Electrical

The Essential Electrical Course is Access Training's basic electrical training programme. No experience is required to enrol, and so it's the perfect entry point for novices who want to learn the trade from scratch and work towards turning professional.

Interested? Here's everything you need to know about our Essential Electrical Course at a glance:

Who can take this course?

Anyone aged 18 or over. People of all races, genders and backgrounds are welcome, and as mentioned above, no prior electrical experience is necessary - our expert tutors will teach you everything from the absolute basics onward!

What will I learn?

Candidates who enrol on this course will cover a wide variety of topics, including:

Building regulations
Electrical safety
Earthing and bonding
Installing/replacing/checking components

The course has been designed to give candidates a thorough knowledge of domestic electrical work whilst covering both technical theory and practical electrician skills.

What qualifications will I earn?

Successful completion of the Essential Electrical Course will earn you two qualifications: the City & Guilds 17th Edition Electrical Regulations certificate, and the Part P Domestic Installer certificate. These two qualifications are a minimum requirement for all domestic electricians.

If you're ready to take the first step towards learning a new trade and becoming a domestic electrician, please click here or call 0800 345 7492 to enquire about our Essential Electrical Course.

11Mar2016

At a Glance: Our Essential Electrical Course

Ian electrical

Professional Electrican and Installer recently reported the news of a terrible flat fire in Southampton, which was connected to the presence of a plastic consumer unit. Luckily, no one from the flat was injured on this occasion, but the damage caused by the fire was truly devastating and extensive.

The IET and BSI recently launched a new requirement for non-combustible consumer units, due to work with the London Fire Brigade which highlighted a rising number of house fires, which were caused by traditional consumer units. While this fire is evidence that these new requirements have yet to be fully employed in UK properties, it is further evidence for the need of steel consumer units and tighter electrical safety regulations.

While there are concerns that new building projects which began before the regulation was introduced will continue to use plastic consumer units, the IET are hopeful that increased awareness regarding the subject will eventually allow them to prevent domestic fires in the future.

Yet again, we are reminded of the importance of safe electrical installation, and what this means for UK electricians. As professional installers, electrical engineers have a responsibility to keep up to date on all the latest changes to safety regulations, and a duty to provide a safe installation for their customers.For this reason, we ensure that all of our electrician courses provide a through understanding of how to work safely and correctly, providing our candidates with all the knowledge required to become a first-class electrician. Taught by experienced teaching staff with a wealth of experience and knowledge, we ensure that each individual who completes our courses achieves the standard of training required to obtain their City and Guilds awards, and eventually start or resume their careers.

If you are looking to begin your career as an electrical engineer, you can enrol on one of our electrician courses today, to ensure that you go on to provide a safe and secure service to your future customers. If you are an experienced installer that needs to update their knowledge or expand their skills, you can get in touch with us today and find out about the trade professional electrician courses we offer.

For more electrical safety news and updates, follow us on Twitter!

16Feb2016

The Importance of Safe Electrical Installation in the Home

nathan electrical

DIY is something of a sticky situation for both tradespeople and homeowners, but when it comes to electrical safety, mistakes or mistrust from either party could prove to be fatal. According to a news article published by Electrical Times a few days ago, electricians are the trade most often called out to rescue DIY jobs gone wrong, and half of severe electrical shocks are caused by failed or misguided DIY attempts. No puns about 'shocking statistics' here, but it is worrying to see such a widespread disregard and ignorance of electrical safety. We've all heard the warnings about not sticking utensils into toasters, but it seems that on the whole, the average citizen and even some professionals are not giving electrical safety the attention it deserves.

According to Electrical Times and the charity Electrical Safety First, young people have become more at risk due to the growing popularity of online tutorials, which can sometimes cause inexperienced individuals to carry out work that they are unfit to complete. Hand in hand with the skills crisis we're seeing in the professional sector, people under 35 are losing the ability to perform what would have once been described as 'basic skills', and are picking up their knowledge from untrustworthy resources on the web. Electrical Safety First has demonstrated the risks of such overly-ambitious and dangerous undertakings as part of their 'Don't Die for DIY' campaign, in a series of videos which can be viewed here. This demonstrates the risks that come from following unregulated advice, and the threat posed by undertaking electrical work without the proper training or experience.

