When choosing an electrical training provider, you naturally want to ensure that you get the right training and the right qualifications. After all, it’s a big investment that you are making, so you want to be certain that your chosen training provider is going to deliver….don’t you?
The kind of
questions you should initially ask is “what trade experience do they have?
…………and are
they electrical training specialists?
There is a plethora of “training providers” out there on the
internet. If you have “stumbled” across a number of training providers on the
web, ask yourself some simple questions……………
How much information do
they disclose, about the courses that they offer?
You should treat with caution, a training provider’s website
that is apparently or unusually light on information. Some websites are “visually”
very attractive and some websites are pretty good at concealing basic details; details
like where are the training will take place! They may be extra hidden charges,
usually shown as exam fees or administration fees. There are even websites of some
training providers that essentially “masquerade” as a bona fide City and Guilds
Approved Centre.
The watchword here is buyer beware! As a general rule, you
should be a little suspicious if there is no telephone number published or you
have to register and ‘sign up’ with your email address. Always look for the
City and Guilds Centre Number and if it isn’t shown on the website, you can
check and cross reference the training provider details with the City and
Guilds website www.cityandguilds.com or if it is an EAL centre, go to www.eal.org.uk
Multi trade training
In recent years, there has been an exponential increase with
a number of training providers that deliver “multiple trades” training. These
centres typically deliver courses in subject areas such as bricklaying,
plastering and tiling. In some instances, these other trade courses are
delivered in “parallel” with the other courses. If you are very unlucky, you
could find yourself being trained alongside someone learning how to mix mortar,
whilst you are trying to get your head around R1+R2!
We are not
saying that there is anything wrong with some of these multiple trade training
providers, but remember, you are trying to gain important professional qualifications
for your career, and possibly your livelihood dependent on getting through an arduous
exam. If your classroom is cold and dusty, let alone noisy, it could potentially
impact on your ability to absorb very important aspects of the training. In
some cases, we’ve seen some training facilities that are open warehouse units.
You are spending a great deal of your hard earned cash on a
professional qualification and the training environment that you are being
trained “in” should ideally allow you to be trained in a professional environment
that it comfortable, air-conditioned, so that you can concentrate on your
learning.
Distance learning
There is nothing wrong with learning some of the underpinning
knowledge from a book, computer or indeed, through on line video tutorials – in
fact, here at Total Electrical Training, we embrace distance learning with our
blended learning programmes.
However, for some people, the knowledge and the application
of that knowledge is difficult to grasp and let’s face it, not everyone has the
discipline to study assiduously in their own time.
Other issues
with distance learning, is that some online learning modules are actually inaccurate
with the worked questions and answer examples being factually incorrect; in
other words, the given answers may not be correct, so be very careful!
City and
Guilds or EAL, simply do not allow access to any of the moderated question
banks; so if you see any online training module that claims to have sample questions
for any of the popular exams, be sceptical before parting with any money.
Some delegates need to have that “interaction” between themselves
and the trainer. In other words, they want to have a real person that they can
quiz!! If you have opted for a practical training course, it is unlikely that
an online course will fulfil the gruelling requirements on carrying out the
correct processes – our advice again, is be aware that the practical assessments
are tough and are no picnic! So even if you are computer literate or you can
digest information from a book, the acquisition of the practical elements of
your chosen subject may be compromised. Computers and books can’t answer
specific queries or provide expanded answers!
Colleges
Further Education Colleges sometimes get a bad press but let’s
put this into context, they have a difficult role to perform. They are expected
to provide apprenticeship training alongside other vocational training to individuals.
FE Colleges are also tasked with delivering post 18 year old training
programmes. FE colleges normally run their training programmes commensurate with
the academic year which invariably means that you can’t “enrol” midway through
a course or training programme. Private training providers are much more
flexible to the individual needs of the delegate and therefore, can and do
offer year round enrolments. FE Colleges also have a tendency to run their
programmes over lengthy timed sessions which can extend for many weeks,
sometimes months, which doesn’t suit everyone.
FE Colleges are funded out of the public purse and also via
a complex grant system. In recent years, all FE colleges have faced financial uncertainty
with budget cutbacks, which in turn has occasionally, resulted in some training
programmes, to either be reduced or cancelled altogether. Regrettably, if your
training programme has been altered or cancelled, it does mean that you may
have to seek further guidance and this all adds up in terms of lost opportunities
and projects.
Selling Agents and
Agencies
This is far more common than you think and it is also really
unwelcome from everyone’s point of view:
Consider the issues here – you are relying solely upon a
third party to provide you with massively important details about courses and qualifications.
It is your career that may rest upon the advice that the agent gives you.
