Interview for Electrical Apprenticeship

HoggyRS

Have an interview for an apprenticeship with Kirby Group tomorrow, looking for any tips? Haven't had a proper interview in about 4 years so a bit freaked!

Cheers lads.

2011

I worked with (not for) Kirby Group recently for over a year.
They have some very capable electricians and instrumentation techs.

My advice would be to try to get an apprenticeship in the craft of instrumentation.
This will increase your chances of future employment and earning potential.
Instrumentation experience is particularly important in the pharmaceutical industry and there is quite a bit of that in Cork.

For many (like me) instrumentation is a very interesting aspect of the electrical industry.

They will be far more interested in your attitude/personality than your technical understanding (which is generally close to zero for someone applying for an apprenticeship).

Good luck with the interview.

HoggyRS

2011 wrote: »

I worked with (not for) Kirby Group recently for over a year.
They have some very capable electricians and instrumentation techs.

My advice would be to try to get an apprenticeship in the craft of instrumentation.
This will increase your chances of future employment and earning potential.
Instrumentation experience is particularly important in the pharmaceutical industry and there is quite a bit of that in Cork.

For many (like me) instrumentation is a very interesting aspect of the electrical industry.

They will be far more interested in your attitude/personality than your technical understanding (which is generally close to zero for someone applying for an apprenticeship).

Good luck with the interview.

I agree with you about instrumentation. I've 3 applications(Jones engineering, Glaxosmithkline, Johnson & Johnson) i'm currently waiting to here back from for electrical instrumentation apprenticeships. I would prefer to do instrumentation than electrical but it seems apprenticeships for the former are much rarer so i'm keeping my options open at the moment.

Cheers man.

2011

It would be no harm for you to find out a bit about Kirby Group, what projects they have completed etc. Google is your friend

It is good to shown that you have put some thought into what being an apprentice is all about, how the course is structured etc.

With Kirby you would gain valuable industrial experience on large projects.

crasy dash

Just a bit of advice for you.I worked for Kirby group during the boom as a apprentice instrument tech from my experience i learnt nothing was always on the electrical containment side of things doing conduit, cable tray, ladder rack etc.Would not know the difference between pt100 rtd etc no real hands on calibrating flow, pressure transmitters etc.I personally rarely terminated cables at panels etc was more like you do the donkey work and let one of the qualified lads terminate.
Saying that they are a good company youll get trained in manual handling mewp etc no questions asked wont mess you about with money etc always on time.

I say things have changed now though due to less work you would have more hands on today unfortunately i was just one of those hired in the boom for cheap labour.

I gave it up in the end and got into a maintenance team in a dairy factory in north cork ,from day one i was wiring learning etc, on a daily basis your day could be anything from motor control faults breakdown of machinery, general preventative maintenance, thermographic reports etc.
I have learnt more about instrumentation in my current job than i ever did with Kirby Group
If i was you i would choose Glaxosmithkline or Johnson Johnson as you will know where you are every Monday morning, with Kirby you could be moved from site to site any Friday to any part of the country and thats it

Wishing you all the best in the future .Let us know how you get on
Dash

crasy dash

crasy dash wrote: »

Just a bit of advice for you.I worked for Kirby group during the boom as a apprentice instrument tech from my experience i learnt nothing was always on the electrical containment side of things doing conduit, cable tray, ladder rack etc.Would not know the difference between pt100 rtd etc no real hands on calibrating flow, pressure transmitters etc.I personally rarely terminated cables at panels etc was more like you do the donkey work and let one of the qualified lads terminate.
Saying that they are a good company youll get trained in manual handling mewp etc no questions asked wont mess you about with money etc always on time.

I say things have changed now though due to less work you would have more hands on today unfortunately i was just one of those hired in the boom for cheap labour.

