Are you qualified as an electrician?

In this video I discuss the elephant in the room, which has been going on for 20+ years....

Are you qualified as an electrician?

Did your training provider explain that you may need to complete the AM2 end point assessment in order to be considered an electrician?

Did your training provider file the paperwork correctly, or like mine fail in their duty?

What route have you taken to get into the industry?

Are you a domestic installer, or a qualified electrician, as they are apparently not the same thing according to the IET.

If you are a domestic installer can you legally advertise yourself as an electrician, surely that is fraud?

I’m not qualified, so should I be calling myself an electrician?

Why was I able to join the competent person schemes, even though I had never technically completed my college course and was not qualified?

How robust if the CPS enrolment scheme if an unqualified person like myself can enrol on them and start training?

So many questions and no real answers!

Well I’ll put my head above the parapet and tell the industry my story, so that others don’t suffer the same fate.

I hope you will join me and together we can make a difference.

If you aren’t qualified like me, get in touch and I will do my best to help you, as I am in the same situation

[andrewcadby]

My personal take on this is that you are a qualified electrician. You have electrical qualifications, you work as an electrician, you are presumably competent in the range of work you do. This, I believe, meets the dictionary definition. Certain industry bodies may not accept your qualifications for certain types of work, but who gives a toss? So long as you know you're doing a good job and your clients are happy, crack on I say.
And never forget that someone can have all the qualifications in the world and still be shite.

[jamievaughan]

I have the same certificates as you and have been a commercial sparky for 18 years...personally I think the best qualification you can get is on site experience!! 👍🏻

[neilwesthead]

Industry is a joke, things move on all the time, I know guys who have no qualifications and are more competent than people who have certificates coming out their arses

[dhillon]

God bless you mate. Not many would of made a video like this. I wish you all the best.

[tonywebb]

You are very brave for speaking up! The very same thing happened to me, I am older, did my C&G in 1989-1993. I did part 1, 2, 3 and testing course and NVQ but went I went to renew my registration one day they said sorry the rules have changed. I was not an occasional electrician, I worked six days a week most weeks for 32 years, being an NIE-EIC QM and Reci contractor. All my work was high end, schools, museums, very luxurious domestic all the way. Like yourself I also meticulously trained around a dozen apprentices. So was not happy to settle for a jib or domestic card. I got to keep my registration in the end but really had to fight for it.
I do have to say to I do not blame the colleges, as the courses were very well taught and all the knowledge comes flooding back any time you do any update course. Experience is everything and you will sail through this bull.

[kr]

Further education is just another business now... it's all about the money.

[brynmorbegood]

I ended up with the same certificates without a final one stating I was an electrician so I admire your cause as the route to becoming an electrician should be made clearer from the start and there should be more transparency from colleges' from the beginning. However, if we were to be challenged in Law we'd refer to the EWR and from what you've said and what's in the regs you're more than qualified and showing continued learning proves that.

[SIHRA]

I think we all appreciate this video as it’s making many realise that being a sparky is not like other trades. Some have gone though the courses over the years and kissed the books good by thinking we never have to lift a book again. I always say this. Being a sparky is not like HGV driver for example where once’s you have the licence that’s it. No matter how good of a spark you are and no matter what route you took. Due to regulations changing all the time to up keep the safety new study based exams will come in which I’m sure all sparks will have to undertake even the ones that have been connecting wires since 1850’s. It’s part of the game and it’s part of being a spark. It’s not for all but learning the bullshit at times is part of the flow. It’s not fair but it’s what it is. Enjoy and embrace brothers and sisters.

[DreanMclean]

I’m in the exact same boat! I have been a spark for 15 years and also have my own business, I have all my qualifications up to level 3 and I have done my am2. But because I done my course in the evenings and not as an apprentice I have now been told I need to do a portfolio costing £1200+ to continue being a spark and renewing my niceic (which I’ve been with since I can remember) I feel like I’m back to square 1! I hope the best for you bud and keep us all updated!

[StorminBriski]

I have a similar route to you into the industry. I was made redundant from my job as a class 1 heavy goods driver (14 Years) I went into full time college and passed my nvq2 and Btec courses over 2 years (the second year working onsite plus college. I also passed my 16th edition (now up to 18th) and 2391 test and inspection. I worked my way up through a few jobs and eventually applied for my JIB card.

I was told that even though I had my test and inspection, because I didn't have my level 3 I was classed as adult trainee. So I had to get my Level3 city and guilds and apply again after it was complete.

After my level 3 I was awarded the grade electrician.

I worked my way up in the firm and was eventually assessed by the NICEIC as a Qualified Supervisor.

I no longer work for that firm and my QS has lapsed and I am now classified as an Approved Electrician by the JIB.

I am currently an Electrical Product Engineer for Legrand so things have worked out OK for me.

[Danny-]

I have first hand experience of this, I know exactly what you are going through, I went to Chichester college around 2006, I did 3 years and came out with a C&G 2330. As far as I was concerned I was qualified. like you said, I was not told about the AM2 or the NVQ 3 portfolio. After I finished my 2330 I did the 2394 & 2395. It was then I found out I was not “qualified” I went to apply for my JIB Gold card and was told I could not have one, and I was given a trainee card.
I ended up going back and doing my C&G 2357 NVQ 3 and AM2. It was expensive around £2500.
I totally feel for you and know what you are going through. I personally think there are too many way in to our industry and it needs to be simplified.

