

maybe you could get a firm to take you on as an labourer/improver and do your schooling on day release tho the way things are theres slim chances of this happening.

Good luck mate

Chris


----------



## Trimix-leccy (Dec 4, 2007)

what ChrisB said X 1000!

never yet heard of anybody who has done one of these courses and got a related job at the end of it; maybe I am not listening in the right places.

get a list of SATISFIED clients from the college and contact them; let THEM tell you if their 5K was well spent

I would imagine that the college may well hide behind the DATA protection Act as an excuse:whistling2:


----------



## BryanMD (Dec 31, 2007)

gricey said:


> I am worried that i will do the course and then not be able to get a job due to lack of onsite experience.


The insight you describe here sets you far and away ahead of most.

Not to repeat what Chris said (and I also agree with) but if you CAN go to school, that is if you have the funds to pay tuition and to keep up your home, then there IS merit in "hiding out" and doing that for a year or two as the market sorts itself out.

The key though is to take general academic courses from a regular college that are transferable to other schools and will count toward the actual bachelors degree that you should still want to get someday. Choose course that will translate to electrical work: heavy on the maths, technical writing, surveying, materials science, physics, etc.

Trades courses rarely do that; some will but very few (in the US).

Good luck.


----------



## pile (Mar 2, 2010)

Hello Gricey. Firstly, this game is not all it's cracked up to be so don't get any ideas about easy life, loads of money and cleanest job on site or any of that guff.
If a chippy hangs a door badly it won't burn down the building or kill anyone [unless it's a heavy door!] and no one is going to have him up in court about it years later. But he will get paid as much as a spark or maybe more.
Also no self appointed carpenters inspection council and their cronies will change the requirements for carpentry every few years so you have to go back to college to get requalified and fill up their holiday funds with your hard earnt money.

Secondly, after 10 weeks you might have the certificates but you will find it impossible to get a job as a spark.
If you are lucky you may get a job as an improver/mate, but you will be lucky.

Finally, with a 2392 certificate you may possibly get a job with some fly by night firm testing council installations or some such but I would not try testing any installations untill you have been in the game for a good few years. [By which time you will need a different certificate because their holiday fund will have run out again]
The real life installations will be nothing like the stuff you will be trained on and blokes who have been doing it for years struggle sometimes. 
When you sign those test certificates you had better know exactly what you're doing because they are a legal document and can bite you in the backside.
I think you know deep down that this is not the best way to become a spark. However if that's what you really want to be I would suggest you use the 5 grand to fund yourself through technical college in the normal manner. 
Personally, I would go to woodwork school.


----------



## frank (Feb 6, 2007)

If 10 weeks at College makes you an electrician then why did I spend 7 years on day release to become one.
Because you can remember the Regulations, test a circuit on a wall board and test a kettle or fridge does not mean you can carry a bundle of conduit onto site and begin to hard wire a factory. You need to look elswhere to get your skills and save yourself cash whist you are at it too.

Frank


----------



## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

join the navy !


----------

