dseagull Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 Basically, I've just turned 26, and on Monday, saw my employer abolished (Primary Care Trust). So now I'm looking for something else. Basically, I've got 3 (realistic) options - Firstly is to stick in the same job until the bitter end, and hope to get something admin-y with a GP, doing the same job. This doesn't appeal much. Second - to look for something else admin-y. 3 - To see if I can get a career for life - and get a trade. My old man is an electrician, my brother is an apprentice electrician, all my mates are builders, brickies, plumbers, that kind of thing - getting into something like that really appeals. However, most, if not all of the apprentice schemes I've seen need you to be 16-19. Unless I can borrow a time machine, I'm screwed on that front. Any thoughts? - Whilst I do know plenty of tradesmen, the other thing is with the economy as it is, work in most areas is a little slow at present, so nobody is recruiting locally either, hence not asking mates. Ta Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted July 18, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 18, 2010 Consult some local colleges about retraining as a plumber or sparks not the same as an apprentice but enough to get you a start and the required certificates to be legal. Downside it will cost you for the course and the exams but you are living at home so maybe parents will sub you a bit? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dseagull Posted July 18, 2010 Author Share Posted July 18, 2010 Cheers Mick. Also asked this on another forum, and have a couple of contacts for voluntary sector organisations who specialise in helping out people who want to retrain, going to make a few calls. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ste234 Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 One of the lads in my group at college (electrical) is 27 and he has a placement with a chance of a full apprenticeship. Good luck finding one now, there's only 3 out of 10 of us that have one. Seem very hard to come by this year, but push and you may do well! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZ Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 A guy I know had the urge to do something else in his early 50's. Did a 3 years of evening classes in plumbing, managed to get a job with a friend of a friend and now works for himself. He was in his previous life a bank manager, but now he is happy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERS Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 The apprentice route isn't really an option, in theory there is legislation outlawing age discrimination which should protect you but in practice, the funding for technical training only applies to students are under 19 so most prospective employers will conveniently find a reason to employ the candidate under 19. A more practical option is to talk to local colleges and see what they can offer. Depending on where you are in the country, some offer courses funded by training grants from various sources but these are also under threat so act quickly. Ask around among your mates, experience is an essential part of qualifying so the more you can get, the better, you might need to work FOC for days here and there but if it gives you good experience in the right area, it'll be worth it. I did something similar in 1992 in the midst of a recession and it worked well for me, one thing I'd recommend is to find something part time/ casual you can fall back on if you need to earn some cash. I drove coaches, taxis and lorries but bar work, waiting tables, security work even McDonalds could give you some income if times demand it. I wish you all the very best, if you want to do something, go for it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dseagull Posted July 18, 2010 Author Share Posted July 18, 2010 Cheers all. I'll make a few calls next week I think - hopefully someone will be around despite summer hols having started! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mike Bellamy Posted July 18, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 18, 2010 Prospectus from our local college says that tuition fees are waived if you are over 25 and studying for your first level 3 qualification and have not previously achieved a full level 2 qualification. Also tuition fees are waived if you are in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance or a number of other benefits. If these conditions apply then you may be able to go back to college and re-train for free - once you are at college then the lecturers may get asked by employers who they have who may be suitable for a placement - this was how my son got his job and then went from full time course to part time and also got the work experience - but it wasn't classed as a 'proper' apprenticeship Good Luck Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dseagull Posted July 18, 2010 Author Share Posted July 18, 2010 Prospectus from our local college says that tuition fees are waived if you are over 25 and studying for your first level 3 qualification and have not previously achieved a full level 2 qualification. Also tuition fees are waived if you are in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance or a number of other benefits. If these conditions apply then you may be able to go back to college and re-train for free - once you are at college then the lecturers may get asked by employers who they have who may be suitable for a placement - this was how my son got his job and then went from full time course to part time and also got the work experience - but it wasn't classed as a 'proper' apprenticeship Good Luck Mike Cheers Mike - I wouldn't get it for free - Only way I could get JSA is if I quit work, and then I think my other financial committments would leave me bankrupt within a few weeks!. More than willing to contribute towards it though, just need to find the right course. Plumbing appeals, as does painting & decorating. The latter I've had a bit of a crash course in this summer at the football club...! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andysounduk Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 Cheers Mike - I wouldn't get it for free - Only way I could get JSA is if I quit work, and then I think my other financial committments would leave me bankrupt within a few weeks!. More than willing to contribute towards it though, just need to find the right course. Plumbing appeals, as does painting & decorating. The latter I've had a bit of a crash course in this summer at the football club...! I think you will find that you won't get JSA if you quit your job, or if you do it will beat a very reduced rate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dseagull Posted July 18, 2010 Author Share Posted July 18, 2010 I think you will find that you won't get JSA if you quit your job, or if you do it will beat a very reduced rate. Yes, it's certainly not something I'm planning to do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dutch_Master Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Years ago, when I was unemployed, I got into a scheme that retrained me to be a refrigerant engineer. Basically, I learned about refrigerants like R22, R134a and how to physically build and maintain a working system. Think of aircon's, indoor ski-resorts, cooling in the IT and chemical industry, etc. Given global warming, there's a job for a long time (I didn't, 'cause before the year ended I was training for another job I still have. Yes, I have your dreamjob: driving trains for a living ) Good luck with the jobhunt! PS: try this one for starters http://www.acrib.org.uk/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted July 19, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 19, 2010 I'm not sure about where you live but anywhere in southern England (except possibly the far south-west) qualification as a plumber and doing a good job which gets you recommendations is more or less a licence to print money (some round here charge over one hundred quid for a call out, then you start paying for their time once they arrive). I should have a word with your local Job Centre and a good look on the 'net at their various information - you might find it financially advantageous from the training cost viewpoint to be made redundant first. