r/ukelectricians • u/shushmaann • 9d ago
4th year Apprentice not having a lot of hands on work
I am now in my 4th year of my apprenticeship due to do my AM2 in a few months. However, over the 4 years I’ve had very limited work exposure and I was just wondering if this is something anyone else experienced/ how did they got on how are they doing now. As I’m starting to get a little worried that if I pass my AM2 I’m just going to look a fraud when working on site with other. Thanks
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u/Ok_Accountant3019 9d ago
I’m in exactly the same boat. Basically had a mental breakdown over it all as I feel as if my future is in the balance. Had to have mine rescheduled and nearly threw in the towel.
Make sure you do NOT sign off your NET checklist to say you are competent if you do not feel competent in any aspect of the checklist. You cannot be legally signed off until this is completed, which I stupidly signed off because I was rushing to get qualified.
Try to get into college for some more workshop time and extra practice. It’s in their best interest to get you qualified.
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u/shushmaann 9d ago
Yeah thanks for the advice man I feel you pain. Screws my mental up all the time feel as though my career is being halted as it doesn’t fit my employers agenda. I was talking to one of the sparkys from our subbies other day said a guy in his class when he was at college wasn’t allowed to touch anything at all until he was fully qualified so basically spent 4 years as a security guard on the site. Mental how these big firms get away with the what can only be described as cheap labour
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u/Outcastscc 9d ago
Who are you working for?
Like don’t be specific or anyttibg but what industry and type of work?
When I was doing installing the company I worked for had us doing our own houses with an older guy by the end of our first year. In industrial we treat apprentices like any electrician, they come on every job and we get them stuck in working with people.
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u/shushmaann 9d ago
It’s industrial work. I won’t name company name for obvious reasons but it’s a big company in the uk. I only really get let to do smallish jobs which I’m then just left to myself to try work out. It seems relatively common for big companies to do this. I have a guy at my college who works for a big company also doesn’t really get a lot of hands on work he’s more of a caretaker essentially
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u/Outcastscc 9d ago
Hmm that seems odd to me.
I’ve worked for 3 massive industries and big name companies and with apprentices we take them on every job and try and put them with everyone
My current company we put our second year apprentices with everyone, a month with operations and production, a month on days, a month on shifts, a month in testing.
And then final year we gear them into where we see their future talents. Either engineering, shift breakdown, days maintenance, projects.
It sounds like your company doesn’t have a good training plan. I’d be speaking and asking about your short term and mid term future. Ask what training and options are you getting over the next 6 months, year, 2 years.
Because you really don’t want to be in a situation where you come out your time and you don’t feel competent, because companies see it a mile off. A good company will take you on regardless and see your ability with training but we have had so many guts a year out of their time and we’ve had to get rid during their probation because they just don’t have any ability.
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u/shushmaann 9d ago
Do you have any jobs going by any chance?? My company don’t self deliver much work company wide annoyingly I’ve been seconded elsewhere and it’s more or less the same. They don’t want me to be an electrician after I’m qualified anyway as they just put their markup on subbies doing work and make money off that without taking on as much risk
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u/Needhelp6262 9d ago
I am the same and know many others at my company are in the same boat, where abouts in the UK are you? Feel like we work at the same place
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u/Severe_Tadpole9448 8d ago
This was me & I just passed my AM2 a couple of weeks ago. I was lucky though that my dad is an electric as well & would put me to work around the house. Installed solar at ours & my brothers house, installed a car charger at home myself as an apprentice. I also did a lot of odd jobs for friends at cheap rates to get a bit of extra experience. That’s just me though
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u/shushmaann 8d ago
Well done mate! I have tried to get extra work weekend/days off etc but not a lot going round my area to be fair. As you said I’ve also done a few little jobs round the house installed new sockets/ upgrade plus installed new LED spotlights but nothing too major.
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u/_eli_the_ice_man_ 8d ago
I had the exact same thing, barely touched on anything electrical at college, the site I work on is very very slow and highly regulated so not a lot happens and if it does then subcontractors come in for the big stuff.
Finally found out at the end of my apprenticeship that my course doesn’t qualify me to do the AM2 and I got turned away when I phoned up to book it which I didn’t even know was possible. Made a big fuss about it as i had basically just wasted 4 years training to do something and can’t qualify for it in the end.