I gave it up in the end and got into a maintenance team in a dairy factory in north cork ,from day one i was wiring learning etc, on a daily basis your day could be anything from motor control faults breakdown of machinery, general preventative maintenance, thermographic reports etc.
I have learnt more about instrumentation in my current job than i ever did with Kirby Group
If i was you i would choose Glaxosmithkline or Johnson Johnson as you will know where you are every Monday morning, with Kirby you could be moved from site to site any Friday to any part of the country and thats it

Wishing you all the best in the future .Let us know how you get on
Dash

As a recent P45 achiever with KG after I qualified as a sparks I can tell you that nothing has changed much. Still a great crowd to work for but you must be willing to travel these days.

Ive worked all over Ireland, a bit of the UK and did a stint in France for a while. Be prepared for a phone call on Friday evening saying that they want you in Scotland on Monday/Tuesday morning. IT HAPPENS!

If you want to do a bit of research on previous instrument tech projects, go to www.kirbygroup.com and have a look at the Sanofi Aventis project in Paris. Im sure thats their recent 'big' instrumentation job.

If the interview is in the Limerick office, you'll be interviewed by either S or H (wont give their full names) and possibly one of the directors.

Best of luck anyway. Let us know how you get on.

HoggyRS

Nice one for the replies, had a look at them before I interviewed yesterday. Went very well I reckon, I bigged up my willingness to travel before they ever mentioned it, so they were impressed by that. They also seemed impressed by me having previous building site experience etc as well as having a decent leaving cert behind me.

Be interesting to hear back now, though i'm after finding out that I'm fairly in with another Cork based company to start an apprenticeship doing industrial electric work, so it would be a toss up between travelling all over with kirby(perhaps getting more experience?) and staying in Cork(has its good and bad points). Still waiting on some instrumentation apprenticeships to get back to me now.

Mr Magnolia

HoggyRS wrote: »

Nice one for the replies, had a look at them before I interviewed yesterday. Went very well I reckon, I bigged up my willingness to travel before they ever mentioned it, so they were impressed by that. They also seemed impressed by me having previous building site experience etc as well as having a decent leaving cert behind me.

Be interesting to hear back now, though i'm after finding out that I'm fairly in with another Cork based company to start an apprenticeship doing industrial electric work, so it would be a toss up between travelling all over with kirby(perhaps getting more experience?) and staying in Cork(has its good and bad points). Still waiting on some instrumentation apprenticeships to get back to me now.

Is the gig in Cork purely electrical? Is it project work or a maintenance type role?

crasy dash

HoggyRS wrote: »

Nice one for the replies, had a look at them before I interviewed yesterday. Went very well I reckon, I bigged up my willingness to travel before they ever mentioned it, so they were impressed by that. They also seemed impressed by me having previous building site experience etc as well as having a decent leaving cert behind me.

Be interesting to hear back now, though i'm after finding out that I'm fairly in with another Cork based company to start an apprenticeship doing industrial electric work, so it would be a toss up between travelling all over with kirby(perhaps getting more experience?) and staying in Cork(has its good and bad points). Still waiting on some instrumentation apprenticeships to get back to me now.

Glad it went well for you,Can tell you from my experience Kirbys let you do your trial first and then ask you if you would like to do instrumentation might be worth thinking about before you make a decision on choosing which company you want to work for.

Stoner

All looks good lads, but remember that we have a charter that asks us not to discuss electrical contractors too much here, I can't see anything that would annoy a company so far but this type of thing can end up attracting posts that bring unwanted attention to boards, so please keep that in mind. Thanks all.

HoggyRS

A question for the sparks and other knowledgeable peoples on here(maybe should be its own thread): At the end of an E&I apprenticeship are you qualified as a spark and an instrument tech? Is there a difference between E&I and electrical instrumentation apprenticeships, or is just another way of describing the same thing? Was talking to an apprentice spark I know earlier and he has me all mixed up on the definitions.

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

Is the gig in Cork purely electrical? Is it project work or a maintenance type role?

They do electrical and instrumentation services, with alot of work based in a Cork pharmaceutical facility. So a bit of project work and maintenance. A good friend from when I was a kid is currently their only apprentice and he's off to phase 6 at the end of this month so he reckons they'll want to take me on around then. (I was told there might be a chance they'd train me as E&I rather than just electrical today)

crasy dash wrote: »

Glad it went well for you,Can tell you from my experience Kirbys let you do your trial first and then ask you if you would like to do instrumentation might be worth thinking about before you make a decision on choosing which company you want to work for.

