Electrics and Electronics Courses

[dave e]

At the moment I'm am at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and DRama doing Technical and Production Arts, and I want to follow a career in LX design and Stage electrics. I recently decided to build on my basic knowledge of electrics and electronics but didn't know which courses would be best for the industry.

 

I looked at a city and Guilds qualification and realised that this would give a good electrics qualification allowing me sign off for installs and do basic testing that I can approve. I also looked at the ABTT electrics and Electronics courses. I've found I could do three ABTT courses for the approx price of the City and Guilds but now I cant decide which to do.. City and Guilds is obviously very well recognized but the ABTT courses are industry specific.

 

I was wondering what folks thoughts might be on which courses to go for and which would look better for employment prospects.

 

(The three ABTT ones would be Electronics Fundamentals 1 & 2, and Inspection and Testing Two part course)

 

Cheers in advance.

 

Dave

[Tomo]

Sorry, but do you mean:

"Electronics" - the clever bits that go inside your lighting desk/moving light etc,

or

"Electrics" - how to rewire a building or wire up your distro safely?

 

The two are very different disciplines, with completely different career possibilities.

[dave e]

I was aiming to do both - the city and guilds course combines both and the ABTT courses are seperate. Really I think I should do both so that I can fix moving lights and be able to wire distro.

[Tomo]

As far as I can tell from the prospectuses, neither of them actually go into much detail on the electronics front - the ABTT Electronics 2 course feels almost like a joke to me to be honest, as I did more complex electronics in my physics lessons at school!

 

If you don't know anything at all about electronics it sounds like a useful starting point, but as for repairing moving lights - it's like being taught how to use a single-preset analogue desk and then expecting to be able to operate a Hog 2.

 

As for the electrics side:

The City & Guilds courses will allow you to go into the job of a domestic electrician on the side - the work is much less physically demanding than theatre, and there is quite a lot out there.

However, there are 2 parts to the C&G courses, so this isn't a cheap option and will take at least two years to gain the qualification.

 

If you don't want to go into as much detail then the ABTT Fundamentals of Electrical Installation is probably a good starting point - at least you'll have a much clearer view of what you'll need to know and where to go from there.

[mikienorth]

much less phisically demanding than theatre?

I am a time served electirician and I have never worked as hard in theatre as I did on a site.

From my experience you work like a prat in this business for the ins and outs

but in between the hours are easier and the work is nothing like as hard

Unless you are on a daily in/out routine and then I agree with you tomo.

[Brian]

At one day each, the ABTT electronics courses will only be able to teach the very basics. Now depending on how much time you can commit to a course and exactly what you want to get out of it they may well be exactly what you want. As an introduction to basic theory and to give someone a bit of confidence they will do. However, if you are looking for a course which will help you fault find to more than just 'fuse blown' level or to help you make up little specials I think you'll be wanting to do a longer course.

 

Looking through the details the type of material covered would normally be covered at the start of a GCSE course. I would expect a C&G course to go into much greater depth.

 

If you're looking for widely recognised courses then it has to be C&G or maybe even a GCSE. Depending on local provision you may well be able to do both as an evening course.

 

As for the inspection and test course, the ABTT one will be focussed on theatres which is no bad thing given the slightly odd things that go on there (15A unfused plugs for one). As a piece of paper to show a prospective theatre employer it is probably a good one to have. However, without a piece of paper saying C7G at the top it will not be much use in the outside world.

 

As an example, I plan on doing a short PAT course in the next 6 months, for 'fun' as much as anything else. I'm deliberately choosing one which gives the the appropriate bit of C&G paper at the end. With that I can show a widely recognised qualification should I ever need to.

 

A good relevant set of training courses, attended on an on-going basis, goes a long way to showing professional competence.

 

So to sum up...

 

ABTT good for basics/refresher/industry specific.

GCSE/C&G good for widely recognised/more advanced.

