"Would You Like A Well Paid And Enjoyable New Career As An Electrician?"
"Flexible Professional Electrician Training That Will Allow You To ReTrain And Become An Electrician ... Potentially Earning Up To £32,500*"
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Would you like a rewarding and financially secure career? One that is both flexible and enjoyable? As an electrician you can have all of that. And the great thing is that it doesn’t matter what age you are or what previous experience you have.
New Career Skills are one the UK's largest electrical training providers. They have trained over 7,500 people of all ages (from 18 to 65) and all from different backgrounds (from doctors to shop assistants) ... many of which are now having successful new careers ... either working for a electrical company or running their own business.
New Career Skills will ...Train You At One Of Their Nationwide Training Centres ... Get You Qualified ... And Then Help You Start Working In The Electrical Industry ... Either In Employment Or Running Your Own Business ... The Choice Is Yours.
Please read through this page and then to find out more about the industry, training options, career opportunities and earning potential - simply complete the form on the left and they will send you a Course & Career Brochure on how you can become an electrician.
- No Experience Needed - Full Help And Support Provided At All Stages.
- Flexible Training Around Your Existing Job, Family And Other Commitments.
- Help Getting A Job Or Starting Your Own Business.
- Gain Nationally Recognised Qualifications Such As City & Guilds And Others.
- Thousands Of Past Students Now Having Great Careers In The Industry.
- Get Started This Week If You Want.
From Redundancy To High End Tax Payer
“I’m Nigel Crossman, I’m owner and managing director of blue lightning electrical limited, I’m 50 years old next month. My story starts 4 years ago, I got made redundant unexpectedly and I made a couple of decisions quite early on in the process, one of them I think I made the day I actually got made redundant, and that I was determined I wasn’t going to move backwards as a result of it, it was going to be a positive experience, the other decision I made was a couple of weeks later, having tried for a couple of weeks to get similar employment and deciding I didn’t actually want it anyway, I went for the option of starting my own business, decided I was going to become an electrician, and went on the internet to do some searches to find out how to go about it.
I came across a company called New Career Skills and they offered a slightly different approach. What they were saying was you could do distance learning and some practical, at your own pace and that seemed to be a better idea to me. I filled in the form online which said please send me some details and obviously they sent me a pack. I thought about it for a couple of days, discussed it with the family, and then gave a call and said could you come back and see me and signed up for the course.
At the end of the course, I immediately started my own business. We’re now 3 years on and I’m pleased to say we’re running a successful business and I’m also pleased to say I pay lots of tax, now why would you say paying tax was a good thing, well I work on the principle that you have to pay tax, tax is based on money you’ve earned, if you pay a lot of tax, you must have a good balance sheet, so I’m quite happy thank you very much.
Was redundancy a bad thing? No not at all, actually for me it was one of the best things that ever happened, I was determined to be positive at the beginning and that’s where I took it; it was a good thing. Am I glad I’m self employed rather than employed? Yep, why would I want to be employed again? As an employee, I worked 40, 50, 60 hours a week because I had to, now I work 40, 50, 60 hours a week because I want to. As an employee, I had a brand new company car, now I’ve got a brand new company van. As an employee I got a miserable company pension which the company contributed a tiny little bit; now I’ve got a generous pension paid entirely by my company.
As an employee I had 5 week’s holiday, now I take as much or as little as I like, don’t think that because you’re self employed you can’t have a holiday. This year we’ve been to The Maldives for a fortnight at the beginning of the year, we had a couple of days off in the summer, next month we go to Egypt and at Christmas I’ll take a week to ten days off, why would you want to be employed, you can have the same benefits self employed.
Would I recommend New Career Skills? Well, yes I would, I actually have put my name where my mouth is, last year we sponsored my son Anthony to do the plumbing course with New Career Skills, he’s now qualified and he’s running his own business, A J C Plumbing, already we’ve employed each other on jobs, I’ve been sub-contracted by him to do some work on shower pumps and that sort of stuff, he’s done work for me, in actual fact, he’s upstairs on this very job that we’re on today.
Have I got any regrets? Just one, I wish I’d done this years ago. If I’d known that you could do training while you were working I would have done it a long time ago.”