While it is possible to understand why homeowners would want to carry out electrical jobs themselves, with money being tight in many households and 'rouge traders' becoming a growing concern due to media exposure, the fact remains that these kind of undertakings often pose serious health and safety risks to everyone involved. In terms of the average homeowner, there needs to be an improved awareness of the knowledge and experience needed to carry out these dangerous projects, and in relation to the professional sector, there has to be a greater emphasis placed on keeping your skills up to date, and continuing to abide by the rules set out by regulatory bodies.

If You're a DIY Enthusiast:

Don't be swayed by the financial allure of saving money by performing a DIY job! If things go wrong, which they very often do, you will eventually end up spending money on calling out an electrician to put things right. This could even cost you more than the original fee due to factors such as emergency call-out rates, and the increased attention required to rectify a botched job.
Know the risks - Qualified electricians have spent a long time training and gaining experience in their field; something which can't simply be supplemented with 'quick fix' options. Saving some money is not worth putting yourself and others at risk of receiving a fatal injury, so keep that in mind before starting your job.
Train Properly - If you are serious about performing DIY jobs yourself, then why not invest in your abilities and take one of our electrician courses? While our courses are intended to help people make electrical work their career, we can tailor our programmes to suit any individual's needs, making them more than suitable for someone who simply wants to undertake domestic work in their own home. Most importantly, you'll be taught by professional, accredited teaching staff with years of experience.

If You're a Professional:

In order to build a bond of trust with your clients, it is important that you always strive to provide them with an honest and courteous service. If people feel that they are being overcharged or inconvenienced in any way, it is highly unlikely that they will choose to hire your services (or those of another professional for that matter) in the future. Make sure that you display professionalism at all times, to instil confidence in your services and those of the sector as a whole.
Don't become overly confident, careless or take things for granted! As humans, our brains are constantly looking for ways to make things easier for ourselves, but when it comes to electrical safety and performing dangerous work at a professional level, this is a risk that simply cannot be taken. This goes for business owners and managers as well, who should always ensure that their employees are fully trained, and are following health and safety guidelines.
As well as new career courses, we also provide electrician courses for experienced professionals who need to refresh their skills or add additional knowledge to their portfolio. From Portable Appliance Testing to Combined Inspection and Testing, we have a range of courses to expand your professional knowledge and improve your ability to work safely.

For more information about any of our courses, get in touch with us today!

11Feb2016

Carry Out Electrical Maintenance Safely With Our Electrician Courses

Ian electrical

Here at Access Training, we understand that is becoming more and more difficult to find places that offer electrician courses in London. If you have spent some time researching such places, you may have found that many training centres, academies or colleges are not situated in London but rather on the outskirts of the city, which can make them difficult to access via public transport. Access Training, on the other hand, offer a wide variety of electrician courses in our state-of-the-art training centre, located in the heart of the city of London - just a 5 minute walk from Barbican Tube Station (see map below).

We offer a range of comprehensive training courses, designed for people with no electrical experience through to electrical tradespeople of all ages and backgrounds. So if you would like to enrol on an electrical course to kick start your new career and become a fully qualified electrician, you can find a variety of suitable courses right here at our London Training Centre.

Click here to browse our full range of electrician courses in London, or contact us if you need more information.

13Jan2016

Find Electrician Courses in London

dwadmin electrical

Job loss is, sadly, a very common occurrence in the United Kingdom these days. Austerity and budget cuts have put hundreds of thousands of people out of work in recent years; a This is Money article published in 2012 suggests that, between May 2010 and November 2012, almost 660,00 jobs were lost in the public sector alone, and this regrettable trend seems to be alive and well in 2015. The British steel industry, for example, has been in the headlines recently, with one report from the Guardian indicating that 1 in 6 steel workers is now "facing the axe".

However, several other news reports have proved that it is possible to bounce back from job loss and find lucrative new work elsewhere. Earlier this week, the Sunderland Echo published a story about four men who recently found themselves unemployed when the SSI steelworks in Redcar closed down; the closure came as a "devastating blow" to Chris, Richard, Nicholas and Matthew, but happily, they have since succeeded in completing a 17th Edition Wiring Regulations course and are now en route to their new careers as professional electricians.

And this is just one such story. Countless people across the UK have responded to job loss by learning a new trade, gaining industry-recognised qualifications, and starting afresh in a rewarding new role; a cliché it may be, but the assertion that 'losing your job is an opportunity' is often very true!

If you have recently lost your job - or if you are simply looking for a change - Access Training Academies can help you to start a new career as an electrician. Browse our Electrician Courses now, or contact us to learn more about the training programmes we offer.

