All posts by kris

Oct 201712

Is Being an Electrician Easy?

kris

Basic Electrical Training - Is Being an Electrician Easy

Being an electrician sounds like an inviting job. The work is rewarding and well-paid, and you get to move around a lot, going from one job to the next instead of spending all day at a desk.

But is it easy being an electrician? You'll probably get a different answer to that question from each electrician you ask, but nevertheless, here are a few things to consider when deciding if you'd like to become an electrician.

What do I need to be an electrician?

Nothing worth having comes easily, and of course that is true of a successful career. Electricians have to go through the appropriate training to learn the relevant skills and stay safe –after all, it's crucial to know what you're doing when you're working with electricity!

That is why there are certain qualifications that you MUST have before starting work as an electrician. These qualifications are included in our Essential Electrical Course which will provide you with:

Part P Domestic Installer
17th Edition Electrical Regs
Building Regulations for Electrical Installations in Dwellings

Is training to be an electrician easy?

Here at Access Training, we offer a range of electrical courses (which you can browse here) that are suitable for learners of all ages and all experience levels. These courses allow you to gain industry-recognised qualifications and become a fully-certified electrician within a relatively short window of time. We wouldn't necessarily call our courses 'easy' - there's a lot of theory and technical skill involved in becoming a professional sparky - and students have to work hard in order to pass the course and earn the qualifications necessary to start work as an electrician.

However, our courses do allow you to become qualified in a quicker period of time than traditional methods. Whereas other electrician training takes years, Access Training allows you to gain qualifications within a much shorter time frame.

Is the job easy?

Once qualified, an electrician's job can vary greatly from day to day, which may mean that some days are easier than others. We find that most of our graduates enjoy this diverse selection of work and find the job fulfilling and satisfying. Of course - as with any job - the more experience you gain, the easier it will become.

When you work with electricity, there is obviously some danger that comes with the job - click here to read our blog post on this subject. The risks are very minimal once you know what you're doing, but no matter how long you've been an electrician for, it's always important to remain vigilant.

In general, with a healthy salary (more than £30,000 per annum on average) and a wide selection of work on offer, being an electrician is very worthwhile, and enjoyably challenging without being overwhelming.

If you are considering a career as an electrician, click the links below to find out what each of our electrician training courses entails:

For any advice on what being an electrician is like, or about any of our courses, feel free to get in touch with the Access Training team.

Oct 201709

Gas Safe Training From Access Training

kris

Gas safe training

If you're looking into becoming a professional gas engineer, you may well have heard the term Gas Safe training. In order to work as a gas engineer in the UK, you must be on the Gas Safe Register, and this requires specific training / qualifications. You can think of the Gas Safe Register as an official list of every certified gas engineer who is legally allowed to work on gas appliances in the UK.

Previously known as CORGI, the Gas Safe Register is a nationwide scheme that was created to protect the public from unsafe gas work. To get onto the Gas Safe Register, you must provide evidence of your competence and training by presenting the relevant qualifications, which can be one of the following:

A Nationally Accredited Certification Scheme (ACS) qualification
A Scottish/National Vocational Qualification (S/NVQ), such as the 6012 City & Guilds range
Qualification Credit Framework (QCF) certification

The training required to become Gas Safe registered is where Access Training Gas Courses can be of use. Whether you are starting as an absolute beginner or would just like to refresh your skills, our courses are designed to get you ready to work as a professional gas engineer. Our Professional Gas Course, for instance, allows you to gain your ACS certificate and join the Gas Safe Register (no experience required to enrol on this course).

Completing a Gas Safe training programme and joining the Register is the only way to be able to work legally in the UK as a gas engineer. Without this, you will not only be working illegally, you may also be putting yourself and the public in danger. Our courses allow you to train safely in state-of-the-art facilities.

Click here to learn more about our gas courses, or contact us today to find out how to enrol.