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From Employee To Employer In 6 Months
“Hi! My name's Matt Bone. I'm 35. Previous employment – I was a graphics designer for 15 years. And basically just got a bit bored with sitting behind a desk all day and just fancied a new lease on life. So I started looking around for a course and found NCS via a Google search. And liked the sound of the course. It fitted my lifestyle and enabled me to continue working and also learn at the same time. The course took me roughly 6 months. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Started my own company quite soon after, I’ve been operating for about 9 months.
The size of the classes at NCS is really good. The nice thing is you actually get to meet different people each time you do a course because the rate everyone goes through their particular assessments is slow or fast depending on how much time you can dedicate to it. So you do tend to meet quite a few different people over the entirety of the course, which I found was really nice.
Enrolling on the course at NCS has been a worthwhile decision. It's really changed my life. It's given me the flexibility I need as a parent and as a businessman. I'm enjoying it, meeting a lot of different people everyday. Yes, it has it's pressures, but I think it has really kind of enabled me to do what I want to do with my life.
The tutors are fantastic. All of them are professional electricians who kind of stepped into the roles of tutoring at NCS. Really good guys. Very friendly. Very knowledgeable. And really just kind of where I needed to ask any questions I felt comfortable to do so.
I really enjoy doing what I do purely because whereas before I sat in an office day-in day-out looking at the same old, the same computer screen, this is a total change of lifestyle. I'm running my own business now. I'm out meeting new people everyday. I've currently got an apprentice working with me. Young man, 18. I'd like to kind of take my apprentice on up – maybe get him his own van and just expand the company. Take a few more guys on. We'll have to wait and see.”
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Broke Free From Being A Wage Slave
““My name is Barry. I am 45 years old. Recently I qualified as a domestic electrician having done the training with a company called New Career Skills. I've always wanted to learn one of the trades and have a real skill that I can call my own. I have a company now. I'm qualified. I have my own limited company called Power to the People (UK) Ltd. where I offer domestic electric services all over Hampshire.
All the staff who trained me are ex-electricians who've worked in the real world of the electrical contracting industry. And so they really do know this stuff. Not only about the electrics but the actual industry you're going to go into.New Career Skills also helps find you work – whether you are working or you are training or whether you work when finished. I found work through agencies as electrician's mate while doing my training which gave me a great deal of practical training, practical experience while I was doing the course.
Overall I found New Career Skills I would use the word holistic because they are helping you not only become an electrician, but to understand the law that you need to understand, how to get a business set up, and how to market your business as well. They aren't one of those people that say, “Training's over. Thanks very much. We don't want to know you anymore.” Even after the training is finished, if I have a technical problem or I'm unsure about something, if I'm out there in the business, they will offer support and that's part of the course as well.
Everybody dreams of having their own business, but I made it a reality. And so the driving force for me was to be my own boss. I didn't exactly know where that would lead me, that dream, but it's lead me to being an electrician.
I have what I can call marketable skills which are available and needed. And therefore I have work. And that's been the main driving force of my business. I don't want to be a wage-slave anymore.”
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- About New Career Skills
- Your Career As An Electrician
- How The Training Works
- Get A Job Or Start Your Own Business
New Career Skills was founded in 1998 as a specialist training provider. Recent years have seen New Career Skills expand and in 2008, NCS were named by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 fastest growing companies in the UK. NCS believe the secret to their success is delivering a service that’s best in class.
Established
- NCS have trained thousands of successful students
- NCS own our training centres, and deliver all training their selves, using an employed team of tutors, so everyone can be confident of quality
- NCS are an accredited examination centre for City & Guilds, EAL, BPEC and Logic
Expert
- All of their course materials are written by experts and lead to industry standard qualifications, accredited by top awarding bodies
- NCS tutors are all qualified and also have real world industry experience
- Students practise hands-on in specially constructed training bays
Excellent
- The tutor to student ratio is typically 1 to 8
- NCS achieve pass rates of over 95%
- A first re-sit (should you ever need it) is free and you can even retake a week’s practical free
- Student satisfaction rates are consistently over 95% and NCS publish these rates on their website every month
End-to-end
- NCS fees include everything – there are no hidden charges (some other organisations do not include exam fees or retakes or extra weeks training)
- You receive the services of NCS Career Search – help finding employment or starting your own business, plus offers and discounts on vital services and free professional development courses
- You can join the NCS Community - a free resource centre and a place where you can source work or work alongside other trained NCS graduates already running businesses
- A tutor is contactable even after you graduate to offer advice while you’re working
As a qualified domestic electrical installer you will enjoy a fulfilling and varied career. It is a challenging, satisfying job which involves high amounts of individual freedom and responsibility. As successful New Career Skills students will tell you, it is also financially very rewarding.
