TECHNICAL TRAINING NEWS
» 1st Amendment to the 17th Edition» NEW Courses
» Download a free 2012 Year Planner
» International engagements
» Scottish Highlands Partnership
» Technical Training support WorldSkills UK competitions
» Electricians Guide Books Updated to the 17th Edition
» Cancer Research Shops learn about PAT testing
» Technical Training Solutions' trademark
» Visit one of our Exhibitions
» Technical Training now based in Rochester
» Electrical maintenance skills course goes from strength to strength
» Where's the competence in skills training?
1st Amendment to the 17th Edition
In July 2011 the first amendment to the 17th Edition IET Wiring Regulations is published. It becomes effective from January 2012. The most significant change is to the certificates and reports used for inspection and testing. There are various other changes, for example to the sections on electromagnetic disturbances and devices for protection against overvoltage. There are two new special locations, covering medical locations and operating or maintenance gangways.
Everyone concerned about the various changes to the Regulations should attend this informative course, especially designers, installers and inspectors.
The course is presented in an interesting and informative way, with frequent reference to the technical content of the actual Regulations. Comprehensive course notes are provided to guide the candidates through the various areas of interest. Sample City & Guilds-style questions are used as an assessment to ensure candidates have absorbed all the key points of the course.
For more information on the course, please click on the following link:
Course 305 - 1st Amendment to the 17th Edition
NEW Courses
2011 sees the launch of two new courses from Technical Training Solutions - the Duty Holder (Authorised Person) course and the course on Line Breaking.
The Duty Holder course is aimed at electrical personnel and ensures that they are able to perform various electrical skills (such as isolating equipment) competently.
The course on Line Breaking teaches candidates how to break industrial pipework safely.
Both courses incorporate compliance with employers' policies.
For more information on these courses, please click on the following links:
Course 400 - Duty Holder (Authorised Person)
Course 760 - Line Breaking
Free 2012 Year Planner
We've created a 2012 Year Planner which is free to download. Click here to download it now.
International engagements
From time to time Technical Training are given the opportunity to travel overseas to provide training courses. In 2009 we had the pleasure of teaching in three overseas locations: Gibraltar, Mauritius and Montserrat.
The Gibraltar engagement was for part of the MoD Defence Equipment and Support Organisation (DE&S) based in Gibraltar. A mixture of civilian and service candidates learned about the IET's Wiring Regulations, PAT Testing and the Electricity at Work Regulations and are now progressing on to the inspection and testing of electrical installations. For more information, go to MoD DE&S
The Mauritius engagement was for the Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Contractors Agency (MEECA). The candidates learned about the IET Wiring regulations. For more information on Mauritius, go to the government of Mauritius' internet pages Government of Mauritius
The Montserrat engagement was for the Physical Planning Unit, part of the Government of Montserrat. The candidates learned about the EAW Regulations and the IEE Wiring regulations. For a news story published by the Physical Planning Unit on the event, go to Government of Montserrat
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We also attract candidates from all over the World to our courses in Rochester - the following is a recent quote from a candidate who travelled from Malta to attend one of our courses:
"Continuous professional development is important in any technical environment. My work as a lecturer in a further education college requires me to keep up to date with practical techniques and skills in an ever-changing engineering world. I felt the need to enhance my hands-on skills to keep abreast with modern engineering practices. I must say that Technical Training has more than exceeded my expectations. I came across this training company through an internet search. The course I opted to follow was Electrical Maintenance Skills for Instrumentation Personnel (Course 120).
Besides being highly professional in their respective fields of expertise and in the delivery of the course, the staff at Technical Training are extremely friendly and supportive. The courses focus a lot on hands-on training; something which I was looking for but did not quite succeed in finding elsewhere. The learning outcomes are clearly defined from the start so the student knows where s/he is heading to. Furthermore, the courses employ equipment developed themselves, used to simulate real industrial sytems.
It’s definitely a great experience in Learning by Doing as the company’s motto states. I am really satisfied by the service and hospitality offered and will definitely consider Technical Training Solutions for my next professional upgrade."
Claire Seguna, Senior Lecturer, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, MCAST Malta.
Scottish Highlands Partnership
Technical Training Solutions and T3UK, the trials, training and test facility in the Scottish Highlands at Thurso, Caithness have set up a partnership to provide engineers in the Highlands and Islands of the North of Scotland with training on the 17th edition IET Wiring Regulations and the City & Guilds Inspection and Testing courses, as well as access to all our other courses. This on-going partnership enables engineers in the area to gain these essential qualifications and skills without having to leave the county.
Helen Mackay, Director of T3UK said "We've linked with Technical Training, who have one of the best records of success in the UK for the tough 2391 exams and the range of engineering skills courses from abrasive wheels to PLCs is exactly what our local engineers are looking for. Partnering with Technical Training means that we can ensure the delivery is absolutely spot-on".
