EAL as good as C&G ??

[Cbr900rr]

Evening

More than likely this subject has been mentioned in previous posts, as a domestic electrical installer I'm finding it difficult to progress without paying for expensive, private courses as I have not taken the traditional route. Joining the electro technical industry later in life has prevented me from attending collage for 3 years so I'm looking at alternate ways to gain quals.
Any information on the following course would be appreciated:
Periodic Inspection, Testing and Clarification of Electrical Installations - EAL Level 3 Award
Would it be equal to the City and Guilds 2394 ?
Any advice and information welcome.

Cheers

 

[Adam W]

I always thought you were either a 'domestic installer' or you weren't. Is there really any benefit to a domestic installer having the 2394?

 

[Andy78]

The eal currently have less stringent examination criteria than city and guilds for testing and inspection courses. So you might gain them easier, but they may hold less sway with clued up employers.

If you want a piece of paper go for the cheapest and fastest. If you intend to go on a course to learn things then choose a good centre with a reputable course.

 

[Cbr900rr]

Andy, so what your saying is you don't beleieve the EAL to be as good as the C&G, in your opinion.
EAL is more of a 'turn up and tick the boxes' while C&G is more in depth.
Do you believe a 5 day course where you are pumped full of information, probably too much all at once, then charged a £500+ for the priveledge is a better option?? Genuine question??

Adam, thanks for the 'useful' comment. Trying to compare the 2 similar courses will give me a better idea of the discussion and its content. I'm pretty sure the the title of the discussion was NOT I am or I am not a domestic electrical installer.

 

[Bobster]

The C&G can be done over a few weeks. When I did my 2394 & 2395 I spent 1 night a week at the college for a few weeks until the exam.

I'd already gotten my 2391 years before, but wanted to check the college out before we sent all of our apprentices through the same.

 

[DPG]

When I was doing mine I was the only person doing the C&G route - everyone else was on the EAL version. Same coursework and content, the but the C&G has a 2 hour closed-book written exam at the end. The EAL doesn't - it has the practical and a multi-choice test.

The C&G is a more respected route, but it depends on what you want.

Hope this helps.

Daz

 

[Andy78]

Andy, so what your saying is you don't beleieve the EAL to be as good as the C&G, in your opinion.
EAL is more of a 'turn up and tick the boxes' while C&G is more in depth.
Do you believe a 5 day course where you are pumped full of information, probably too much all at once, then charged a £500+ for the priveledge is a better option?? Genuine question??

Adam, thanks for the 'useful' comment. Trying to compare the 2 similar courses will give me a better idea of the discussion and its content. I'm pretty sure the the title of the discussion was NOT I am or I am not a domestic electrical installer.

As DPG said, the course content is the same, but the exams are different. I think, but check, that they are both accepted by the JIB as proof of competence in inspection and testing

I did my 2394 and 2395 over long courses on an evening. I wish I had taken the shorter route as they dragged on for ages. This did give a good learning experience though with plenty of time for off topic discussion in session times. Having said that, the longer course may be of benefit if you are inexperienced, as the course is aimed at those already proficient and experienced in testing and inspection.

 

[Cbr900rr]

Rob, DPG, thanks very much. Your answers have helped a great deal and I'll definitely keep them in mind when deciding which course to take. I think a lot will depend on availability as I live in rural area.

 

[Cbr900rr]

I see what your Andy, thanks. Very interesting point concerning JIB, well worth looking into.

 

[Andy78]

I see what your Andy, thanks. Very interesting point concerning JIB, well worth looking into.

JIB status will only be reflected upon fulfilling all the criteria though.
Full NVQ3 diploma for installation electrician, and in addition to that testing and inspection quals (2394 and 2395 or EAL equivalents) plus 2 years experience working as an electrician to be graded as approved electrician.

http://www.jib.org.uk/documents/handbooks/19-2016-handbook-24547-section-4.pdf

 

[Adam W]

Adam, thanks for the 'useful' comment. Trying to compare the 2 similar courses will give me a better idea of the discussion and its content. I'm pretty sure the the title of the discussion was NOT I am or I am not a domestic electrical installer.

Sorry I've clearly read too much into your situation, the reason being often when someone asks how to do something that later turns out not to be the solution to the problem they have; in this thread you mentioned you wanted to move on from just doing houses so I (apparently wrongly) assumed this thread had something to do with that.

I will leave the thread quietly...

 

[Cbr900rr]

It's possible I can take a mature candidates course as Iv been working 5 years and have some sort of qualification and experience to show for it. Taking the the 2394/5 or equivalent will allow me to progress to JIB level once on the course and I'll have to complete the AM2. I have tested for 3 years (under supervision) so I'm hoping Ill be able to keep up with the lads who have been working a lot longer than myself.
The only real obstacle now is the cost, just have to take that on the chin!!
Thanks to everyone for taking the time......

 

[Andy78]

It's possible I can take a mature candidates course as Iv been working 5 years and have some sort of qualification and experience to show for it. Taking the the 2394/5 or equivalent will allow me to progress to JIB level once on the course and I'll have to complete the AM2. I have tested for 3 years (under supervision) so I'm hoping Ill be able to keep up with the lads who have been working a lot longer than myself.
The only real obstacle now is the cost, just have to take that on the chin!!
Thanks to everyone for taking the time......

Not sure what you mean by this ?

 

[Cbr900rr]

To get on the course I need the 2394/5 once on the course I can progress to JIB if that's what I want to do........ According to the lads at XS Training

 

[Andy78]

To get on the course I need the 2394/5 once on the course I can progress to JIB if that's what I want to do........ According to the lads at XS Training

I do not know why the test and inspect quals should be a prerequisite for getting onto the mature candidate course. Info is here Mature Candidate Assessment | Joint Industry Board (JIB) and it mentions nothing of the sort. A call to JIB may be in order to check XS training are correct to assert that this should be an entry requirement.

The mature candidate route, 2356-99 or EAL equivalent, once completed will be sufficient to gain your JIB card with a grading of "electrician". That is what it was designed for.

The 2394 and 2395 or EAL equivalent, and two years experience once you are graded as "electrician" are needed for a grading of "approved electrician" according to the 2016 JIB handbook that I linked to earlier in this thread.

 

[Cbr900rr]

Can't argue with that Andy, much appreciated. I'll be looking into it a lot more before committing to any course believe me. I'm not prepared to part with my hard earned on the basis of one opinion, hence this post. Sometimes the criteria can be accommodated on an individual basis from what I can make out, but I will let you know how it goes if you don't mind.
Thanks again