ECA Slams Classroom Electrician Courses!

Coming up on this week's news the ECA has slammed  classroom electrician courses as a waste of money   the trade is warned over death trap telescopic  ladders and we meet the blind electrician   who fixes appliances for a living welcome to  Electrical News Weekly whether you're listening in   the van on site or down at the wholesale counter  I'm Joe Robinson and I've been through the best   of the electrical industry news to save you the  trouble and if you think you've spotted the two  

words that I've been challenged to slip into this  week's show comment with them below for the chance   to win a prize in an unusually strongly worded  statement the Electrical Contractors Association  

has this week slammed classroom electrician  courses the trade body said they were a waste   of money far from increasing the supply of  entrance to the profession the association   believes that FastTrack classes could be pushing  potential electricians away and making the skills   Gap even worse the ECA's operating Chief Andrew  Eldred said that only one in 10 of the 23,000   people a year who enrol on the courses progress  onto apprenticeships the numbers in classroom  

based courses far outweigh the numbers starting  apprenticeships in London the ratio is eight   youngsters in classrooms compared to one learning  on the tools Eldred says that the young people are   being mis-sold that the classroom is the route  to becoming an electrician and the taxpayer is   helping to subsidise the courses to the tune of  £70 million annually that's £38,000 for every   learner who becomes an apprentice Eldred questions  how that spending can be justified he's calling  

for the money spent on the college courses to go  into vocational training this could include the   apprenticeship standard the cash could be used to  pay tutors and assessors on the course CL closer   to an electrician's rate of pay for example the  money could also go towards adult NVQs most of   which are self-funded the ECA says the industry  needs 12,000 newly qualified electricians every   year to meet booming demand what was your route to 

becoming a spark did you find classroom learning   worked for you let us know in the comments below  and speaking of learning our last question of the  

week suggests that perhaps people have been  listening through whichever path they took it   was taken from our second free training package  on electrical design made in association with   the good folks at BG and asked the question if  the adiabatic equation from regulation 543.1.3   of BS7671 results in a non-standard size of  protective conductor what should you do the   correct answer of course is to select the next  conductor size up and after what's been quite a  

dispiriting couple of weeks we're back on top form  now with 81% of people getting it right on YouTube   and LinkedIn respondents really are on a roll  now 93% got it right over there just incredible   work folks well done although I suspect the 4  and 2% who suggested we just install whatever's   on the van just trying to get a rise out of me  hopefully anyway there's plenty more info in   that training package from BG so click the link  in the show notes to find out more and remember  

there is zero tariff attached to that training  course it is completely free of charge in other  

news a stark warning has gone out to electricians  this week over the dangers of telescopic ladders   it follows a survey which found that 8 out of  10 don't meet basic safety standards and could   be considered death traps crucially many fail  the official standard EN131-6 and currently the   the office for product safety and standards has  product safety reports for no fewer than 48 makes   of telescopic ladders all bar one were deemed to  represent a serious risk of injury five of them  

were recalled from the market completely now  the Ladder Association is alerting the trade   about the warning signs of a perilous product  it says watch for either a CE or UKCA Mark these   are a giveaway because they're not valid for  ladders also check that ladders which extend   to over 3 Metres in length have a wider base to  improve stability this is a requirement certified   models also feature locking mechanisms that secure  all the rungs simultaneously avoid ladders where  

you have to lock each individual rung and only  by a ladder that is certified to EN131- 6 finally   check that the manufacturer has a UK or EU address  the Ladder Association has a list of reputable   brands on its website and I've put the link in  the show notes you'll also find there a link to   a free training package on the subject of health  and safety which includes a section on both site   access and working at Heights that include the  safe use of ladders still on safety the danger  

of fire from appliances is being highlighted  again this week it comes hot on the heels of   our story earlier this month where we revealed  that a coroner has written to hot point following   a blaze in London grandmother and her disabled  son perished in a house fire in Edgware in London   coroner Peter Straker says it was caused by an  electrical fault in one of the Brand's Whirlpool   tumble dryers he has written to hot point with his  conclusions and requested that the company respond  

with its proposals and a timeline for Action now  the Electrical Safety First charity has revealed  

that there were more than a thousand electrical  fires involving white goods reported in England   last year the average Insurance claim is almost  £37,000 with one at a whopping £290,000 more than   half of the claims related to fires caused by  tumble dryers and almost a quarter were due to   dishwashers it says the trade should check for  damaged cabling and overloaded extension leads   the charity has even created a short film to  hammer home the message to householders it  

stars Doctor Who actress Lili Miller and explores  how the dangers in our homes aren't always obvious   I'll pop a link to the trailer in the show notes  it's pretty powerful stuff actually and really   gets the message across starkly definitely worth  a watch that one in Product News this week Kosnic  

has unveiled a fire rated downlight pre-wired with  a Quickwire plug and socket as the name suggests   Quickwire is a super Speedy way to connect you  just strip the twin and Earth and push it into   the socket screwless push fit terminals for  an instant connection so how quickly could you   install one well my colleague Gary did it in an  incredible 10.2 seconds not bad for someone who's   not a proper spark these days that's a bit cringe  script writer Ray you're trying to get Gary and I  

to fall out anyway don't believe that he did  do it that quickly check out his short video   the links in the show notes now the big question  is can you beat him post us your videos as we'd   love to see your install times and we might  be able to dig out an eFIXX goodie bag for the   fastest time while we're on lighting we'd like to  welcome brand new ENW sponsor Signify to the show   we've teamed up to bring you a massive deal on  products purchased through the LumXpert app or  

website this tool has been specially created for  electrical installers and it brings together all   the necessary tools for day-to-day tasks such as  quotes lighting calcs ordering and tracking you   can find Phillips and Ecolink lighting Products  by type or application and order from your usual   wholesaler you can also create exportable lighting  calculations to share with your customers it gives   you direct access to manufacturer experts via  WhatsApp for support with product selection  

installation and after sales service it's  convenient accessible on both the web and a   mobile app and allows you to place orders anytime  anywhere with delivery in just 24 to 48 hours   and the very best thing is that if you enter  the order code eFIXX30 you'll get a massive   30% discount across the entire signify LumXpert  portfolio which includes both Philips and Ecolink   products you won't find a better discount code  anywhere else so click the link in the description  

and make your life easier and cheaper now we turn  to big news for anyone who has installed Swarm  