Apr 201607

Expand Your Skills With an Access Training Tiling Course

kris

Sometimes overlooked in favour of other trade professions, the ability to professionally install tiles is a valuable skill that can open up a variety of opportunities if you are a business owner or tradesperson. Tiles are an extremely popular choice of surface in household renovations, particularly in kitchens and bathrooms where they are commonplace and are even growing in popularity. The ability to offer a professional, polished tile installation is the ideal compliment to any current skills you may possess, as well as being a great starting point to a professional trade career or progression into other skilled fields.

As well as being particularly beneficial to tradespeople, learning how to install tiles can also be tremendously useful for homeowners and property developers looking to improve their DIY ability. If you are keen to save money on the cost of hiring professional installers, you may find that our DIY Tiling Course or Essential Tiling Course could prove to be a fantastic investment over time. This grants you with the ability to oversee tiling work according to your own preferences and in your own time, allowing you to purchase and install your tiles without the need to accumulate added labour costs.

Who can our Tiling Courses Benefit?

Plumbers - If you work as a plumber or own your own plumbing business, being able to perform professional tiling jobs could massively benefit the range of work you are able to undertake. This would allow you to add another service to your portfolio when performing bathroom installations, and will enable you to complete a full installation without the need for hiring external assistance.

Landlords/Homeowners - If you are a homeowner looking to renovate your home on a budget, it is well worth learning to how do so from experienced professionals. This will give you a lasting range of skills that you may call upon when you wish to update your home, saving the time and expense of hiring a labourer. It could also greatly benefit landlords looking to save money on their rented properties, by granting them the ability to perform updates and repairs without added expense.

Plasterers/Decorators etc - If you already work in a related field of home renovation but have little to no experience of installing tiles, it can be a great way to enhance your skillset, and thereby expand the range of work you are able to perform.

Total Beginners - If you're looking for a route into a career as a professional tradesperson, tiling makes a great starting point. Not only does it allow you to seek work on a self-employed/hired basis straight away, it also makes a fantastic starting point for those looking to progress into other training courses.

To view our full range of tiling courses, click here.

If you have any further questions about a specific tiling course, or about some of our other training courses, contact the Access Training team today!

Mar 201630

What Qualifications Do I Need to Be an Electrican?

kris

At Access Training, we offer a combination of practical experience and theory training to equip our candidates with the knowledge and confidence to succeed in their chosen trade on completion of their course. We also provide them with the opportunity to gain the qualifications recognized in their specific field, so that they can access a suitable employment route and meet the quality standards expected in their industry. So you're thinking about being an electrician but now you're wondering, "what qualifications do I need to be an electrician?".

In short, you need the Part P Domestic Installer and 17th Edition Electrical Reg qualifications to begin your career, but each electrical qualification that you gain allows you to work on different jobs. To learn more about what qualifications you need to become a fully qualified electrician, keep reading.

If you're looking to become a qualified electrician, it's highly important that you have the right qualifications in order to meet the industry's strict safety standards. While you may already have some practical knowledge of working on electrical installations, it remains vital that you validate your abilities and knowledge by gaining the correct qualifications needed to progress in your career. Due to the dangerous nature of the job, as well as the thorough planning and knowledge required to carry out an installation or inspection, it remains vital for electricians to provide proof of their abilities with the appropriate certifications.

Here are the qualifications you'll need to establish your career and progress as an electrician:

Minimum Requirements:

Part P Domestic Installer - This qualification will allow you to work on electrical installations in the residential sector, in private housing, apartments and so on. Your knowledge will range from the maintenance of lighting, sockets, cooker circuits and consumer units, to more advanced jobs such as full house re-wires.
17th Edition Electrical Regs - An essential companion to your training, this will inform you on the latest wiring regulations, allowing you to work safely and legally.

