Updates On Electrician Courses For 2010

For many people, an interesting and varied choice often means a career within the electrical industry. Often (and more correctly) referred to as 'Electro-Mechanical Engineering', we'll simply refer to it as the Electrical Industry for the sake of simplicity here. Furthermore, we will focus on the UK market and the domestic and commercial elements rather than those from elsewhere around the world. As this is such a wide ranging subject matter we'll begin by sticking to the main area first and come back to the 'add-ons' later.

Really there are two main ways to enter the electrical market. Along with apprenticeships for school leavers, students entering the field at a later phase in their life now have an alternative to more traditional amateur routes. Throughout this document we will simply refer to two types of people the 'Junior' and the 'Mature' entrants.

Mature students, or entrants, often train so that they can become self-employed and work on their own projects without having to pay wages to external electricians. By contrast, Junior entrants would seek to work with an established electrical firm and build their skill-sets as they train. Upon leaving school many apprenticeships provide a fast learning curve for young adults looking to boost their auxiliary skills.

The two different ways into the industry have two separate methods of preparation. Junior entrants go through NVQ training in England and Wales, and SVQ training in Scotland. Whilst the core syllabus is relatively similar to non-NVQ commercial training, there is a particular requirement to attain the actual NVQ qualifications as part of the overall training program. This means that work programs or apprenticeships have to be sought in order to arrange the necessary course work and testing phases of work.

By opting to work on a freelance basis, many Mature Entrants appear to focus on those areas that provide profitable and practical solutions other than NVQ's. In the main the person will aim to gain the best from their investment costs against the return for that training. Whilst this may seem to reduce the overall qualification set, this meets the trade requirements for the areas involved, and thus provides a quicker and more direct commercial route to the market.

With regard to regular earning potential we have two clear paths - one for employees and the other for the self-employed. The question remains as to how much work per week a self-employed person puts in - for the sake of this review we assume that it is full time. Salary options are often affected both by the know- how and the knack for doing things as well as any perceived formal levels of understanding.

Wages for 'Junior Entrants' can become as high as 30,000 or more per annum with the right experience, although starting salaries are around 12,000. Mature Entrants are more difficult to assess, and incomes up to and above 70k are regularly reported within the UK Press. Regardless of all that is the need to cover off additional costs such as tools, clothes and even a vehicle and all that goes along with that. Allocations for personal/professional insurance will also have to be catered for. With the current skills shortage in the UK, there is a high work load demand available. Working 7 days a week is totally achievable for most people if they want it. To achieve the high salaries of 70+ thousand then you will need to put in very long hours and commit yourself fully.

In light of the above, it is often understood that there is wild variance between the working expectations of Junior and Mature Entrants. For a 'Junior Entrant', most work is on a simple working week basis. To be fair, if the Mature electrician is focused on the domestic market then they often find themselves working out of hours, especially to support their clients when they get home. Again, this varies considerably, and many self-employed electricians make the mainstay of their income from office and small business installation, testing and inspection, which is Mon-Fri 9-5pm.

Once a career in electrical work has been chosen, a Junior Electrician is often at the mercy of their employer when it comes to learning new skills and expertise. However, many mature entrants gain extra skills by learning those trades such as gas and plumbing work. Without a doubt the extra skills help them in their overall employ whether this is commercial or domestic work.

'Green Engineering' is another area to consider. This requires new skills and working knowledge and is one of the fastest growing areas today. Looking together to the UK and the EEC this activity could be of benefit to both Junior and Mature Entrants, providing new growth and opportunities to both disciplines.

(C) 2009 S. Edwards. Pop over to CLICK HERE or Part P Courses.