[dave e]

Thanks to all - I do in fact have a Scottish Higher qualification in physics which is equivalent to an A level but that was done nearly 3 or 4 years ago so its getting a bit hazy. Sounds like the C&G course may be the one to look at as the college I spoke said I may already be able to sit and pass some of the unit tests with my knowledge, and so it may not take too long to do the whole course.

It might cost a fair bit more money than the ABTT course but to be able to have a widely recognised award then it may be worth the money.

 

Cheers again.

Dave

[Tomo]

much less phisically demanding than theatre?

I am a time served electirician and I have never worked as hard in theatre as I did on a site.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Domestic, not building site!

Domestic tends to be stuff like replacing fuse boxes and rearranging the consumer units.

 

Re-wiring is a bit of an arse though - running the cable for the ring main I put in here was tough, but that was mostly because it all had to be sent through conduit and properly sealed.

[mikienorth]

OK tomo, missed that domestic word there

Can't abide domestic stuff, having an audience sorta bugs me, if I wanted one I'd be a twirly not a tech...

I agree with wiring in conduits though, always rather unfunny. At least you weren't putting the conduit up too. Or were you?

Conduit is really the worst.

 

On topic mind

The C&G quals are the best option because of the ridculoulsy high pay a site job gives you when you need one. I can take one at >£9 tomorrow PAYE if I wanted and am offered >£12 self employed regularly

Guess what my plans are for the quiet times!

It took me 5 years to get all mine though, and it is eventually worth it.

 

I'm pretty sure my large pile of electrical qualifications has helped me recently get a job, quite a nice one.

[Rob]

As I understand it, the C & G 236 course is being replaced by a slightly different course with a new title. This year will be the last chance to do the 236 part I or II.

[Ben...]

As I understand it, the C & G 236 course is being replaced by a slightly different course with a new title. This year will be the last chance to do the 236 part I or II.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

After looking around the C&G website a bit, do you mean the 2360 course?

 

This leaflet seems to give a snappy explanation of the courses they offer.

[mattwright15]

Im suprised no one has mentioned the most obvious course, the city and guilds 1810, Theatre and Entertainment Lighting and Electronics. this course is only held in 2 places in the country. City of westminster college, and some where in exciter. Ive desided at last to go get a sparky bit of paper which is relevent to my job (lx tech) and even thou its only been the first week we already into 3phase.

click onCourse to find out more bout it.

2 of my collueges have done the course and really recomend it, + countless numbers of people who been through. even thou the course has already started if u are quick u wont miss much. if u do wanna know more bout it and who to speak to directly (course tutor) contact me. must be before 9am tuesday thou or I cant get back to u for 2 weeks and u starting to lose out on stuff by hten.

 

hope I could be of help,

Matt

[Suzette]

I plan on doing a short PAT course in the next 6 months, for 'fun' as much as anything else. I'm deliberately choosing one which gives the the appropriate bit of C&G paper at the end. With that I can show a widely recognised qualification should I ever need to.

 

May I ask where you are doing this course - I have had a quick look around via Google for the City & Guilds 2377 (Portable Appliance Testing) course in London, but can't find a London based course.

Anyone know of a college that does it??

[Brian]

I plan on doing a short PAT course in the next 6 months, for 'fun' as much as anything else. I'm deliberately choosing one which gives the the appropriate bit of C&G paper at the end. With that I can show a widely recognised qualification should I ever need to.

 

May I ask where you are doing this course - I have had a quick look around via Google for the City & Guilds 2377 (Portable Appliance Testing) course in London, but can't find a London based course.

Anyone know of a college that does it??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Not in London. I was going to go here.

 

EDIT

 

but I spotted this...

 

City of Westminster

[Stu]

I too am looking into PAT testing courses at the mo (with a C&G qualification at the end) and Southampton College do a one dayer which gets you a City and Guilds 2377 - cost £150 for the day.

 

Stu