These qualifications are available on our Essential Electrical Course

Advanced Qualifications:

PAT Testing - This qualification equips you with the ability to prevent accidents involving portable, electrical appliances, allowing you to widen the work you are able to undertake on behalf of customers.
Fundamental Inspection & Testing - This qualification allows you to inspect and test new circuits on existing installations, while also allowing you to complete new installations.
Periodic Inspection & Testing - Designed for experienced electricians, this course will advance your existing knowledge of the inspection and testing of circuits, allowing you to issue safety reports and recommend any additional work.

These qualifications, along with the above, are available on our Professional Electrical Course

Further Progress:

Design, Erection and Verification - This covers the theory and design of electrical systems, qualifying you to design electrical systems for others to carry out, the very highest qualification in the electrical trade.

This qualification is available with all of the above, on our Premier Electrical Course

You can find our full range of electrical courses, as well as those covering individual units, here. If you are unsure about which of our courses is right for your experience level and ambitions, or if you have any further questions, please feel free to contact a member of our team today!

An App For Tradespeople? The Pros & Cons

kris

Back in December, we wrote a blog discussing the possibility of an 'Uber for electricians', essentially; an app that would allow tradespeople to connect with homeowners where and when they were needed. Since then, this prospect has become more of a reality for the UK, as a man from Lincoln sets his sights on a £500,000 growth project to expand his business, using crowding to back his plans.href

Paul Gascoigne, who shares his name with the former international footballer, launched his trading app last September with a view to eventually expanding his efforts. Since its launch, the app has gained over 1, 3000 installs on devices, and has more than 1,000 active users. Mr Gascoigne hopes that with sufficient funding, he will eventually be able to able to expand his business further, setting a goal of obtaining 100,000 users by the end of the year.

If the campaign for funding is successful and the app continues to grow in popularity, the app could soon become a staple amongst tradespeople UK wide, but is this a good thing? To weigh in on the issue, we thought we'd draw up a list of pros and cons which outline the possible benefits and drawbacks that such a plan could have, along with the impact this could have on the industry as a whole.

Pros

Flexibility: One benefit of this type of service would be the flexibility and ease with which tradespeople would be able to accept offers of work, allowing them to advertise their services in a convenient and fuss-free way. According to current user Pete Stothard, it is also useful for filling in unexpected gaps in a tradesperson's schedule, due to issues such as last minute cancellations.

Honest Review System: One plan for the app is to add a review system, whereby users would be able to leave recommendations and view those of others, to see how many a tradesperson has received, and perhaps even to find out if they have been recommended by a friend.

Better for Self-Employed Tradespeople: This app could make it easier for self-employed tradespeople to gain work and reach new customers, by allowing them to offer a fast and efficient service. People just starting out or deciding to go it alone may find it difficult to compete with larger, more well-known firms, but an app like this could present them with an opportunity to link with new customers and gradually build their reputation.

Cons

Lack of Face-to-Face Contact: Charlie Mullins, founder of successful London plumbing firm 'Pimlico', says he does not think that these apps would offer the same level of trust as traditional methods. According to him, this type of service would not be able to compete with established trade businesses, simply due to the fact that a personalised level of customer service would be able to be replicated on this scale.

Risk of Fast Service Over Good Service: Another possible drawback that comes with this sort of service, is the possibility of a customer choosing the option that takes the least effort, over the option that would offer them the best service. Just as people who shop online often choose the cheapest option with the fastest delivery time, it could be the case that customers turn to this app for the sake of convenience, as opposed to doing some research and seeking out the best option for their requirements.

More Issues in Service Delivery: Like any third party service, this app could create more problems than is solves in some senses, particularly in relation to issues such as payment and review systems. If the app goes offline for a period due to technical issues, will this affect the customers relying on services and the tradespeople who are expecting to receive calls to work? The review system would also have to be well-thought out an thoroughly monitored to be successful, in order to prevent rival firms and others with ill will from unfairly impacting an individual's reputation.

As with any industry, the future of tradespeople will no-doubt rely on technology in one way or another, although the true extent of this is not yet clear. As the app continues to gain momentum, we should be able to examine its impact more closely, and gain a clearer image of how it is changing the business for better or worse.

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