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intensive conversion course

Hi,

I'm looking to retrain as a trade electrician in the UK, from a background of physics degree and software development. I am currently unemployed and with no relevant experience.

What I am looking for is a (2-3 month?) intensive course that will give me entry-level qualifications so that I can begin working with/for/as an electrician - as I understand it I would need two C&Gs and an NVQ3 to be useful. Most of the courses I've found on the internet are day-release over

1-2 years but I am 42, not 16, and think they would be a waste of time.

Any and all advice gratefully received, regards Ford Cropley

Reply to
patrick lingwood
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duh, error in my settings, please send any personal email to

snipped-for-privacy@btinternet.com

thanks, Ford

Reply to
ford cropley

If your trades are dominated by unions you are probably going to be put in the penalty box for a number of years. They intentionally limit the number of journeymen and dribble out the training. If you can actually find a "right to work" environment the best plan might be to just show up with some tools and start working for an electrician who is willing to teach you at your own speed. Learning on the job is going to be a lot faster than sitting in a classroom. You should still take some "Votec" type courses and read the code book primers to get a kick start but it is hard to beat what a old timer can teach you on the job.

Reply to
Greg

Response by private email.

Reply to
Paul E. Bennett

That isn't the case in the UK -- there is no electricians trade union per se.

This probably is the best thing to do, and it will also give you an idea if the job's really for you. It includes a lot of things which you might not have initially thought of as electrical work, and you might not like crawling around in attics at 50C or in damp subfloor areas looking for wiring faults.

You might even offer a day or two of your time for free to a local electrical company following along with one of their staff with a view to seeing what the task entails, and helping out a bit.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

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