Qualifications confusion.......

[Rob99]

Nope, didn't forget. Yes I have a story (don't we all) but have also asked a number of questions in my posts, all relating to advice on qualifications, e.g......

I have been trying to work out from all the info out there what I might need to get qualified and/or certified to be able to do my own smart home electrical works in the future.

Bottom line is that I just wanted some pointers as to what qualifications I needed in order to carry out the limited electrical works required rather than be left to the mercy of the "training" providers.


An earlier reply from Nobbin advised steering clear of "domestic electrical installer" courses but ironically is that not the type of work I am looking to be doing!

 

[Martyn Fletcher]

Nope, didn't forget. Yes I have a story (don't we all) but have also asked a number of questions in my posts, all relating to advice on qualifications, e.g......

I have been trying to work out from all the info out there what I might need to get qualified and/or certified to be able to do my own smart home electrical works in the future.

Bottom line is that I just wanted some pointers as to what qualifications I needed in order to carry out the limited electrical works required rather than be left to the mercy of the "training" providers.


An earlier reply from Nobbin advised steering clear of "domestic electrical installer" courses but ironically is that not the type of work I am looking to be doing!

The price of the 4 week DEI courses range from around £3000 up to and beyond £5000. What you get from that is your 17th edition certificate (assuming you pass), an introduction to Part P and a little hands on and technique training (terminating, testing and a quick look at SWA).
What they cram into 4 weeks is admirable but keep in mind that the class will only run at the speed of the slowest learner, so as with my course, where we had a chap who was slow on the uptake to the point of distraction, you may miss some subjects or loose the opportunity to go over what you are a little flaky on.
The DEI course content will in no way prepare you for work as a Domestic Electrical Installer. It is a very first step on the ladder at best. A heads-up if you will as to what you have ahead of you. But they leave out probably 99% of what you'll need to learn in the field. They just can't possible cover everything.
The best advice for anyone lacking experience but wishing to work with Electricity for a living is to get in with an established Spark/company, no matter what your age or qualifications. Even just one day a week so that you get some level of exposure to the range of tasks that you'll be expected to carry out.
If you do decide to go the DEI route then I would start looking for a mentor/part time job NOW (full time if you can get it). You'll find it extremely difficult to convince someone to take you on with just a DEI under your belt, considering the DEI was brought in to get EU electrical workers up to speed to work here in UK and not for people who have never worked in the field. Some enterprising souls (colleges) saw an opportunity here for some profit and boy have they taken it.

Good luck whatever you do.