Oh so after that 4 month trial they would ask you if you wanted to do E&I? Interesting.

confusedeire

E&I is electrical and instrument. I recommend going for E&I as its the best of both worlds. Im qualified in it for the last four years and found having E&I made it easier to get a job over the four years.

crasy dash

Yeah after the four months i got the phone call one thursday evening asking did i want to do it. If you get the chance to do it do it, i regret ever giving it up i see it as a huge mistake on my part i was only 21young and foolish when i gave it up.
You go do your fas for six months in either cork or dublin baldoyle and rest of the blocks in Carlow it brilliant town trust me

I had done biology and chemistry in my leaving and had a decent level of maths which they noted in the interview so if you did them or physics you would definitely be in with a good shout with them for doing e and i

DeccyJ

If you can go for E&I at all, do. I'm a spark and while I don't do too badly with work, I've had to travel abroad quite a bit. If I had E&I, work would be a lot easier to find in Ireland. That said there are ways around it. A City&Guilds in instrumentation is very valuable, well regarded, and FÁS do the course. Just not as valuable as a decent apprenticeship in E&I.

With E&I you can practice as a qualified electrician as well. There's no difference that way, so you do really get the best of both worlds.

One piece of advice I would give anyone starting out though.
Don't do the apprenticeship. Do a degree in either Electrical Engineering or Physics & Instrumentation, or even Instrument Engineering. You get better paid eventually, and you're treated with a lot more respect (and the work is easier!). Not only that, but the opportunities are vastly greater afterwards. Plenty of engineers work cross discipline. You're not as pigeon-holed. I know it's attractive to get paid while you study but it's a false economy. I like my job, but that's a true regret that I would have done differently if I knew then what I know now, recession or no recession.

Please consider it. If you can't afford to go to college you could always do Physics & Instrumentation at night in CIT but are you guaranteed to be working in Cork as an apprentice? Unlikely, unless you go with Glaxo or someone. It would be worth it, and if I had my time again I would get the degree, no question.

You should consider the ESB's young engineer programme, if you haven't already. They pay you to do 1st year of an apprenticeship before paying you to do engineering in college. If you're bent on doing the apprenticeship it might be worth checking out Conoco Philips down in Whitegate. If you did E&I there you could work anywhere afterwards.

Best of luck!

HoggyRS

DeccyJ wrote: »

If you can go for E&I at all, do. I'm a spark and while I don't do too badly with work, I've had to travel abroad quite a bit. If I had E&I, work would be a lot easier to find in Ireland. That said there are ways around it. A City&Guilds in instrumentation is very valuable, well regarded, and FÁS do the course. Just not as valuable as a decent apprenticeship in E&I.

With E&I you can practice as a qualified electrician as well. There's no difference that way, so you do really get the best of both worlds.

One piece of advice I would give anyone starting out though.
Don't do the apprenticeship. Do a degree in either Electrical Engineering or Physics & Instrumentation, or even Instrument Engineering. You get better paid eventually, and you're treated with a lot more respect (and the work is easier!). Not only that, but the opportunities are vastly greater afterwards. Plenty of engineers work cross discipline. You're not as pigeon-holed. I know it's attractive to get paid while you study but it's a false economy. I like my job, but that's a true regret that I would have done differently if I knew then what I know now, recession or no recession.

Please consider it. If you can't afford to go to college you could always do Physics & Instrumentation at night in CIT but are you guaranteed to be working in Cork as an apprentice? Unlikely, unless you go with Glaxo or someone. It would be worth it, and if I had my time again I would get the degree, no question.

You should consider the ESB's young engineer programme, if you haven't already. They pay you to do 1st year of an apprenticeship before paying you to do engineering in college. If you're bent on doing the apprenticeship it might be worth checking out Conoco Philips down in Whitegate. If you did E&I there you could work anywhere afterwards.