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 2mmMark Posted July 19, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 19, 2010 BA (my employer) is looking to recruit engineering apprentices and I don't believe there are any specific age restrictions. There's a realisation that because we've had no apprentice scheme for a few years, there's going to be a shortage of qualified engineers as many come up to retirement. Here's the info from the BA Jobs Website: Job Description Closing Date: 30th September 2010 Engineering Technical Apprentice, Engineering, Heathrow. This scheme offers a unique opportunity to be involved in a Programme run in conjunction with the three Colleges mentioned below allowing you to study for a vocational qualification combined with the support of British Airways Engineering. If you are interested in applying for this opportunity please view the following College websites for more information and details of how to apply for the Scheme Farnborough College http://www.farn-ct.ac.uk/ tel: 01252 405 555 Kingston College http://www.kingston-college.ac.uk/ tel: 0208 546 2151 Brooklands College http://www.brooklands.ac.uk/ tel: 01932 797 700 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Years ago, when I was unemployed, I got into a scheme that retrained me to be a refrigerant engineer. Basically, I learned about refrigerants like R22, R134a and how to physically build and maintain a working system. Think of aircon's, indoor ski-resorts, cooling in the IT and chemical industry, etc. ... Interesting, that. My car started life with R-12 in its air-con, then was converted to use R-134a..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PMP Posted July 20, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 20, 2010 BA (my employer) is looking to recruit engineering apprentices and I don't believe there are any specific age restrictions. There's a realisation that because we've had no apprentice scheme for a few years, there's going to be a shortage of qualified engineers as many come up to retirement. Mark above is right regarding the aviation engineering opportunities. The average age for a spanner ###er is around 50, and as he rightly points out the employers are slowly catching on. I looked at it a few years back when I was looking at a career change, and you will find some enlightened people who will consider you, but it may be a long search. One way in is as a hanger rat, at a small airfield, thats doing the cleaning etc, if you do alright then that can lead to opportunities opening up. My missus started that way, she now deals in multimillion pound purchasing deals, with no professional qualifications. BAe have an apprentice college at Doncaster, and if thats of interest may be worth calling for details. http://www.baesystems.com/Newsroom/NewsReleases/2009/autoGen_1091026152312.html One thing to note though is that most of these jobs are shift work related when you actually qualify, so if 'antisocial' hours aren't your thing, you'll need to think long and hard about that. I changed career three years ago, and now have a professional qualification/vocation. It can be done, it will mean sacrifice of time/social/hobbies yadda yadda yadda. Been there, got the T shirt, it was worth the struggle! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted July 20, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 20, 2010 The only drawback to the BA scheme might be the pay, when I was mending Caterpillar's big yellow diggers we were joined by an ex army airforce airframe fitter he reckoned he was nearly £2 an hour better off working on plant than planes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 2mmMark Posted July 21, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 21, 2010 Sorry, forgot about the shift work, although there are areas in the off-aircraft workshops where normal days are worked. Shift pay can be a nice little earner, it certainly was when I did it. My shift pattern gave me a 4 day weekend every 3 weeks and then 3 days off midweek in between. You escape the usual commuter traffic and it used to be lovely riding my bike along the A30 at (naughty)mph early on a cool summers morning (before the days of speed cameras). Not so nice in the depths of winter but you did see daylight at either end of an early or late shift, unlike office work. Pay for BA engineers isn't too bad and once you've got licensed aircraft engineer qualifications, you have the option to move around the industry. Staff travel is a nice little bonus too, although it's always subject to commercial loads. On the down side, Aviation is not the secure "job for life" it used to be, but is any job these days? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PMP Posted July 21, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 21, 2010 The only drawback to the BA scheme might be the pay, when I was mending Caterpillar's big yellow diggers we were joined by an ex army airforce airframe fitter he reckoned he was nearly £2 an hour better off working on plant than planes. That unfortunately is due to our forces being 'underpaid' compared to their civilian counterparts. Thats always been the case in the aviationssectors I've worked in and anecdotal evidence from other areas confirms this. A quick look at advertised aviation positions indicates an 'engineering' hourly rate of between £20-60 per hour depending on Q&E eg type ratings, and higher for highly specialised skills. Had your fitter wished to carry on in the civilian field then with appropriate training he could have been far better paid than he ever was working for Pongo.co.uk ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
modfather Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 You my strik elucky with an apprenticeship still, or depending on your outlook in life, try and mod apprenticeship, they take on desk staff at abbeywood for example. (well paid, lots of team activities and a good job when you're done, plus a lot of adult learners) Good luck though, getting a skill will always help. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 I know what Id do in your position.....dont learn a trade, get a job on the Railway...there always seems to be a lot of vacancies in the South East Job for life, easy to do...what more could you want? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted July 21, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 21, 2010 I know what Id do in your position.....dont learn a trade, get a job on the Railway...there always seems to be a lot of vacancies in the South East Job for life, easy to do...what more could you want? An idea at that. Southern are looking for platform assistants at Brighton and Haywards Heath and Conductors at Horsham. I always recommend that anyone wishing to join the Railway industry starts off with a platform job (I went straight in at Conductor mind!) and then with your foot in the door as it were move on up to Conductor and then eventually if you so wish, Driver. Could be worth a try, after all the worst that could happen is they say no thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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