Oldgreybeard wrote: ↑Tue Sep 06, 2022 9:38 pm
The domestic installer option is still there, the course takes anything from four to eight weeks. Even featured recently in one of the soaps, with a character doing the course in prison in six weeks and coming out as an "electrician". I always thought these short courses were just to allow plumbers to be able to sign off the limited electrical work when installing heating systems and also allow people like kitchen fitters to wire up cookers etc. I didn't think they were ever intended to allow more complex work to be done but I have a very strong feeling that domestic installers are doing much more demanding work than was ever intended when these short courses were introduced.
The entry criterea changed in 2021, no more short courses
Oldgreybeard wrote: ↑Tue Sep 06, 2022 9:38 pm
The domestic installer option is still there, the course takes anything from four to eight weeks. Even featured recently in one of the soaps, with a character doing the course in prison in six weeks and coming out as an "electrician". I always thought these short courses were just to allow plumbers to be able to sign off the limited electrical work when installing heating systems and also allow people like kitchen fitters to wire up cookers etc. I didn't think they were ever intended to allow more complex work to be done but I have a very strong feeling that domestic installers are doing much more demanding work than was ever intended when these short courses were introduced.
The entry criterea changed in 2021, no more short courses
This course consists of four separate courses and will last 15 days. The core course times are Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM. Please take a look at our course FAQ’S for further course information.
Domestic Electrician Course - The exams
During this course you will take 3 multiple choice on-line exams and one practical assessment. They are as follows:
Inspection and testing course – 2 exams
1. Online multiple choice exam consisting of 50 questions which you have 1 Hour and 40 minutes to complete.
2. A practical assessment where you will have to demonstrate that you know how to safely isolate a consumer unit, perform all the live and dead tests and fill in all the necessary paperwork to comply with Part P of the Building Regulations. You will have 2 Hours to complete this assessment.
Part P Course – 1 exam
Online multiple choice exam consisting of 20 questions which you have 40 minutes to complete. (Open book exam)
18th edition course – 1 exam
Online multiple choice exam consisting of 60 questions which you have 2 hours to complete. (Open book exam)
What electrical work can I do after this course?
This course will allow you to carry out domestic electrical work after successful completion of the course. You will be able to carry out any form of minor works such as adding to or altering an existing circuit. You will also be suitably qualified to carry out what is called notifiable work which can include the installation of a new circuit, a re-wire or work in a bathroom. The difference with notifiable work is that building control have to be informed.
25 off 250W Perlight solar panels, installed 2014, with a 6kW PowerOne inverter, about 6,000kWh/year generated
6 off Pylontech US3000C batteries, with a Sofar ME3000SP inverter
Yeah you can still pay the money and do the courses, they still advertising. However when you approach a notification body (which you will need to become a member of to enable notifications) such as NICEIC, NAPIT, et al; they will not accept such short course qualifications. They might let you pay the money and join and only do non-notifiable works under their banner, but thats it ! The requirements for notifiable works was changed in September 2021. I know all this as im a gold card registered electrician and have a passing interest in it; these short courses were nothing but a money making scheme from the get go !
Oldgreybeard wrote: ↑Tue Sep 06, 2022 9:46 pm
You will also be suitably qualified to carry out what is called notifiable work which can include the installation of a new circuit, a re-wire or work in a bathroom. The difference with notifiable work is that building control have to be informed.
[/quote]
Dont be fooled by the wording, yes you can do the work an notify it directly via building control (as can anyone else without "qualifications") which will cost £450, but you cannot self certify via a scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, Et al) cause they wont accept you to do your own notifications with these short course qualifications any more !
FWIW, none of the Building Control bodies I contacted when building our house could offer Part P inspection and test. I wanted to do the installation myself (done loads of work over the years, including several rewires - all before Part P). The problem was that none of the Part P companies offered a third party test and inspection certification at the time, so that meant that there was no way that any of the Building Control bodies could cover it. I even had LABC (who we used in the end) tell me that if I insisted in needing them to test and inspect they would have to admit to not being able to fulfil their statutory obligation, and asked me to use an electrician to make their life easier. Very annoying, as I was a qualified electrician around 45 years ago, time served and with the C&G certs, all that was needed at that time, plus I have all the test gear needed, I even splashed out for a copy of the Blue Book at that time, a hefty waste of money.
25 off 250W Perlight solar panels, installed 2014, with a 6kW PowerOne inverter, about 6,000kWh/year generated
6 off Pylontech US3000C batteries, with a Sofar ME3000SP inverter
Yep I can relate to that. The powers that be decided to totally screw the industry by firstly deciding that adding new circuits in domestic properties needs to be "notified" to building control, and thereby in the process opening up "training bodies" that can teach you all you need in 10 weeks (££££ 1000's), then on successful completion of the course you would need to register with a "self notification body" like NICEIC, Et al (£££££££££1000's). To the detriment of time served experienced sparks who knew what they were doing anyway ! they too now have to pay to join these notification bodies if they wish to carry out domestic installations; with the added insult that the market is/was flooded with 10 -week-wonder "domestic installers" which has taken a portion of their pie and driven down wages ).
The short course model has now hopefully been cut short in its deliverance of expectations (although they're still being falsely advertised ££££££££), The decision to revert qualified criteria of the aforementioned to something more sensible was probably expediated when an MP's daughter died from an electric shock in her house carried out by "qualified" electricians, who obviously got things seriously wrong.
On the face of it notification/testing/certification of new circuitry is a good thing and you would expect such practice to alleviate shoddy work (to an extent); one would even suppose that over the years such practice would give confidence to the customer and so benefit the domestic trade in general. However the introduction of 10 week boil in a bag electrician courses has somewhat curtailed that particular endeavor, and all because the "training providers" (not many state colleges anymore) want to make ££££. At least something has been done about it now, but the domestic electrical industry has been somewhat watered down ! So beware