Best of luck!

Thanks for the advice man. I'm actually just coming out of 4 years in college (ive a BA and a higher diploma in IT) so to go back to college would cost me an absolute ball, about 6 grand a year I believe. I suppose there might be able to get a grant but I wasn't on one when I was first in college. I didn't do honours maths or physics in school so i'd even worry about my capability to do the likes of electrical engineering. I would proper hate to be back into the college ****e again too, i'd had repeats every summer i was in college so its been 4 years of 11 month college years!

Got rejected by GSK the other day actually, waiting on Johnson & Johnson and Jones Eng. The apprenticeship that I might be starting at the end of the month(my buddy assures me i'm in there but hard to know) would be mainly in Cork, my buddy has been nearly exclusively in Cork for his 3 ish years. I don't mind leaving Cork though, half the people I know are gone from here sure.

I've never actually heard of Conoco Philips? Do they take on apprentices? I'll look into them.

Cheers again for the advice.

DeccyJ

Aha! Well, that changes everything!

OK, if it's the trade that you want to do then E&I is the one you should definitely go for.

I'd only say again: check out Conoco Phillips. They operate the refinery down in Whitegate. They'll be harder to get on to, but way better if you do. I can't emphasise that enough. Another thing to think about is maybe find out who does the E&I for companies like GE. They operate Bord Gáis's CCGT plant down in Whitegate (and in Galway too, I think). Training there would be pretty good too.

Simply put, the best experience is to be gained in maintenance and operations - not installation (any old spark can do that, and there's plenty of competition). This is how I would rate sectors that provide E&I apprenticeship training: (No expert, just speaking from my own experience. Feel free to disagree anyone!)

1. Oil&Gas or Energy (power plants, etc): There's not many in Ireland, but Oil&Gas is a very well regarded sector (probably cause it's the most dangerous), and possibly the most valuable apprenticeship - remember, it's still 4 years of your life, so you want it to be the best you can get.
2. Pharmaceutical/Medical/Electronics Manufacturing: A close second, not much between them really. Both this sector and Oil&Gas operate under strict conditions, and there is a lot of instrumentation involved. That will stand to you when/if you go looking for a job afterwards, and you could easily work in Oil&Gas afterwards if you have solid experience in this sector. If you're willing to travel there's a lot of opportunities out there.
3. Food Processing/Manufacturing: Similar to number two but you could find yourself working under wet and smelly conditions. Personally, I've hated any work I've done in this sector. Valuable and well regarded practical experience though (if you can handle the environment).
4. General Manufacturing: Has the potential to introduce you to a lot of solid instrumentation work, but also may not be as strict as the environments the above operate in, thereforenot as impressive on the CV.
5. E&I Installation (with the likes of Jones/Mercury/Kirby's etc): Definitely the last I'd choose. Enjoyable work, but every man and his dog is at it, and opportunities are not what they were at the moment. Things might turn around again but it seems like a gamble. You could still work your way up from this starting point (plenty of people have and do) but it will be way harder and you might simply have to rely on luck. If you do choose this route for whatever reason make sure you push your foreman to allow you onto the commissioning teams as soon as possible, but don't count on it. If you're stuck doing ladder rack for 4 years it's a bad place to be. The only time you might get a sniff of instrumentation is in college and that's no good for the CV. No guarantee that that's actually what will happen but it's a very real risk.

If I can help you with anything at all just ask.

Good luck!

HoggyRS

DeccyJ wrote: »

Aha! Well, that changes everything!

OK, if it's the trade that you want to do then E&I is the one you should definitely go for.

I'd only say again: check out Conoco Phillips. They operate the refinery down in Whitegate. They'll be harder to get on to, but way better if you do. I can't emphasise that enough. Another thing to think about is maybe find out who does the E&I for companies like GE. They operate Bord Gáis's CCGT plant down in Whitegate (and in Galway too, I think). Training there would be pretty good too.