10Dec2015

Electrician Courses Offer Life After Job Loss

Ian electrical

Competent Person Electrical Register

After much deliberation on what can be done to ensure consumers are hiring safe and qualified tradespeople to carry out work in their homes, the Select Committee on Building Regulations has announced that a single Competent Person Electrical Register is ready to go live. The decision was made following a recommendation made by the Communities and Local Government Select Committee, with the register set to officially go live on June 30th.

Is it mandatory to join the competent person electrical register?

This marks a similar move to the long-standing Gas Safe Register, joining which is a legal requirement of all gas engineers operating in the United Kingdom. However, joining the Competent Person Electrical Register is not mandatory, making it similar to the plumbing equivalent Water Safe. The move to create a single register was welcomed by existing Competent Person Scheme brands ELECSA and NICEIC. Although both put forward positive recommendations and supported parts of the report, they also felt some points were not explored thoroughly and "did not reflect the true state of the industry".

Under building regulations Part P, all fixed domestic electrical installations must be suitably installed, tested and inspected to ensure that they are in safe working order. Without achieving a Part P certificate and joining a Competent Person scheme, electricians are required by law to have their work independently verified by an external inspector.

When the scheme (full name: Registered Competent Person Electrical) goes live on June 30th, all full scope Part P electricians in England and Wales will be added automatically by their provider and encouraged to use the logo as a symbol of their qualification. An official launch event will then follow on the 2nd of July in the Palace of Westminster. Minister for Communities and Local Government, Stephen Williams MP, will give a keynote speech to a wide array of key industry stakeholders and MPs, alongside NAPIT Group Chief Executive Officer, Michael Andrews and Chief Executive Officer of Certsure, Emma Clancy.

Clancy commented that the new website will "become the one stop shop for consumers looking to hire an electrician to carry out work in their home."

Attaining a Part P certificate and joining a Competent Person Scheme is a vital part of becoming a domestic electrician, and something we can fully prepare you for here at Access Training.

Whether its part of a more intensive electrician course or the single qualification you're looking for, our experienced tutors will guide you through everything you need to know to reach this important step in your career. To speak to one of our course advisers and find out more give us a call on 0800 345 7492.

27May2014

Competent Person Electrical Register Due

Chelsea electrical, trade news

Last month the DCLG (Department for Communities and Local Government) announced amendments to the current Building Regulations, introducing a previously proposed third party inspection scheme to allow DIY enthusiasts/those not registered with a Competent Persons Scheme to have their work checked and certified. However NICEIC and ELECSA have announced that they will be opting out of these changes, arguing that the changes could "undermine registered electricians" and cause more harm than good.

In a statement from Emma Clancy, CEO of Cetsure (which operates the two brands), it was said they "do not wish to see DIY'ers carry out potentially dangerous electrical work" and believe it needs to be left to competent electricians who will able to comply with the wiring regulations. She went on to point out that the third party inspector scheme is not UKAS accredited, meaning that there is to be no external verification ensuring that the scheme operators are doing their job to the correct standard.

"It makes a mockery of competent persons’ schemes and the tens of thousands of registered electricians already in the marketplace. There are glaring holes in the scheme, such as the amount of time an installation can be live before it is checked, potentially endangering the householder," she continued.

Other electrical contractors have also expressed concerns over the scheme, especially toward a lack of clarity as to where the responsibility lies. Is it with the inspectors even though they didn't install it? The question has also been raised as to why DIY installers do the work themselves (and get it checked) in the first place, when as it stands they'd actually be saving money by hiring a competent electrician to do the work.

Finally, Certsure have released a video where NICEIC/ELECSA representatives Tony Cable and Darren Stanniforth discuss the brands' position on third party certification. You can view it here at this link.

Here at Access Training, we fully agree that DIYers shouldn't be attempting any form of electrical installation without the proper knowledge, training and qualifications to ensure that their work isn't a hazard to themselves or anybody else. However we also understand some of you will want to have a go at it yoursepves, which is why our range of electrical training courses is suitable for trainee electricans and DIY enthusiasts alike! At our Cardiff training centre, you'll be able to earn your 17th Edition Wiring and Part P qualifications, proving you skilled enough to join a Competent Person Scheme and tackle all sorts of domestic electrical work yourself.

To find out more, just give us a call on 0800 345 7492.

04Apr2014

NICEIC/ELECSA refuse Third Party Inspector Scheme

Alex electrical

On Friday the 28th March the Electrical Safety Council was no more, relaunching with a new web site as Electrical Safety First. The rebranding is part of a new, ongoing campaign to raise public awareness of the dangers of electricity, after Government survey suggested awareness was at an all-time low. According to their data, only 14% of the general public were even aware of Part P!