NCS recognise that they need to deliver you first class training and that they also need to support you once you’ve graduated, unlocking the value of your training and your new skills. That is why they offer a staged training and support programme – theory and certification, practical training and hands-on experience, help finding work or starting your own business, and on going support once you are out working.
And when you have completed your career change programme you will discover the wide range of potential areas in which you can work and some areas where you may want to specialise. Solar photovoltaic (solar PV) panels are a fast growing new area for electricians, as more and more homeowners install solar panels on their roofs to generate electricity from the sun, supported by Government financial incentives.New Career Skills is one of the UK’s leading providers of solar PV training.
Other areas of work you can choose from include:
• Re-wiring • Electrical Installation • Fittings • Emergency Work • New Builds • Maintenance • First and Second Fix
• Conversions • Portable Appliance PAT Testing • Design • Appliance Repair • Estimating • Solar Photovoltaic Panels …
From advertising hell to electrical heaven
Ivan was tired of work stress and long hours and realised he needed a change. After completing his training, Ivan has his own electrical business and is looking to take on additional staff. “A year ago I had no idea that I would be able to get to where I am now. Anyone thinking about re-training shouldn’t think about it too long otherwise the opportunity will pass you by.”
In control of his destiny
For Neil James from Salisbury, changing career aged 43 and setting up his own business was not just about being his own boss. The former infantry soldier wanted to be ‘in control of his own destiny’ and retrained as an electrician to make his dream a reality. Neil immediately set up his own firm, Bourne Valley Electrical Services. Now, three years later, Neil has a large base of happy clients and gets to spend more time with his wife, Lynn, who works with him as the company secretary.
New Career Skills (NCS) recognise that some people learn best from books, some in a class and some by doing rather than reading. NCS try to offer what suits you best. You will train for your new career using their special blended learning approach.
The structure is very simple – you study a block of theory at home and then you book in for a week of practical hands-on learning at one of their training facilities. They try to offer you maximum flexibility and break everything down into bite size chunks.
At the training sessions you will be guided by your tutor and practise hands-on in a safe, controlled environment the theory you have learnt in home study. Because you do the theory at home you do not have to spend days sitting in a classroom.
You can get started straight away. You are in control of when you learn and the pace at which you learn. This approach is taken so that you do not have to give up your job until you are ready to become a full-time electrician.
How you tutor will support you
You will have access to the NCS team of tutors while you learn your theory at home. Later, during your practical weeks in centre, NCS have around 1 tutor for every 8 students. You will work in a specially designed bay which is a replica of what you will find on a domestic job. As you work through the different practicals each week, your tutor will be at your side, supervising and guiding you through. All tutors have many years hands-on experience in their relevant industry and also a number of years in education, which means you get the best possible support available, and a lot of common sense advice.
At the end of every week NCS ask their students to rate the quality of tuition they receive in centre. These results are published on their web site. NCS tutors consistently achieve satisfaction grades of 95% and above for training style and delivery, helpfulness and friendliness.
Even after you have finished your course, the NCS tutors will be available to give you advice while you’re working. So if you get stuck when you are out on a job, you can call. Or if you have a big project and you need some guidance, go and see your tutor for a chat first.
NCS Career Search is a division of New Career Skills which supports you starting out and growing your new career. Career Search will help you get a job in the electrical industry or start your own business and, once you are working, it can help you to succeed. NCS Career Search has a dedicated team in centre and also an exclusive community, MyNCS, to serve you better.
Help you will receive from NCS Career Search. During your course you will be contacted by your Career Search advisor and right from the start you will be offered advice on preparing your CV, interview techniques and creating a business plan (including sales, marketing, finance, staffing issues and legislation).
Work experience – NCS Access. As you progress through your course, subject to availability and on recommendation by your tutor, you may be eligible for the NCS Access programme. This is an opportunity for you undertake work experience with an NCS graduate who is already running a business in your area, and provides a real world environment for you to test out the skills and knowledge you have learnt in your practical sessions. Because NCS have trained thousands of trade professionals we are in a position to offer this exclusive service to their students.