Smart Home Technology the company has ceased  trading its big seller was the Hub one energy   manager which connected to solar hybrid inverters  EV chargers and battery packs company boss Anthony   Piggott made the announcement on social media  with he said a heavy heart the company website   is currently down and it's not clear if the  products will continue to be supported with   tech updates Labgear has unveiled a phone battery  pack especially for the trade the ruggedised power  

bank has an IP rating of IP67 and a stunning  10,000 milliamp hour capacity that means it can   charge the average phone three times over you can  get your mitts on one at the Elex show in Bolton   on the 6th and 7th of March Gary and Gordon will  also be there so make sure you go and say hello  

now Welcome to our new electrical news weekly  feature where we focus on a specific product area   this week we're quite literally shining a light  on emergency lighting standout new kit include   Kosnic Neka which turns any light fitting into an  emergency one it consists of a piece of control   gear and a sticky pad with a green indicator  LED and a one Watt white LED for emergency   illumination again Gary was one of the first to  show how quickly a conversion can be done check  

out his video in the notes Kosnic really have  been smashing with Innovations in recent years   if you missed it UK company boss Wentao Kuang  joined us earlier this month on eFIXX TV he was   a top sport and even took on the electrician  challenge wall it's a great watch again the   link is in the notes another piece of Kit we love  here at eFIXX is the Adler Exit Sign from Ansell   that's because it has no fewer than five mounting  options it's got push fit terminals and you can  

fix the sign for an angle between 90° and 180°  the best bit is that you can rotate the arrow   Legend to whatever direction is required by the  location and the Escape Route Spanish brand Zemper   has unveiled a dedicated emergency light for a  range of applications the Spazio plus helps reduce   installation time because you can have incredible  30m spacings in offices and 26m in corridors you   can also put in special lenses for locations  like Escape Routes and I made a video on that  

one so check that out that's our electrical news  weekly Roundup of products we think deserve some   attention next week circuit protection and finally  an electrician is earning a good living fixing  

electrical appliances but this is no ordinary  spark for Yusmel Fernández is blind his colleagues   and friends in Cuba say his story proves that  limitations are no barrier to success 49-year-old   Fernández has his own repair shop there he relies  on his hands which he says have become his eyes   with a Simple Touch he can identify the brand  and models of appliances memorises circuits   and detects faults with astonishing Precision  to check that they're working he's developed  

his own sound based device so far he hasn't had an  appliance returned to him after repairing it what   an uplifting story before we go a shout out to  Core Heating and Electrical Solutions in Bristol   the company is celebrating 40 years in business  congratulations to Lee Wilshire and the team   and here's to the next four decades now our usual  reminder that we're in the market for your stories  

your projects and your recommendations as we'd  like to share them with the wider eFIXX community   over the next few weeks we'll be featuring circuit  protection EV chargers and Wiring Accessories so   send us pictures of your installs or let us  know if you've come across any new kit that's   making your job easier or any products that  you think deserve a shout out and just before  

we get to your favourite bit of the show where I  revealed last week's challenge words and winners   we want to thank our Premium Partners we couldn't  make the news without you first up they're the   people who've created the Swiss army knife of  solar inverters along with all weather batteries   very much the Boy Scout of the solar industry it's  Sunsynk and speaking of solar with manufacturing   powered by a massive 250 megawatt solar PV array  they're literally the greenest test instrument  

maker in Europe both physically and ethically it's  KPS are you a bit of a control freak motor control   that is if so with huge stocks and excellent  service check out Crompton Controls as they   said to me in a recent conversation if we don't  have it then we can build it with their new award   winning Lumo consume unit and offering Complete  product support from their highly train team   it's CPN Cudis please don't forget to use the code  eFIXX30 to claim your 30% discount on top quality  

light fittings from Phillips and Ecolink download  LumXpert app today and make your life easier and   less expensive it's the light of our eyes signify  and the best thing to come out of Yorkshire since   stainless steel the home of EV Ultra and other  groundbreaking and quality products it's Doncaster   Cables click the links in the show notes to  find out more about all of these great Brands   big thanks to you all we really appreciate your  ongoing support for the news if you think you know  

the words that I've smuggled into this week's show  pop your guess into the comments we'll take all   the correct guesses and select one at random to  be the winner of an eFIXX goodie bag prize answers   submitted after about lunchtime on the Thursday  after release will not be entered into the draw   now let's reveal the winners of last week's  challenge word competition last week's words were   Crestfallen and geek which pretty much describes  me every time a new Star Wars film is released  

so many of our regular winners got it right last  week I thought that we were going to struggle to   find a new prize if Mark just Mark wins a couple  more times we might just have to give him I don't   know Joe 3P0 as a prize or something anyway  it hasn't come to that just yet because the   person to be selected from our electronic hat  this week was first-time winner D Mosley 7671   Anyone who puts a reference to the regs in their  username is not messing around and deserves to  

win a prize so well done to you make sure you  click the get involved Link in the show notes   to claim your prize thanks for for listening  to this episode of electrical news weekly make   sure you subscribe to receive the next update  thanks for listening and until next time have   a great week stay safe out there and remember  there's no such thing as a torque calibrated arm