The new name has come after 18 months of extensive research into what was already known about electrical safety. This didn't just extend to the general public - the Government, key stakeholders and even the industry itself were also scrutinised over what they knew about the dangers and what they knew about the Electrical Safety Council itself. It seems few knew that the Council was in fact a consumer charity, with many thinking it was either a trade association or part of the Government. So as a result of this, a name change was decided to reflect its nature as a charity.

However not everyone is pleased with the change, as some electricians have criticised dropping the more authoritative 'council' in favour of the more "more meaningless" 'first'. They believe that the name now lacks the respect it previously had and would have been far more suited to a campaign change rather than a charity. However Electrical Safety First defended the change, claiming that their research pointed to them needing a simpler name, along with easier to digest language to accompany it.

Electrical Safety First say they've already secured significant media coverage to raise the profile of electrical safety, and this has started with the revival of famous 70s/80s public information animated series Charley Says. These films were the work of Richard Taylor Cartoons, and saw a little boy named Tony and his cat Charley learn valuable lessons on all manner of things. The new film is narrated/voiced by comedian David Walliams, who was excited to revive the series. "I loved Charley Says when growing up and I think it's great that Electrical Safety First is bringing the characters back to life and creating some new storylines," he said. "We've all had a go at mimicking Charley the cat's 'meow', so I just hope my version is up to scratch and will help people stay safe in the home."

You can view the new video here at the Electrical Safety First website.

Complicated electrical installations should always be left to the trained professionals, while if you would like to have a go at simpler tasks at home its vital that you AT LEAST have the 17th Edition Wiring Regulations and Part P qualifications. Whether you wish to gain electrician qualifications for professional or personal gain, we can help you achieve them with our intensive training courses here at Access Training. If you'd like to find out more about what our courses entail and book your place, give us a call on 0800 345 7492.

02Apr2014

Electrical Safety First Launches

Alex electrical, trade news

NICEIC and ELECSA have expressed their concern towards parliamentary recommendations to alter the current-standing electricians' Compentent Persons Scheme system, which if granted would require all domestic electricians to have a qualifications equivalent to an NVQ level 3 within the next five years.

The current system requires simply one person at a firm to be at a Qualified Supervisor level (equivalent to that of an NVQ 3), who is responsible for the final checking of work and signing off that it has been completed in accordance with standards and regulations. However what is now being proposed is that all electricians, from firm employees to self-employed ones, should have this level of qualification.

This, among other suggestions, have come following a report from the Communities and Local Government Committee stemming from a number of health and safety incidents from the last few years. Among these was the Emma Shaw incident from 2007, where the 22-year-old mother was electrocuted whilst mopping up water from a faulty boiler.

CEO of Certsure (operator of both NICEIC and ELECSA) Emma Shaw spoke out, saying that these measures would place "a huge onus on firms" regardless of size. It is feared costs will be pushed up as apprentices are slowly phased out, causing the electrical industry to suffer in the long term. Clancy also stated;

"The QS system, which Part P is based on, is proven to work and as the committee states in its report has actually pushed domestic electrical installation standards up in recent years."

Certsure stresses that the view that firms are sending out unqualified electricians is unfounded, with electrician firms fully aware of their responsibility and 80% of domestic work carried out by Part P qualified electricians. The question is though - is 80% enough?

However the two groups have welcomed other recommendations made by the report, which include:

Calls for an annual limit on the number of jobs that a single QS can review
Action from the government to raise public awareness of Part P – similar to that of Gas Safe
Proactive enforcement against those who breach Part P and those who work outside of competent person schemes
A single register for all Part P electricians covering all schemes

Meanwhile the Committee themselves are fully backing their proposals, with Clive Betts MP arguing that the current system "can brand the incompetent as competent" as homeowners have no guarantee that the electricians turning up at their doors are fully qualified. The commitee also calls into question whether a limited amount of supervisors are "adequately able to check work with such large caseloads".

He concludes; "Under the changes we propose people would know that the electrician working in their home is qualified. If, as scheme operators told us, standards of electricians are already high, then the added criteria will not be too onerous.

"During the five year transition there should be an annual limit — agreed by the industry — on the maximum number of transactions that a single qualified supervisor can review. This will increase the chance that in the interim unqualified electricians will at least be having their work properly checked by a qualified supervisor."

Read more:

Installer Online

Electrical Contracting News

12Mar2014