School for Sparks - the Public Sector Turns the Spotlight on ET4U

EAST SUSSEX, ENGLAND, December 19, 2012 (Press-News.org) Nigel Best knows a thing or two about being proactive. He's the man behind innovative electrical training centre ET4U. The idea came to him during a renovation project. He needed to gain qualifications to sign-off the property in compliance with Part P of the Buildings Regulations, so he enrolled on an electrician's course. He thought the standard of training inadequate and that he could do better. So ET4U began.

The success of the ET4U training school (a 99% pass rate) has brought the company to the attention of the public sector. Nigel Best has been asked to contribute analysis and commentary to the Public Service website. Clearly, there is an initiative gaining momentum wanting more focus on apprenticeship schemes that could alleviate the skills shortage.

Local business director seen as thought leader within trade training sector

The duty of business leaders is to provide solutions. Nigel has been proactive in forging further opportunities around his solutions. He also believes that customers who train at ET4U should not wait for opportunities, but strive to create their own opportunities where possible.

Be proactive

"The best tradesmen think differently," says Nigel Best, director of ET4U. "and a good electrician will take weeks to find."

By good Nigel means qualified, friendly, CRB checked and punctual. He believes attitudes have changed and the public's willingness to accept sub-standard working practises has shifted.

When students enroll on his course he encourages them to think about their business image: try to be smart and polite. Don't be the kind of tradesman who waits for the obligatory cup of tea. Be trustworthy as well as knowledgeable. He wants his apprentices to focus on sales and marketing, as well as becoming a qualified technician.

"My Dad would say, you don't wait for the phone to ring, you make the phone ring," he says, and it is this proactive approach to business which has brought him to the attention of the public sector.

Spotlight on sparks

Training schools like ET4U are in the spotlight. There is impetus to get people into lasting employment. Better skills empower the individual and offer a better chance of life-long employment. There are undoubted skills shortages in England and Wales. Training schools are being recognised as facilities that can bridge the gap.

To achieve this, trainee electricians must find work in order to complete their course and become fully qualified. Many trainees become frustrated and as their initial fervour dies, their enthusiasm to complete the course wanes.

So, ET4U decided to go one step further and is turning a division of the training school into an installation service. The idea is to train electricians to the highest standards and provide an outlet into employment at the end of their course.

It is an idea that has won Nigel Best lots of interest, particularly in the public sector, fuelled by recent disappointing statistics concerning the proliferation of graduates without relative vocational expertise.

Question Time?

The Prime Minister, David Cameron has made apprenticeships a priority and is committed to making them a viable alternative to university. In his speech to the Conservative Party in April 2012 he stated:

"We've got to step up the pace of job creation. Boost training. Really drive up standards. Why? Not just because that's what our economy needs to compete around the world, but because there is dignity in work, in having a skill and a worthwhile job. And because we want a society where people have real chance to get on and get up - to escape the circumstances of their birth. Learning skills can play a large part in that."

In the post war years, a university education was seen as a birth-rite for the middle and upper classes. Successive governments fought to change that perception. By the 1990's a university education was so egalitarian it was almost considered a lifestyle choice. The perception had changed dramatically. Parents and students believed that it did not matter what degree you earned, that any degree could get you a comfortable berth in a middle management job. How times have changed.

Too many students have been allowed to study courses that have little practical application in the marketplace and the jobs market is at tipping point. There are too many beauticians with too few jobs to apply for, and far too many engineering office vacancies with not an engineer in sight.

Now the government are investigating ways of addressing the situation. Clearly they believe endorsing colleges and universities with public money is not going to solve rising unemployment. They are finding training schools such as ET4U an attractive and viable alternative.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:
"To build a prosperous economy we need a skilled workforce. The Apprenticeship programme has been a real success, not only boosting chances for young people, but also helping businesses to address their skills gaps."

The idea of creating an installation service attached to his training school has evolved naturally. ET4U has developed a three-pronged attack on the job market.
- Focusing on giving young people an opportunity to develop skills that have validity will last a life time.
- Re-training those people who have lost jobs and find it hard to get jobs that they are unqualified for.
- Developing existing skills - maybe they have their own property portfolios and would like to sign-off their own projects.

The skills shortage will continue to raise debate. There is new policy for improving the quality of further education and skills training. This strategy is part of a wider initiative set by the government, utilising experts like Doug Richard and Nigel Best to offer advice and practical solutions on the state of apprenticeships and the economy. The public sector would do well to listen. When it comes to being proactive, Nigel knows best.

Address:
Unit 29
Mid Sussex Business Park
Folders Lane East
Ditchling
East Sussex
BN6 8SE
(N.B. To find us by sat-nav or Google Maps, please use the postcode BN6 8SG)

Tel: 01444 871113 / 0845 8734968
Fax: 0845 8734978
Email: info@electricaltraining4u.co.uk
Web: www.electricaltraining4u.co.uk