has anyone ever gone through this

[TimeFluxCap]

Yeah Vette boy way to go!

Electricians have have been getting slagged for way to go long recently and I dont mean on this forum, but out there in the real world.

In Australia you have to serve a four year apprenticeship, pass your trsde school, ( 3 -4 years worth ) and then APPLY for an electrical license. NO ONE can touch anything above 24V DC without one. This is the way it should be. 1 It protects us in our employment and 2 and most importantly it protects people from cowboys and I am not talking about new installation jobs.

I have just returned from working in the Uk where I got a job in a
factory to find that I was employed as an 'engineer' along with the other blokes of the crew who were fitters by trade. To my disgust I found them to also be doing electrical work to a very poor standard
( no standard probaly ) and the condition of the plant electrically wise was disgusting. All because the people in charge and the people doing the job were not trained or skilled.
( mechanically the plant was A1 )

Eleccys forever!

 

[PLucas]

TimeFluxCap

you stated:

I have just returned from working in the Uk where I got a job in a factory to find that I was employed as an 'engineer' along with the other blokes of the crew who were fitters by trade. To my disgust I found them to also be doing electrical work to a very poor standard

I would guess that you were employed as an 'engineer' because the people who advertise these positions (personnel managers etc) do not consult with the correct people as to the correct wording of the positions. This position probably should have been advertised as a Technician.

Most employers now go for multi-skilled technicians, biased either towards mechanical or electrical but able to do the other. I served my apprenticeship with British Rail and we were multi-skill trained, I was trained in electrics, electronics, hydraulics, pneumatics and mechanics to work on deisel / electric locomotives. But all my qualifications are for electrical engineering, up to HNC standard.

Unfortunately (or not, depends on where you are coming from) there is a skill shortage in the UK, and some employers tend to employ under-qualified / under-trained staff, thus the standards are slowly slipping. Where I am working at the moment, they are starting to go down that road, my employer relies on people like me (excuse my ego there) to get the, shall we say, less able technicians out of the ****!

That lot aside I would like to endorse what was posted by ProDave and Goody as they has put the British point of view to this thread.

To Eric12, the original poster, I wish you luck, it seems to me that if you are willing to learn and are honest with your prospective employers regarding your previous experience then you will not have too much problem finding the position that you are after, at least that's the impression I got from reading Rons and John's replies.

Paul