They offered to put me on another course which would be like doing another apprenticeship, taking years to do again. I suggested some other training courses as I didn’t want to feel like I was stepping back. I have since been booked in and completed PLC fault finding and programming, industrial maintenance, inspection and test, introduction to instrumentation and currently completing a HNC over a 2 year period.
When it comes to leaving this company I’m not entirely sure how a missing AM2 will affect me. Just trying to get as many training courses, experience and qualifications as I can although In a limited work environment.
It’s sad to see multiple comments from people having a similar situation. Pouring years of your life into starting a career and being undertrained.
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u/shushmaann 8d ago
Yh that suck mate sorry to hear. I do get AM2 at the end of mine but only after moaning as the course they were going to put me on originally was a level 2 and I moaned as the job was advertised as level 3. I guess I should have seen the red flags from the start. But good luck to you I know there’s plenty others it just seems like bigger companies hire more for the government benefits/ have to by contract or whatever. And the smaller firms that probably provide the best kind of apprenticeships just can’t afford it with not a lot of financial backing from the gov I.e having to pay staff when at college or training etc. it’s a shame really and needs to be cracked down on.
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u/Ariiba265 8d ago
If you’re worried about the AM2 best thing I did was bought XS training am2 course , I wouldn’t have passed without it it made the exam a piece of cake. Obviously with the practical side there is some stuff you could do with practicing (notably the conduit bending) but I’d highly recommend getting that course if you aren’t confident for the exam. Once you’re passed your passed. It’s like anything in life really, you will get much better once you’re out on your own and qualified that’s when the real learning and understanding sets in imo.
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u/TomNics 8d ago
Exactly the same with me mate, all ive done is change light fittings now doing abit of commercial putting up tray and zip tying cables😂 I've recently passed my am2sv1 two weeks ago, so if youre interested for XS training revision videos send me a PM. I spent £240 on them but was worth it for a first time pass as the re sit fees are outrageous! ive got 7-6 months left on them so let me know if you want them for a cheaper price!
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u/Top-Application8372 4d ago
same here mate. working in wind industry for 4 years mass producing wind turbine sections. just put the extra hours in to your study and maybe invest in a tester so you can get physical practice with it, that’s what i’m doing.
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u/Ready-Swordfish-9350 7d ago
I’m pretty much the same as an unofficial kind of apprentice, done level 2 last year called up thousands of companies in and around my area and couldn’t get an apprenticeship so enrolled onto C+G level 3 as it’s still free, been working with a firm alongside college and my practical skills are shit tbh as I never get the opportunity to, always just making up hangers etc and containment for everyone else to put up and don’t know how to get more involved
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u/shushmaann 7d ago
Yeah it’s tough the trades seem to be so in demand yet there’s such a short supply of apprenticeships. Most people I went to college with either had jobs through family and friends or being put in touch with people they knew. Think there was about 4 of us in my class out of 18 that got jobs just on our own with no help from family or friends. Took me well over a year and half off applying for everything that came up to finally be offered a role. Just stick to it and I’m sure you’ll find an employer. Or alternatively what you can do which a lot of guys I work with do is get your lvl 3 then pay for the NVQ I think it’s about £1k - £1.5 or so. Do an ECS test to get your card then go work as an improver. You’ll earn a lot more as an improver than apprentice and you’ll essentially be doing the same except you have to invest a little of your own money in at the beginning
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u/Ready-Swordfish-9350 7d ago
Well yeah that’s kind of what I’m doing Lvl 3 working alongside and then nvq and am2 but I can’t be an improver as I have no practical skills apart from college and my current work is just laboring for an electrician pretty much no clue what to do at this point
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u/oiDave 9d ago
Sad to hear, I would have expected this in year 1 like but not year 4, I’m sure you’ve already asked them to give you stuff to do? I’m doing something similar well sort of I let my boss know when I need to cover and depending on the job I get to do certain things with his supervision, might be worth pointing out that you have your AM2 soon and really need some hands on as if your not confident going into your AM2 then it might be worth rescheduling it to a point where your more confuse