Hi all...first post as new...
If I can sort of stick up for the "5 week course" thing briefly.
I'm a Lighting tech in the events industry (15 years) and just completed the course.
I didn't complete it to be a full time electrician, just to add to my existing skills. There were a few lads in there who were absolute newbies to electricity (the kind you're referring to) and they got found out pretty quickly and advised to go away and pick up experience if they wanted to go further in the industry. There were also the same amount of lads who had been working in the industry for a decent amount of time but had no qualifications, it helped them no end to understand the physics/maths side of things.
I would say the place that I trained seemed a pretty decent/honest one (they took local kids in from the area that were being chucked out of school and were offering them training in building trades) I understand there's others that aren't, and just want the cash.