The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP) has launched a new programme which aims to bring 1,000 fully qualified electricians into the industry within two years.
The TESP Career Progression Programme will provide a subsidised route to full electrician status and is open to candidates who can provide proof they have completed the relevant electrotechnical theory training and worked in the industry for around five years as a practising operative.
Those who meet the criteria for entry will receive a £500 reduction on the cost of JTL's Mature Candidate Scheme - a JIB-approved prior learning programme which is offered through City and Guilds 2356-99 Level 3 in Electrotechnical Services for the Experienced Worker or EAL Level 3 Diploma in Electrotechnical Services Experienced Worker Assessment Route.
Candidates who pass the AM2 and complete the programme will receive a free ECS Gold card, discount membership of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) and a completion bonus of £70. This has been made possible following donations from the ECA Stothers Fund, Electrical Safety First, NET, the IET, the JIB, and the JIB Further Education Fund.
"Our industry has been facing a real and serious shortage for years, due to the effect the recession had on apprentice recruitment, but now it's affecting firms' abilities to win and deliver work, says TESP Chair Diane Johnson. "This programme has been developed to alleviate it by helping those people who may have been unable to complete or access an electrical apprenticeship due to the recession to qualify to the industry standard via an established, JIB-approved experienced worker assessment programme, which includes the AM2 - the industry's recognised assessment of occupational competence."
She continues: "We wouldn't be able to offer this programme or the completion bonus without the help and support of those organisations who provided donations. I thank them wholeheartedly for their support and for enabling the industry, through this programme, to develop its own means of reducing the impact of the skills shortage."
JTL Chief Executive Jon Graham adds: "As the industry's leading provider of apprenticeships and work-based training, we're delighted to be playing a major part in delivering this programme, which will benefit learners, employers and the wider industry."
Applications for the programme open on November 2. To learn more or apply, visit
www.the-esp.org.uk/careerprogressionprogramme