Live Wire Electricians
Q: Do you know how an electrician tells if he's working with AC or DC power?
A: If it's AC, his teeth chatter when he grabs the conductors. If it's DC, they just clamp together. Gallows humour is not a prerequisite for work as an electrician.
People who work with electricity need to be practical people, read to do strenuous physical work under very variable conditions. ‘Sparks’, as they’re universally called – work in all sorts of situations, indoors and out, and they often find themselves a long way above ground level.
The role of the electrician is also a wide-ranging one. Almost every building, homes and work places alike, have some level of electrical supply, and these have to be considered, planned, installed and serviced by electricians.
What are the entry requirements for this elite profession? Education to a good level is the first prerequisite. Certainly GCSEs at grade C and above will be looked for. Mathematics, English and technology provide the foundation because calculating, measuring and applying theoretical understanding is the everyday currency of the electrician.
For young people aged between 16 and 19, an apprenticeship is the traditional way of beginning a career as an electrician. As an apprentice they will earn a living as they learn their trade. Above all they will gain experience and technical competence to become a spark, whilst accumulating National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) units and levels. Eligibility for an apprenticeship will be established by candidates having to take a selection test.
Once in the electrician circuit there is a wide choice of specialist routes open to the bright spark. Installation electricians for example put electrical systems into homes, offices and other buildings. An electrical system means power for, lighting, heating, cooking, fire protection, security and structure cabling. This specialism is the kind of spark who would do domestic wiring.
Maintenance electricians are different specialists. They make sure that electrical systems and equipment, in homes and buildings keep on performing their function efficiently. This is the kind of bright spark who would solve any electrical problems in the home.
How about becoming an ‘electro technical’ panel builder? With this specialism, the electrician uses computer based technology to build and manage the electrical control panels that operate a building's heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration service machinery.
Alternatively instrumentation engineers install, test, troubleshoot and repair a building’s air conditioning units, heating and refrigeration. Electrical repair and rewind specialists repair and maintain equipment such as transformers, compressors, pumps and fans wherever they are found.
Highway electrical systems electricians do just what it sounds like in the job title. They make sure that our street lights, including traffic lights, are properly managed and maintained.
The supply of electricians cannot keep up with the demand. So would be sparks can be assured of continuous employment. They will always be in demand. Self-employment is a very popular route for many electricians and of course electricity is the same the world over making the opportunity for travel an attractive factor to many live wire sparks.
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