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For a description of the IET Wiring Regulations course, go to
Course 310 - IET Wiring Regulations
For a description of the C&G Inspection and Testing course, go to
Course 340 - Inspection, Testing and Certification of Electrical Installations (C&G 2394/2395)
For more information about T3UK's world-leading trials, training and test facility, go to www.t3uk.co.uk
Technical Training support WorldSkills UK competitions
Technical Training have been providing training for entrants to the WorldSkills UK Electronics competition. Electronics Faultfinding has been recognised as an area of expertise that the competitors benefit from and they have therefore been attending a variety of training courses targeted to provide them with the skills and knowledge needed to achieve success. Technical Training have also been providing help with the judging at the UK competition.
Gareth Humphreys MBE, WorldSkills Electronics expert said "We see the Electronics training that Technical Training Solutions provide as absolutely essential to the success of our competitors".
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The importance of these competitions to the UK has been recognised by government and other sponsors: Skilled people are vital to the success of the economy and to succeed in these careers they need to be highly skilled and therefore highly trained. It is widely recognised that the UK's skills are not world-class and that they must be if it is to achieve the economic and social goals that we all aspire to.
UK Skills also organises the UK entry to the WorldSkills Competition, which challenges young people, teachers, trainers and employers to achieve world class standards. The WorldSkills Competition is the biggest skills competition in the world, and is an opportunity for competitors to represent their country and their trade abroad. WorldSkills is held every two years and brings together young people from almost 50 countries, to compete in 40 trade skills, for gold, silver and bronze medals. Medallions for Excellence are also awarded to competitors who achieve an International standard at the Competition. The WorldSkills Competition was held in London in 2011.
In London in September 2011 the UK team achieved 5 Gold Medals, 2 Silver Medals, 6 Bronze Medals and 12 Medallions for Excellence, making the UK 6th in the World.
The UK's results from past WorldSkills Competitions are shown in the following table:
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The Electronics maintenance course is used as the first part of the competitors' training.
For more information on Technical Training Solutions' Electronics course, please click
on the following link:
Course 570 - Electronics Faultfinding
If you would like to learn more about the WorldSkills competitions, please click on the following link: WorldSkills UK
Electricians Guide Books Updated to the 1st Amendment of the 17th Edition
The latest Electricians Guide to Good Practice (Green cover) was released in August 2011 and the Guide to Inspection and Testing (Yellow cover) also in August 2011. Both books have been updated to reflect the latest requirements of the 1st Amendment to the 17th Edition of the IET Regulations.
We find that many engineers carry the books in their toolboxes / vans / pockets, as their small size makes this possible. The books therefore now have improved bindings and construction, making them more rugged and suitable for long-term use.
Technical changes to the Guide to Good Practice include expanded definition and symbols, replacement of the 'direct' and 'indirect contact' shock protection methods with 'basic' and 'fault' protection methods, introduction of 'additional' protection (RCDs) into various new situations (socket outlets, concealed cables, etc), new reference methods for installation of cables, new correction factor for buried cables and introduction of several new special locations (exhibitions, solar PV systems, mobile units, fairgrounds and floor heating systems etc).
Other improvements to the Guide to Good Practice book include easier to read tables using shading and larger sized text and an improved and expanded index. The internet page for the book has also been expanded to show example pages from the guide and a new 'latest update' feature, allowing the very latest information about intended changes or improvements to the guide to Good Practice to be posted on the page.
Technical changes to the Guide to Inspection and Testing include changes to the visual inspection, - since the requirements are slightly different (concealed cables, changes to the inspection schedule, etc), slightly altered testing sequence (insulation resistance values changed, phase sequence and voltage drop tests added, RCD tests in separate test from the functional tests, etc).
Other improvements to the Guide to Inspection and Testing include easier to read tables using shading and larger sized text. The various forms (the Electrical Installation Certificate, the Periodic Inspection Report, the Minor Works Certificate, Inspection and Test Results Schedules) have all been re-drawn with example entries to allow for better use of the page and are now easier to read. A 'latest updates' feature has also been added to the internet page descriptions.
For further information about the Electricians Guide Books, please click here.
Cancer Research Shops learn about Portable Appliance Testing
Technical Training have employed their extensive knowledge and experience of Portable Appliance Testing and their competence-based approach to learning about the subject to enable Cancer Research South to perform safety checks on electrical appliances. This has allowed Cancer Research South to access a totally new revenue stream to aid in their charitable works by allowing shop staff to ensure the safety of electrical appliances and thereby to sell donated appliances which, before training, they were unable to accept.
Candidates are not expected to have any prior knowledge or experience of PAT testing or electrical work. All candidates are provided with course notes, help and advice about which model of PAT tester would be most appropriate for them and given on-going telephone support from Tech Training's technical staff. The courses are being provided on an on-going basis throughout 2006 and 2007 across the south of England. The training courses have been provided at cost price to Cancer Research South as part of Tech Training's charitable works.
