You may think that as a young person you need an apprenticeship to become an electrician. This is wrong, there are different routes you can take when looking into becoming a professional in the trade. Put simply, whichever route you take what you will need is training, experience and qualifications. You can get these through an apprenticeship but you can also gain these through training courses. Today, we want to compare both paths and talk about how you can get started here at our centre...
Let us point out, the skills and knowledge learned in both pathways are essentially the same, the skills and knowledge you need is the same, both qualification routes contain the same content, they have to in order to comply with the City & Guilds standards and you'll need the same information to take on the relevant assessments. One difference is through training at a centre you do not do level 2 Maths and English which is a requirement of an apprenticeship.
So, what are the big differences?
One is that when it comes to an apprenticeship, you are relying on other people. To start an apprenticeship you will find an employer, which takes time and means your training is in the hands of another person. Whereas training at a centre, the responsibility is completely on you.
You may be thinking, well with an apprenticeship you get paid and I'd have to pay for training, however, the salary is often below minimum wage and they last for around 4-years. When training at a centre like ours, dedicated students become properly trained, self-sufficient and ready to start earning in the workplace much earlier, typically within a year of starting their journey.
What does it take to become an electrician?
Again the path to becoming an electrician, whichever way you look at it involves learning, experience and qualifications. Becoming a professional takes time and isn't easy, however, here at our centre we make the process as straight forward as possible with our Approved Electrician Package.
This is a package of courses that we offer that's very comprehensive at what it does and will cover all the aspects of training, experience and earn you those all-important qualifications. You'll learn through a mix of both hands-on practical experience and classroom-based theory sessions from experts.
The aim is to take you from novice to fully qualified and ‘Approved Electrician’. You will start with learning the fundamental requirements for undertaking an electrical installation as well as information relating to the structure and organisation of the electrical industry.
The result is a Level 3 NVQ qualification and a Gold CSCS card that identifies you as an approved electrician.
Our facilities are second to none with good sized classrooms, lots of workshop areas for the practical aspects of the electrician courses we teach. We are obviously being conscious of how we operate with many social distancing measures in place. The Approved Electrician Package is around 15-weeks long initially, during this time you will gain the following certification...
- City & Guilds Level 2
- City & Guilds Level 3
- 18th Edition / Wiring Regulations
- Portable Appliance Testing
- Level 3 Award in Inspection and Testing
Following on from that initial training the NVQ and AM2 will be next on the list but the dates for these assessments are more likely to be determined by you. When you are working within the industry, the work based assessments can be arranged and at any time you feel ready, you can arrange to come in and sit for the AM2 assessment. We are very flexible and will help you to arrange a date that works for you.
Above you can get a glimpse of the hard work that goes into becoming an electrician. Our students get all of the support they need throughout the process and nobody is left behind feeling unsure about a topic. Our instructors are experts at their job with years of experience both teaching and working in the industry. If you'd like to join these students and kick start a new career through electrician courses call us today on 01322 280 202!
Contact us:
If you would like to understand more about a particular course that we offer, call us on 01322 280 202! This is the most direct way to contact us. Over the phone we are happy to answer any questions that you have about the electrician courses and other training we provide, in addition we can guide you on the best route for starting a new career in a particular trade. Alternatively, you are welcome to contact us through email on info@ableskills.co.uk
If you would like to visit us in person, you are welcome to come and talk with a member of staff during opening hours, we can discuss electrician courses and other training options in more detail and even show you around our facilities. You must make sure that you are being conscious of social distancing and wear a face covering. Our office is open 7-days-a-week between 8:30 - 16:30!