Career Manuals. Towards the end of your course you will receive manuals on working as an electrician or setting up your own electrical business. These manuals contain plans and techniques for starting and growing your business and some invaluable tricks of the trade. You will also be introduced to a range of other opportunities to further your skills, with free workshops on pricing and estimating, renewable technologies and many other courses which may be of use to you.
The NCS Career Search web site also gives you access to a range of products and services at exclusive discounts which will be helpful to you in your new career – services like web design, financial and legal advice, low cost van hire, insurance discounts, and money off tools and workwear.
NCS Community – MyNCS. Throughout your course and beyond you will be able to access the NCS community, called MyNCS. Through this community you can keep in touch with the other students you meet while training, and stay in contact even after you graduate, so you can share jobs with them. New Career Skills trains people as electricians, plumbers and in renewable technologies (like solar and heat pumps), so there are plenty of jobs which can be shared amongst the community. Early on if you have a large job you may wish to share it with a more experienced NCS graduate, who can give you a few pointers as you start out. Job opportunities are also posted on the community and there is a library of materials you can download for free and use in your business, including quote sheets, sample contracts, customer satisfaction forms, marketing materials and financial planning templates.
NCS Career Search is an important part of your career change programme. Its services are only possible because NCS have been delivering trades training for so many years and can draw upon the experience of people who have successfully completed our programme and are now running new businesses. It is a unique and vital ingredient in your success.
Frequently Asked Questions And Answers
1. What qualifications do you need to become a qualified electrician?
- City & Guilds Level 3 Certificate in the Requirements for Electrical
- Installations (“17th Edition”)
- City & Guilds 2377 Level 3 Certificate for In-Service Inspection and
- Testing of Electrical Equipment (“PAT testing”)
- EAL Level 2 Certificate for Domestic Electrical Installers
- (‘Part P’ Compliant)
After you have completed the above you should also consider working towards completing the following:
- City & Guilds 2392 Level 2 Certificate in Fundamental Inspection, Testing and Initial Verification
- Logic Solar Photovoltaic Installer
Having additional skills and qualifications makes you more highly employable and gives you the ability to offer more services should you choose to become self-employed.
2. How long does it take to become an electrician?
The length of time it takes to qualified whilst training part time is dependant on the individual and how much time they can commit to their training.
For some it may take 6 months to get their first 2 City and Guilds certificates and a further 6 months to get their other City & Guilds Certificate. For others it may take 18 months to complete the City and Guilds and the Logic Solar certificates.
3. I’m XX years old. Am I too young (or old) to retrain as an electrician?
We have found that you are never too young or too old to learn new skills or change career. We’ve trained numerous men and women from all ages - and they’ve gone onto have successful businesses and careers.
4. Is there a skills shortage in the electrical industry?
Latest estimates from Summit Skills suggest that an annual total of 6720 electricians will be required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry.*
There is also great benefit in combining traditional electrical skills with new renewable technologies like solar photovoltaic panels which will help you to be part of the green revolution.
Green jobs growth
The potential training requirement for environmental technologies in the construction sector by technology is calculated by Summit skills** as:
Training Need for Green Electricians
- Solar Photovoltaic Panels - 99,204
* Summit Skills 2010 Next Step LMI Bitesize
** Summit Skills 2010 Potential Training Demand In Environmental Technologies In Building Services Engineering
5. How much money could I expect to earn as an electrician?
Please see the charts below (provided by Salary Track 2010).
6. How much do your students earn once qualified?
That’s a difficult one to answer definitively as we have trained over 7,500 students. But based on a survey of 2,000 New Career Skills graduates … here’s how much more they are earning in comparison to their previous careers:
- 30% earn £5,000 more
- 33% earn £5,000 to £10,000 more
- 20% earn £10,000 to £20,000 more
- 17% earn over £20,000 more
7. What do the majority of trainees do once qualified?
Based on a survey of 2,000 New Career Skills graduates … here’s what they are doing now:
- 84% are starting or running their own business
- 7% work for a large company
- 9% work for someone else
Most people start off thinking they will work for someone else, and 16% end up working for someone else. Most people finish the training and realise they have the skills, the support and the confidence to go self-employed. They also know that’s where the money is!