[robwoods]

Adrian, I did my craft apprenticeship a long time ago, some of us did the craft City and Guilds college, a few of us did the BTec technicians course. None of us did the AM2 trade test. I ended up in project management as a senior project manager and senior technical services manager, member of the IET, APM and CIBSE, no degree or incorporation or chartership, I had a Black and a Gold ECS card. 8 years ago I had a bit of an epiphany and decided to go back to my trade. So from managing multimillion pound projects to man in a van. So with an indentured apprenticeship, up to date BS7671 C&G, Gold Card and a mass of other site management qualifications I still couldn’t register on the Competent Person Scheme to be a domestic installer. So I joined the firemen, ex servicemen, recently made redundant and Eastern European migrant workers at my local TradeSkills4U centre for a couple of weeks to get a C&G in Building Regs, and C&G in Initial Verification and Testing. You could walk in with no experience and 6 weeks later, having passed all the courses, walk out and register on a CPS scheme and call yourself an electrician, or domestic installer. You can buy public liability and professional indemnity insurance for a few hundred quid without showing a single piece of evidence. A few years ago I was approached by my local construction college to do some lecturing, teaching modern apprenticeships - I didn’t need to be a qualified electrician to teach, in fact I didn’t need to be a qualified teacher, but working towards a qualification was encouraged. I’ve just had my annual CPS audit from NAPIT, there is more emphasis on calibration certs and weekly checks, complaints procedures, risk assessments, GDPR policies and health and safety policies than what you can do and if you do it safely. It’s all about ticking boxes. Take a look at the ECS website and see where you fit in, if you’ve got a Level 3 cert in BS7671, and a Level 3 cert in Inspection and Testing with your Level 3 electrical technology certs and experience, I’d employ you as an electrician, and I’m sure you would get a Gold card as a JIB approved electrician. Remarkably, to work on domestic you can have a lower standard of qualification than industrial, but have to jump through more hoops. Chin up - you’re an electrician.

[StanceVideo]

Agree 100% with you. I had an apprentice from the same college you attended, they completed their NVQ Level 3 in under a week staging photos in their own home. At that point, on paper they were more qualified than myself yet could not understand the most basic of wiring systems. There needs to be a clear path to become a qualified electrician, alas that being said, you can still be qualified on paper yet not in my eyes be a competent electrician without actual experience.

[musingsofafootballfan]

I had a similar experience back in 2008. I did a training course over 2 weeks part P course and did the regs exam and then put myself forward for the testing and inspection. Passed all and thought I could be a spark. Only later did I find out I wasn't qualified fully. I then went back to college and did level 2 and level 3, luckily while doing level 3 I was told I had to do an ncq to be fully qualified, this was before the am2 was introduced. A lot of the guys did not do it and I imagine they found themselves on your situation down the line. I'm glad I did it back then. I'm now currently doing my 2396 and got a Merit in the exam. Hopefully I can put a decent portfolio together. I'm only doing it now as I have to show some sign of competency in signing off site designs for the company I work for.

[artisanelectrics]

I did an apprenticeship - NVQ3 in electrical installations and then Testing & Inspection and AM2. All went well and I “think” I can say I’m a “fully qualified electrician”
Thanks for sharing your story, I’m sure you’re not the only one.

[Marco-mgtv]

I’m probably what you would call a 14 day wonder course domestic installer. I’m on the NICEIC DI scam/scheme. I did an apprenticeship in telecoms and electronics back in the 80’s, then as a career change did the Niceic Domestic installer course about 2006. I’ve done the 16/17/18 edition multi guess quizzes and passed (100% in all 3 as it happens but how hard can it be you can take the book with all the answers into the exam) . Am I a qualified electrician? No. Am I competent ? Yes I believe so. Do I do an above average standard of work ? Judging by the shite I come across and upgrade/replace -yes. Do I understand why there seems to be an overly complex number of entry/exams/whatever -no. Anyway I’m a 14 say wonder I’ll let you qualified boys educate me ! Edit... would I bother going to college to take x or y module or any other form filling exercise ? No. But I do think the young lads or older lads embarking on a career in our industry have a clear and unambiguous path to gaining “qualification” excellent vid by the way.

[smiffy]

I followed the same route you did at the same time (different college). We were told the AM2 was only for the kids doing day release and it didn't apply to adult learners. On my course we had plenty of working sparks who were there just to get some paperwork to keep their employers happy. I never had a problem getting a job as an electrician with my qualifications.

[edaveda]

Got this video randomly recommended by youtube. I'm in similar shoes I done my 2330 lvl 2&3 back in 2012 it's was apprenticeship, recently done 18th edition and was planning do inspection and testing courses after that everything else after that seems absurd. Due to all this this I decided to switch to Electrical engineering on machinery instead of trade. But thank you for a video It's good that someone spoke about this bs.

[wizardwithguns]

Same as you mate, all the same qualifications from 2360 in 1998. I contacted Napit, and they put me on their Blue Flame course, which was really easy, I believe it’s a 2391 equivalent.

[neildickinson]

I started off on the City and Guilds route then I was lucky to get an apprenticeship so got put on the NVQ route.To be on the NVQ route you had to have an apprenticeship with permanent on site experience.This would then allow you to complete a portfolio alongside it, because you were working on site and with photographs, could back up the points in which you had to fulfill.City and Guilds level 1, 2 and 3 was aimed at people who were currently unemployed or looking to retrain part time in order to get a foothold in the industry.The Am2 was aimed at apprenticeships and this was the last piece of the jigsaw they had to pass to be able to qualify.The City and guilds route, you wouldn't have enough experience to pass the Am2. If you have 20 years experience in the industry thats massive, you shouldn't need to redo certain topics from back in the day.As far as I'm concerned with the 2391 running alongside what you have already, you are as qualified and experienced as the rest of us.