Whilst there are some agents that work closely with the partner
training providers, there are some agents who are not experts and indeed, are unscrupulous.
They may only be interested in securing the sale and their sales commission and
not necessarily your individual requirements.
There are some agents who gather up as many customers as
they can, and then they will attempt ‘sell’ these customers, as a block booking
to the training providers. This selling process is usually conducted in the
form of an auction, and more often than not, the “sale” of these customers is
normally defaults to the lowest bidder. There is a cut of the fees that the
agent secures so the cheaper the “deal”, the more proceeds the agent collects!!
It is obvious that several things can happen and possibly go
wrong. It is true that you as the customer might get a “cheap” deal, but the
training provider might be unable to deliver the course to you because they
too, are under financial constraints. Also, the course itself could be
cancelled at a moment’s notice. There is a well-documented case where a
customer ended up with a “course” that cost many thousands of pounds, that was
not even accredited and with very little means of getting financial redress,
that customer ended up losing all of their money.
The hard sell!
Avoid any training company that insists on sending a course
advisor or a sales rep to your house and puts you under immense pressure to
sign there and then. Not only is this illegal, it is a sure sign of extremely
poor customer service. You should be critical and ask yourself a fundamental
questions which amongst others, that the quality of a training course and company
should sell itself.
And remember, your career, your professional esteem are all
depend on your informed choice - this is a professional electrical training
course you are committing to and not buying double glazing!
If it accredited qualifications that you have asked for,
make sure that you are issued with an enrolment number and this is an obvious
thing to do as well, but please make sure you are dealing with a training
company that offers you City & Guilds or EAL qualifications that are widely
recognised by competent person scheme providers, like the NICEIC around the
world.
We offer unaccredited training but like some, we would never
dream of trying to convince you that this was a bona fide qualification – the truth
is that there is a wide variety ‘made up’ qualifications offered. Some of those
courses may on the face of it sound impressive, but remember, they are unaccredited
Value for money
There are some training providers who are on the face of it,
quite cheap – but beware!!
Here’s an example of how and why you could end up spending
more money than you originally bargained for: in some cases, there are some
(not all) training providers, who will only submit you for a practical assessment,
once you have successfully passed your written exam! They will charge you separately
for attending a practical assessment and what’s more, even if you passed your written
exam, unless and until you have had a successful practical assessment, your
results will not be submitted to the awarding body and furthermore, you will
not get a certificate. This all adds up and with these extra costs adding up, you
could potentially end up paying around 40% extra, over and above, what we
charge for a similar course.
You have to bear in mind that delivering a well-structured
and meaningful training course does not come cheap and ALL accredited training
courses have significant awarding body costs associated with them. So what can
you do? Beware of a course that is either too cheap or massively overpriced
The key thing here is to ensure that you make an informed
choice of training provider and not one purely based on costs.
One man bands
He is a really nice chap and I get on with him so well……..but
where is he there when you need help and advice? Can he help support your
future development? Will he still be around next month? Does he even have a
physical premises?
All of these questions are relevant and whilst of course, we
all have to start somewhere, you have to remember that it is your money that is
paying for the course and assessments. Consider this that although he may come
across as a nice guy, does he really have the training and tutoring skills that
all trainers need to get that detailed information presented over to you; can
he really train you to a standard that
is becoming of a true professional electrician?
Inspected, checked
and assured – look for the Centre Numbers.
Now this is an important consideration: all centres that are
approved by either City and Guilds and EAL and are offering accredited qualification
schemes are extensively audited, inspected and verified by these awarding
bodies: Why? It is to ensure that you get training that meets an exacting and high
standard and that the trainers too, meet the national set standard. We all have
to meet a particular set of standards and more none so than training providers
and trainers: that’s why when you get your training from an approved training
provider, you know that it has been thoroughly checked.
Make sure your electrical training takes place at properly
approved centres with awarding bodies such as EAL and City & Guilds.
Some other questions
to ask:
Does the training provider that are potentially seeking to
be trained with have pride in displaying quality photographs and perhaps videos
of the training centre?
Ask to speak to one of the trainers. In addition, arrange to
visit their physical location Are you dealing with a training provider that
uses a hired in facility like a social club; if so, ask for clarification!
Ask to see some recent evaluation or feedback forms.
What else do you know about the training provider; have any
of your colleagues or acquaintance’s been trained by the training provider that
you are considering.
What next?
Decide which course you think you might need, do your
research, make the phone calls, get the advice of the training provider, go and
see the training provider at their premises, ask to have a look at some recent
course evaluation forms, ask to talk to the trainers themselves….and then make
your decision and good luck and please remember, you only get out of a training
course what you put in!
