[ Update: Wired for Success ]
time in the classroom has been spent testing a variety of lighting circuits, including batten holders, and junction and joint box methods. We will be doing a loop-in ceiling rose with them next.’ An observation visit to a building site has allowed the
women to see an exposed lighting circuit in situ, before the walls are plastered. They have also been able to get a better understanding of how to read drawings and what the symbols used on plans mean. The visit gave them the opportunity to learn how to measure up for a job and calculate the correct amount of cabling to order. ‘I think going on-site was really worthwhile. It’s a real
confidence boost because I can understand what is happening and see how the things I have learnt are put into practice,’ says 43-year-old mother-of-two Josephine Blackwood Demirkilic. She had previously begun to train as a plumber, but had struggled to fit a work placement around her childcare arrangements. ‘It’s also really encouraging to be able to speak to the contractors on site and hear their views on the job.’ Kellie-Marie Briscoe-Walker, 26, agrees. ‘You can look
at the shell of a building and start to piece together how it will look when it’s finished, and work out what needs to go where.’ She signed up for Wired for Success in search of a more practical career after working in an HR role in the City.
Course works Back in the classroom, the women are busy revising for their health and safety test for the ECS card. ‘As a group, they have really bonded and everyone’s
commented as to how well they are supporting each other,’ says Emery. Inevitably, some areas of the course have been harder
than others. ‘I don’t think they actually appreciated the amount of maths that’s involved,’ admits Emery. ‘There’s a lot of maths and electrical science that they need to understand. But now that they’ve started on the practical bits and they’ve been on-site and seen how to wire a house, they’re starting to understand what we’re teaching them in the theory sessions. Being able to apply the theory by being able to see it in a practical environment has really helped them.’
In place In March, the 11 women will begin proper work placements. They will be spending time with contractor partners Axis, Mulalley, and Smith & Byford at principal partner L&Q housing association premises in London, where all of the course participants live. The placements will involve going out to clients’ premises to do problem-solving and replace faulty components. Vicki Van Eck, 43, says: ‘I’m so excited to get started! I
can’t wait to get on site and start getting my hands dirty. I’m a very hands-on person, so it’s really exciting that we will be able to put the things we have learnt in the classroom into practice in a real situation.’ Like others on the course, Van Eck signed up for Wired
for Success because she was looking for a career change. In her case, she wanted a new challenge after a spell in retail, following redundancy from a technical support role.
We want this pilot to serve as a blueprint that other forward-thinking organisations can replicate in other parts of the country
The Wired for Success training model could be a blueprint for other industries
Work placements for the trainees are beginning this month
Making news The unusual nature of the project has provided a ‘good news story’ for the media – a success story in a recession that has seen many people lose their jobs. So the women have found themselves featured in both local and regional press. Diane Johnson says: ‘We were on the BBC online homepage at one stage and we were featured in The Observer, Radio Five Live and local radio and press. ‘These were women who, often when they went to the Job
Centre, were pointed towards predictable admin roles, where a man might be told they should think about retraining for a trade. And there really is a need for female electricians – if you’re a woman on your own, or, say, an older couple, these are people who would potentially like female electricians they could call on. More and more contractors are being asked to demonstrate their diversity in pre-qualification documentation, so there is definitely a business case for employing more women.’ n ECA Today will be following the progress of the women as they complete their two-year course.
March 2012 ECA Today 61
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