Industrial Electricians Only:

[ian72]

Don't get here much but I'm a time served maintenance electrician 41yo now. Started in a brick factory and been through installation and commissioning of newspaper and commercial printing machines, alloy plants with induction furnaces and so on, so I consider myself purely industrial. Had some horrible days/nights and some amazing days/nights with some brilliant people in the years past. Only houses and flats I've touched are my own and friends and hate it to be honest.

 

[Diddy]

Just a run of the mill light industrial/commercial electrician. Started of with a company who did a bit of everything but very little in the domestic sector.
Went off in to the big wide world after my time was out and onto some large projects all in the UK...All light industrial/commercial I would describe it as. I can't program controls ect but can wire up most anything given a wiring diagram.
Churches/chapels/channel tunnel/british library/concert halls/county buildings/light up the city (Edinburgh and Glasgow...bloody freezing jobs both through very cold winters brrr)/hospitals/schools I have had my toolbox in them all. Think I have wired 3 houses in total....im am pretty good at "avoidance" looks too much like hard graft lol.
Started off working to the 15th Edition...now he we are at 17th and probably 18th before next year is out.

 

[Gage]

Hello stranger.

I wouldn't say there's not much left for us to look after. Plenty of companies still out there where we are very much needed.

 

[sam400]

I am 33 and did an electrical/mechanical apprenticeship with Ibstock bricks when I left school, the variety of this sector is great, I have had a go at most things over the years and had the pleasure of working with some very skilled people.

Started out on my own 1 year ago due to ill health and needing to work part time.
Only do domestic now and although Ive learn a lot in the last year I'd much rather be in a panel somewhere!

Sam

 

[Knobhead]

I’m retired but wish I was back in the fray.

 

[Knobhead]

Going back to college days, my son went to the same engineering college I did. When I asked if he’d been in the power lab “nobody is allowed in there, not even the lecturers, it’s too dangerous.”

How in the name of god are we going to train industrial electricians if it’s too dangerous to teach them?

 

[Bobster]

Going back to college days, my son went to the same engineering college I did. When I asked if he’d been in the power lab “nobody is allowed in there, not even the lecturers, it’s too dangerous.”

How in the name of god are we going to train industrial electricians if it’s too dangerous to teach them?

Fact of the matter here is that even industrial electricians are being dumbed down. Not quite at the same rate as the domestic sector, but I can see with my own eyes it's happening.

I find it quite sad, although on the other hand I know I'll never be out of work. The other day I honestly had to explain to a 'time served' (using that loosely) lad, how volt free contacts on an overload worked!

 

[shanky887614]

Fact of the matter here is that even industrial electricians are being dumbed down. Not quite at the same rate as the domestic sector, but I can see with my own eyes it's happening.

I find it quite sad, although on the other hand I know I'll never be out of work. The other day I honestly had to explain to a 'time served' (using that loosely) lad, how volt free contacts on an overload worked!

they don't touch anything like that at college now (unless the maintinance course is different)

its understandable that some people have never used or know about them

 

[Bobster]

they don't touch anything like that at college now (unless the maintinance course is different)

its understandable that some people have never used or know about them

I don't blame them, unless it's clearly their fault they haven't learned what they should know. (You know the sort)

I feel sorry for them. Boils my blood when it's clearly down to a crap tutor, garbage in garbage out.

 

[shanky887614]

I don't blame them, unless it's clearly their fault they haven't learned what they should know. (You know the sort)

I feel sorry for them. Boils my blood when it's clearly down to a crap tutor, garbage in garbage out.

the problem is a lot of tutors now are either young lazy sparks or there crap with there hands so they teach the next generation

 

[ipf]

they don't touch anything like that at college now (unless the maintinance course is different)

its understandable that some people have never used or know about them

And that's the point. Where are they going to learn, or at least get the chance to? Maybe I was lucky, to some degree, being brought up in many facets of the game. But, in years gone by, it was so common to see lads starting in the domestic sphere and, because of their thorough apprenticeship training, developing their basic skills and moving on into the industrial installation and maintenance side.

 

[Knobhead]

I was lucky in that the company were firm believers in apprentice training. They included a lot of mechanical stuff for electricians. My first year was in the machine shop. It paid dividends as in return they got someone that understood how things worked. 60% of the jobs I would get called to were of mechanical origin.

In the power lab you could get a 60HP motor or a fair sized transformer on the bench and carry out live testing on them. OK we also did that when at work but you’re in a production environment you can’t start experimenting, things had to up and running ASAP.

We did the EITB modules which would be akin to the present day portfolios. The company put a lot of effort in to ensuring you passed them. If it meant packing you off to other works or bringing stuff to you, so be it.