Libby Dey of Cancer Research South said, "These new training courses will allow us to provide a valuable new service to our customers, as donators and buyers at the shops will see an improved service and ultimately the needy causes that we represent will benefit."
Technical Training have been treating these courses as the ultimate accolade for their 'learning by doing' approach: being clear about what should be taught, who the target audience is and ensuring that the candidates are able to use these skills for real when they return to work.
For a description of the PAT course, go to:
Course 160 - PAT: Inspection and Testing of portable electrical appliances
For more information about Cancer Research South's charitable activities, go to Cancer Research
Technical Training Solutions' Trademark
Technical Training Solutions uses a trade mark which was granted
by the British Patent Office.
The 'Learning by Doing' approach to training espoused by Technical Training has been the basis to all the engineering skills training provided over the years. This approach leads to better understanding, retention and enjoyability of the courses on offer.
The ancient Chinese proverb captured this idea:
'Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I'll remember, involve me and I'll understand'.
The logo reinforces this approach.
Visit one of our Exhibitions
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Technical Training Solutions exhibit at various shows around the UK.
Many of the visitors to the shows are impressed with the range of equipment that we bring along to demonstrate the hardware used on the training courses for the delegates to practice with. Real industrial PLCs with moving conveyor systems, motor shaft alignment rigs, a range of electrical control panels and variable speed drive units connected to real motors are often displayed.
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Technical Training now based in Rochester
Due to the increasing demand for scheduled training courses, we moved into larger premises in 2004 at Rochester, Kent. Norwich House has several training rooms, each ideally suited for a particular range of courses, spread over three floors of the building.
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Candidates attending mechanical courses enjoy the use of a fully-equipped, bright and spacious workshop area, fitted out with heavy-duty workbenches, pillar drills, grinding machines, hydraulic presses, etc. Candidates attending electrical courses use the large seminar room which is fitted out with a practical experiments area, so that they can explore the technical issues that they are learning about on our custom-built low-voltage rigs. Other training rooms can be used for specialist courses like Instrumentation, PLCs and AC Drives.
Norwich House has a large car park where delegates can leave their cars in safety and within 5 or 10 minutes’ drive there is a good selection of three-star hotels, B&Bs, etc. Good transport links allow delegates travelling from anywhere in the UK to reach us easily. Delegates travelling to Norwich House are provided with straight-forward maps and instructions on how to get there by road, rail and public transport.
We look forward to seeing you at Norwich House soon.
Electrical maintenance skills course
goes from strength to strength
Now regarded as the industry standard for many companies, the electrical maintenance skills course (course 110) has been provided to over 5 thousand engineers in the UK and has provided many companies with increased flexibility and productivity and also enhanced the value of their maintenance teams.
Importantly, the course covers the legal aspects of working with electricity so that candidates really do understand what the dangers are, and when consolidation schemes are put into practice, they get the chance to practice their skills in a safe and controlled manner. The scheme can also be used to help employees decide when supervision is no longer necessary i.e. when competent.
The course is now offered in a two week, 5 day format totalling 10 days. Our latest course brochure provides more details.
Where's the competence in skills training?
Many modern skills training courses offer a certificate at the end of the course, but too often this is an attendance-based certificate which simply says that the delegate was actually there for the duration of the course.
Other training courses have a short multiple-choice examination, and delegates have to answer questions about the subject. This is useful for checking that the delegate has the appropriate understanding of the subject, but too often this is the only form of assessment that is made.
Skills training must lead to the delegates acquiring that skill, and for this reason training courses should have practical assessments, and this is what employers actually want.
When delegates return to work after having attended a course, many managers will automatically assume that they are now able to perform these new skills in the workplace, but from a legal point of view this assumption would have no basis, since there is no direct evidence upon which the delegate's competency can be determined.
If, however, the delegates had been given a practical assessment, then this could be used as part of the evidence for competency. The delegates would also need to be shown how the new skills they have learned would actually be used in the workplace, and therefore some degree of supervision and mentoring in the workplace would be needed to ensure that they are shown how to do this.
Courses which have practical outcomes are also more enjoyable for the delegates attending them, since they would be much more practical by their very nature - avoiding the long lectures and powerpoint presentations so often used on training courses today.
Technical Training Solutions provide courses that are skills-based and practical assessments are carried out by all the candidates. This means that at the end of any course provided by us, a candidate will have demonstrated an ability to perform a new skills that he/she was not able to perform before attending the course.
On courses where it is appropriate, we advise that the candidates use the consolidation scheme so that they can practice their new skills in their workplace under controlled conditions, ensuring their competence in a legal context and also providing the candidate and their supervisors and managers with all the evidence needed to support assertions about their competence.