Learn Trade Skills 4 Steps to Success
It has been reported by newspapers that electricians are earning up to £156,000 a year. A recent study by The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP) has suggested that the UK will need around 12,500 – 15,000 electricians are needed to accommodate forecasted growth.
There are many routes to get into the electrical trade which is as follows, but we will focus on the route we think is the best for people who have responsibilities and need to earn money swiftly:
- An apprenticeship typically lasting 4-5 years (EAL 601/7345/2 & 501/1605/8 – City & Guilds 5357 & 2357)
- Experienced Worker Route
[For those who have no qualifications but can show 5 years of electrical installation work experience]
- LTS 4 Step to Success
[For those who have commitments and need to earn money in the electrical field quickly]
We have listed the other routes for those that are interested in other methods but we will not be going into the detail of those routes here. Rather here, we will expand upon our 4 Steps to Success.
LTS 4 Steps to Success
We have simplified the route to become an electrician to 4 easy steps where you will get to a qualified level quickly to start earning money on your pathway to achieve a JIB Graded ECS Gold Card if that is your ambition.
Whilst on the pathway to earn a Gold Card, it can be lengthy and financially demanding hence we created a pathway for those who have responsibilities and want to earn money quickly and for those who are already in the field and need qualifications.
This is mainly aimed at non-experienced people, but if you are an experienced electrical person looking to achieve a Gold Card, then you can fast track this method. Please call 01992 413503 to discuss further.
Step 1
Learn Trade Skills Professional Electrician Package
Time: 3- 6 months
Rights: Install, test, verify electrical installations in domestic and commercial buildings
Certificates in the Professional Electrician Package
Level 3 Part P – Building Regulations 2013
Level 3 18th Edition Wiring Regulations
Level 3 Combined Initial Verification and Periodic Electrical Inspection and Testing
This course is purely designed for those who have no experience or those who are in the electrical industry with no qualifications to get you to a stage where you can complete Domestic and Commercial electrical work in the field.
By being able to carry out electrical work within 3-6 months, you will be earning significant money quickly and can get a job quickly with these impressive certificates. Once earning money, you can carry on investing into your career as time goes, if you want to work towards getting a Gold Card.
With the Professional Electrician Package, you will be able to:
Learn the basics of electrical installation.
Install sockets, lighting, cooker and shower circuits.
Inspect, test and verify all domestic electrical installations.
Inspect, test and verify all commercial and industrial installations.
Periodically Inspect, Test and Certificate all dwellings.
Certify all electrical Installations within dwellings.
If you are not looking to do Commercial work, then the Intermediate Electrician Package would suffice for you. Many are content with being able to do this type of work and seek not to get further qualifications and remain at Step 1.
Step 2
You can start this stage once you have completed the Professional Electrician Package
Experience
Time: 2-5 years
Rights: Self-certify your own installations
Once you gained your certificates in Step 1, you can now work in the field and get some experience under your belt. As you are gaining experience, with these certificates you can get a job to earn substantial money for yourself.
After the completing Step 1, you can do a 1 day CITB Health & Safety Awareness: Site Safety Plus course and apply for an ECS White Card. This will officially label you as an “Electrical Labourer” to help you land a Electrical Labourer job and start garnering experience under your belt and earn money.
After you can prove 2 years of experience in the field, you will be able to sign up to a Competent Persons Scheme, like NICEIC or NAPIT, etc and start to self-certify your own installations in dwellings and start to work for yourself and/or have others work for you. This will allow you to start earning significant amounts of money, considering there is not many electricians that are able to self-certificate in the field.
Once you can prove a total of 5 years experience, you can then embark on the next Step.
Step 3
This is the step for those who have 5 years of experience and the relevant certificates
NVQ Level 3 Experienced Worker Route
Time: 3-6 months
Rights: Self-certify electrical installations in commercial buildings
Since you can prove 5 years of experience now and you have the relevant qualifications, you will be eligible to sign up to the NVQ Level 3 Experienced Worker Route, which is a sped-up version of the normal NVQ colleges usually do in the UK.
You will complete a Skills Scan to prove your competence and fill out a Candidate Background Check to prove you have experience in the field. Once this is done a Professional Discussion will be carried out in centre and then you will start to complete a portfolio.
The portfolio can be completed at your own pace and the length will depend upon how much work you can be exposed to in a certain time. In the portfolio, a file will be created to evidence the work you have completed in the field and then audited by the centre and then the accreditation board.
Once the green light has been given, you will have earned to right to sit a final AM2 exam to prove competence.
Step 4
This is the final step to achieve the ECS Gold Card
AM2 Exam
Time: 2 Days
Rights: Apply for a Gold Card
Once you have your NVQ Level 3 certificate under your belt, you will have the right to sit an AM2 exam. This exam is a 2-day exam whereby you will be given a project that you must create on an electrical board to prove your competence.
After completing this exam, you will then have the right to get an ECS Gold Card and sign up to a Competent Persons Scheme to self-certificate in Commercial buildings also now.
This is the one additional benefit that you have over the Professional Package when starting with zero experience. You will be able to complete electrical installations in domestic and commercial buildings as well as self-certificating domestic buildings having done our Professional Package. But with the Gold Card, you will now be able to self-certificate commercial buildings also.
We hope this article proves useful and if there is any further questions you have please email us at info@learntradeskills.co.uk or call us on 01992 413503 to discuss further.
