I am 19 years old and trying to become an electrician. Due to lack of opportunities in my initial career choice I decided to become an electrician. I was wondering if anybody with experience in the trade had any useful advice on how to break in to the Electrical trade. I recently missed out on getting an apprenticeship as an electrician for my local council at the very last stage.
I am about to start the City and Guilds 2330 Certificate at level 2 next month and I've tried to get information on things like what qualifications you need, how to make the step from college to actually working in the trade, but I haven't found anything useful (or straight-forward) to be honest.
Do you have to work as an electrician's mate for a while before you can become an electrician? If so do you need any qualifications to be an electrician's mate? And what are the required qualifications to become an electrician? Are there any other ways to break in to the trade?
Thanks in advance.
I am about to start the City and Guilds 2330 Certificate at level 2 next month and I've tried to get information on things like what qualifications you need, how to make the step from college to actually working in the trade, but I haven't found anything useful (or straight-forward) to be honest.
Do you have to work as an electrician's mate for a while before you can become an electrician? If so do you need any qualifications to be an electrician's mate? And what are the required qualifications to become an electrician? Are there any other ways to break in to the trade?
Thanks in advance.
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I got my electrical training in the Navy as an electrician's mate. the upside is the training was free and I got a lot of valuable experience working in the field. However, you are in the military and that has it's own pluses and minuses including that when you enlist there is no guarantee that there will be an opening in the electric field or that you will meet the Navy's initial qualifications (asvab).
Another route that you could go is to call your local electrical contractors and ask if they are willing to take you on as an apprentice. Keep in mind that they may say that your pay is the training that they will give you.
Going to a tech school will get you the background information that you will need as well as some hands on training. Many schools also offer job placement assistance after you complete their training.
As for requirements, I'll give some thoughts from my experience:
color blindness can be a huge detriment depending on just how bad it is. color codes on certain wires and components can be a vital thing and connecting the green wire with the black one could be a costly or dangerous mistake.
be prepared to lift lots of weight. most cabling is made of copper and spools of it gets fairly heavy surprisingly quickly.
electrical work can be dirty work. the environment is rarely clean and maintenance on some equipment will get you very dirty indeed.
Remember that electrical work is inherently dangerous. following the safety rules can be a pain sometimes, but can save your life.
I hope that helps you in your quest.
Another route that you could go is to call your local electrical contractors and ask if they are willing to take you on as an apprentice. Keep in mind that they may say that your pay is the training that they will give you.
Going to a tech school will get you the background information that you will need as well as some hands on training. Many schools also offer job placement assistance after you complete their training.
As for requirements, I'll give some thoughts from my experience:
color blindness can be a huge detriment depending on just how bad it is. color codes on certain wires and components can be a vital thing and connecting the green wire with the black one could be a costly or dangerous mistake.
be prepared to lift lots of weight. most cabling is made of copper and spools of it gets fairly heavy surprisingly quickly.
electrical work can be dirty work. the environment is rarely clean and maintenance on some equipment will get you very dirty indeed.
Remember that electrical work is inherently dangerous. following the safety rules can be a pain sometimes, but can save your life.
I hope that helps you in your quest.