News
NET sets mandatory checklist for AM2 entry
NATIONAL Electrotechnical Training (NET) has announced that all candidates taking the AM2 Assessment of Occupational Competence will have to complete an NET checklist, signed by their employer and training provider, prior to their practical assessment. This position was
endorsed by SummitSkills Electrotechnical Strategic Advisory Group at its meeting in December 2011.
NET’s Candidate Self- Assessment Checklist has previously been a voluntary but highly recommended document for AM2 candidates, allowing them to identify if there are any areas they need to focus on to pass the AM2. The checklist covers almost 50 different aspects of
electrical installation, including safe isolation and risk assessment, inspection and testing, fault diagnosis and application and knowledge.
This checklist – available
at
www.netservices.org – will be a mandatory pre- condition for taking the AM2 from 9 April 2012, and must be signed by both the trainee’s employer and their training provider, unless the candidate is training independently.
Stephen Plant, NET business development director, said: ‘By making the checklist mandatory, we are ensuring that all those involved in electrical training – the candidate, their trainer and employer – understand precisely what competencies the trainee needs to work in the industry.’
Green Deal needs financial boost, claims FMB
WITH CONFIDENCE IN THE GREEN Deal’s ability to deliver results reaching an all-time low, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has called on the government to introduce a radical boost to help the scheme succeed.
According to the FMB, the Green Deal is in danger of falling at the first hurdle, unless it provides another level of incentives to encourage homeowners to effectively take out
a loan for energy efficiency improvements. Brian Berry, director of external affairs at the FMB, explained: ‘Householders will need to be convinced of the value of retrofitting their home, particularly when the price is having a new charge attached to their electricity bill. The quickest and easiest way for this to be achieved will be to reduce VAT on Green Deal improvements or reduce stamp duty.’
WIRED FOR SUCCESS ON SITE
A GROUP OF FEMALE trainee electricians have taken a huge step forward in their journey to a career in the electrical industry by putting their classroom learning to the test and working on principal partner L&Q housing association construction sites in London. The women are taking
part in a revolutionary pilot employment initiative from the ECA called Wired for Success: ECA Women into Electrical Contracting. The initiative aims to make the electrical sector more accessible to women, at a time when female unemployment is at the highest level since 1987. Wired for Success was
10 ECA Today March 2012
conceived by former ECA president and current skills ambassador, Diane Johnson, as a way to break down the barriers which have traditionally prevented women from entering into the electrical sector. Johnson commented: ‘In an industry which is facing an impending skills shortage, it seems ludicrous to me that less than one per cent of fully qualified electricians are female. By providing a flexible learning route, this initiative will give women the opportunity to become equipped with the skills they need for a career, while still being able to meet their family commitments.’ This month, the Wired
for Success ladies will begin full-time on-site training, which will be supervised by three London-based contractor partners Axis Europe, Smith & Byford, and Mulalley. At the end of the two-year Wired for Success programme, the women will be fully qualified to work competently and safely in the domestic environment. Johnson concluded: ‘I
hope Wired for Success will become a blueprint, which other forward-thinking industries can replicate in order to make a career in their sector more accessible to under-represented groups.’ n See our article on pages 60-61.
SHUTTERSTOCK/SNEHIT
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