17th Edition - Anybody done it

[keefym]

my trade (wood machinist) seems to be on its ar@e round these parts, used to be a good un with all the modular building places round here, however i now find myself working 12 hourshifts for 5days a week for less money than i was working 39 hours for 6 years ago! :cry:

The upshot? Well my clever highly motivated friend who is an electrician but on the verge of something quite big has told me to get my 17th edition done then i can get a start with his company pulling wires in modulars, he is setting something up on his own soon and has the right people backing him and i was hoping some of you could offer some experiences of the course.
I would have to do it part time on a night cos the mortgage and the kids food still needs to be paid for!
My localish college say its a 13 week course and cost about 370 all in anyone done this or know if it could on its own lead to a job?
I would obviously want to follow it up with the 2330, am2 and all the other courses but one step at a time eh

Any experiences or helpful suggestions? thanks, keefy. :?

 

[jimo746]

I did the 17th Edition wiring regs exam a couple of years ago now, tbh it was just a straight regurgitate from the book exam, but obviously you need to have the knowledge before hand to understand why you do certain things etc...

I've done the 2330, AM2, 2360 and 2391 as well, oh and PAT testing and various H&S courses, and an Overhead lines course.
I've not done Part P, but the employer would sort that I would imagine.

It all depends what you will be doing, 17th Ed is needed for just about everything, it shows you have a sound knowledge of the subject and are up to date with the latest rules and regualtions.
I'm not 100% on the law, but if you're going to be pulling wire through conduit etc then you don't have to be qualified up to the max to do that.

I think just learning new things is good tbh, the 2391 Inspection and Testing is a good one to have as not only can you install but also test & inspect at the end, which is usually more sought after and brings with it a higher wage.
And Health & Safety quals are always a good thing, helps make you more "employable" to a wider range of companies etc.

I work in the military though, so I wouldn't call myself a "proper" electrician, I just don't get enough day-to-day experience of it :roll:

 

[dyna-ti]

Go for it
A mate went from Joiner [which was suffering a downturn]to Plumber,he said the money was loads better.Wished he'd done it years ago.

 

[gibbleking]

youll never have to work for anyone else again....its a ticket to making your own money /handy when jobs are scarce these days.

 

[claret73]

Do your 17th now at full whack...around £400 mark & when the IET change to 1st Ammendments in June this year, you can pay out another £150 for the update course & £80 for the new book...it's going from Red to Green cover & is the 1st Ammendments of BS7671 Regs 17th edition...

Loads of money in Sparks, if you're a Training provider...Oh! & don't forget you'll need Part P registration to do notifiable work unless you wish to use your local Building Control at 'X' amount a pop to certify the work...

I changed to Sparks from Print, when that was on its Arse! Wished I hadn't bothered...look on the Sparky forums. Too many people chasing too little work & then you're into the domestic scene of being undercut by somebody who doesn't give 2 Monkeys about Part P & the customer knows no better, so generally takes the cheapest price...as you're far too expensive & confusing with too much (helpful) information on how you're not going to kill anybody or burn their house down...

Bitter??? Yep! Trying to go back to full time & not subby/self employed...

 

[keefym]

thanks for all the advice everyone, just trying to weigh up me options!
Wouldnt really be doing a lot in the domestic side but me pal is hopefully goin to get the contract for a big cabin firm in the north east i know its monkey work pulling the wires in but its got to be better :?

Also my old pal has a company doing glasshouse maintenance/building and with all the thermal screens, vent/climate controls there can be some money to be made if you are willing to drop what your doing and rush out to some grower that needs his vents working because he has half a million quids worth of toms under his glass Although i am aware with just a 17th edition i am a long way off doing anything like that but we all need goals

Is it true that you can just walk into a 17th edition course if your not already in the trade?

 

[kase1983]

Im 16th edition qualified waiting on my 17th and AM2 this year.

Far as i know you can just do the 17th. but that wont make you employable thou.

as above most employers want NVQ level 3 Or AM2.

2391 testing is not usually necessary but would benefit you you really well.

im aloud to do a day 1 day course as i did my 16th after 2001. anyone else has to do a 3 day course.

you might have to do your 2330 ( 1 day release ) to allow you to get a foot hold , but for nvq3 you'll need to be working as an electrician or mate as its on site assessment.

Doug

 

[claret73]

Keefym
Didn't mean to P**S on your fire...you caught me on an off day. Run in with a Contractor & dropped at the hat by another...
I did my 17th last year. Bought the Regs whilst doing my 2330, like you I had to do evening class due to work commitments, so I'd already had experience on site & my head in the Regs Book & although you don't need the Physics of Electrics behind you, having some understanding by way of terminology certainly helps...On my course there were at least 2 lads who were not Electricians or training to be and they passed...It's a Multiple choice exam & all you need to be able to do is find the answers from the book. So if your course has trained you right, you should know where to start looking for the answers if you need to...
Take a look at this book. This was used on my course:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Exam-Success-Wi ... 33&sr=8-16
Gives a good insight as to what the course is about & questions in the exam. Available in Waterstones too...

I did the longhaul. Am 38, so went back to nightschool 2x nights per week. Did 3 years of that & a 5 day 17th edition course. Have 2 years experience now both in domestic & retail commercial, but it's been a Tough Love! Very hard trying to get a break...Take a look at this site if you haven't already:
www.electriciansforums.co.uk/
You'll learn as much on there as you will do at College. Some very good people, all willing to throw advice at you if you ask...Also try 'The Learning Lounge' (Google it). You have to pay a subscription fee but there are heaps of videos explaining Regs, Testing etc. Was a big help during my 2330.

2391 I've considered. But you really need much more onsite experience to know how to use it. I could have done it after my Level 3. Was still in exam mode, so am sure with a lot more knuckling down I could have got through it (although pass rate isn't great, it's Rock hard!). But with little experience outside of Domestic testing, I'm aware you can't just walk up to an employer & say "Yeah, 2391" & he sends you on a Factory Periodic Inspection...

Just be sure to do your homework though before diving in...as I said, 17th edition update in June, so that will be at least £230 all in. New book & an update course. Can you wait till after June? I don't see why you'd need 17th edition just yet for pulling in cable as an 'Improver'...knowing your way round the Regs, isn't going to help too much without experience of hands on...
Best of luck Mate!
Andy