New Career Skills Sparks A Career Change
By 2008 Great Britain will be short of 36,700 electricians unless 7,340 electricians join the profession every year.*
New Career Skills (NCS) the nationwide provider of trade skills training for mature career changers, has launched a new, flexible learning electricians course to address the shortage issue. The course enables men and women of any age to learn a new career while still working full time and/or looking after a family.
Reasons for shortages include limited capacity within colleges to address the problem and oversubscription on courses. With the new building regulation, Part P**, introduced in January 2005 the demand for skilled electricians is sure to increase further.
NCS offer a flexible, blended learning programme that allows students to complete the theory part of their training at home using interactive materials and tutor support. Then, when ready, students can complete four separate one-week practical sessions at the NCS training centre. This training programme provides a stepping stone to achieving an NVQ and provides the underpinning knowledge for Part P.
As well as offering a complete change in lifestyle, electricians’ hours of work are flexible suiting people with families and other commitments as opposed to the regimented 9am-5pm of office jobs.
Commenting, Trevor Dormedy, managing director, NCS, said: "The UK shortage of electricians is a huge problem affecting us all. Younger students aren’t as enthusiastic about learning a trade and are more interested in entering office-based careers or studying for vocational degrees. The introduction of building regulations such as Part P should also have an affect on the demand for skilled electricians.
We have answered the needs of both the industry and mature career changers, many who have work and family commitments and can’t afford to take weeks off work to re-train.”
*(ConstructionSkills Regional Foresight Report 2004)
** For further information on Part P please refer to www.odpm.gov.uk. Aiming to reduce injuries and accidents in the home, Part P stipulates any significant electrical work in a household must be carried out by a qualified and registered electrician. If a householder does decide to do the work, it will have to be checked by local authority building inspectors who will charge for doing so.
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