Simply put, the best experience is to be gained in maintenance and operations - not installation (any old spark can do that, and there's plenty of competition). This is how I would rate sectors that provide E&I apprenticeship training: (No expert, just speaking from my own experience. Feel free to disagree anyone!)

1. Oil&Gas or Energy (power plants, etc): There's not many in Ireland, but Oil&Gas is a very well regarded sector (probably cause it's the most dangerous), and possibly the most valuable apprenticeship - remember, it's still 4 years of your life, so you want it to be the best you can get.
2. Pharmaceutical/Medical/Electronics Manufacturing: A close second, not much between them really. Both this sector and Oil&Gas operate under strict conditions, and there is a lot of instrumentation involved. That will stand to you when/if you go looking for a job afterwards, and you could easily work in Oil&Gas afterwards if you have solid experience in this sector. If you're willing to travel there's a lot of opportunities out there.
3. Food Processing/Manufacturing: Similar to number two but you could find yourself working under wet and smelly conditions. Personally, I've hated any work I've done in this sector. Valuable and well regarded practical experience though (if you can handle the environment).
4. General Manufacturing: Has the potential to introduce you to a lot of solid instrumentation work, but also may not be as strict as the environments the above operate in, thereforenot as impressive on the CV.
5. E&I Installation (with the likes of Jones/Mercury/Kirby's etc): Definitely the last I'd choose. Enjoyable work, but every man and his dog is at it, and opportunities are not what they were at the moment. Things might turn around again but it seems like a gamble. You could still work your way up from this starting point (plenty of people have and do) but it will be way harder and you might simply have to rely on luck. If you do choose this route for whatever reason make sure you push your foreman to allow you onto the commissioning teams as soon as possible, but don't count on it. If you're stuck doing ladder rack for 4 years it's a bad place to be. The only time you might get a sniff of instrumentation is in college and that's no good for the CV. No guarantee that that's actually what will happen but it's a very real risk.

If I can help you with anything at all just ask.

Good luck!

Cheers for the reply again man, i'll reply properly later, i'm actually out the door as i've another interview for electrical with the Cork company I was on about in my last post(if anyone wants to know the name they can PM me but don't want it out here). I'm the only one being interviewed(the project manager who rang me actually called it a "chat" rather than an interview). My buddy who works with them reckons I might be starting next week.

2011

An interesting post by Deccy, clearly based on first hand experience.

DeccyJ wrote: »

Simply put, the best experience is to be gained in maintenance and operations - not installation (any old spark can do that, and there's plenty of competition).

I served my time as an industrial electrician working on large high profile projects mainly in the Dublin area, I also spent several years working as part of an E & I maintenance team. In my opinion E & I installation experience is not "better" than E & I maintenance experience or visa versa. Both roles have pros and cons.

Some will argue that E & I personnel with maintenance experience can have an advantage when it comes to fault finding. Many electricians that come from a construction background learn these skills other ways, for example while providing commissioning and automation assistance during plant start up.

Much of the experience I gained by working on electrical installation work as an apprentice and electrician made it possible for me to work on large exciting projects that paid very well in other countries. Ironically it was that experience that resulted in me being offered an excellent E & I maintenance role.

When working in this role I found that in general the maintenance team were incapable of carrying out installation work and felt that their skills were not much use outside of the plant that they were used to. This made many of them feel vulnerable. On the other hand there was not much that they did not know about instrument calibration and VSDs.

I also found that working on the installation of an electrical installation in the industrial sector was exciting and involved working with the latest state of the art equipment. Whereas much of the maintenance work involve working with some very dated equipment that was fit for the bin.

This is how I would rate sectors that provide E&I apprenticeship training: (No expert, just speaking from my own experience. Feel free to disagree anyone!)

1. Oil&Gas or Energy (power plants, etc): There's not many in Ireland, but Oil&Gas is a very well regarded sector (probably cause it's the most dangerous), and possibly the most valuable apprenticeship - remember, it's still 4 years of your life, so you want it to be the best you can get.

As you point out there is very little of this in Ireland. Most of the experience gained in the pharmaceutical industry is highly relevant to this industry, such as the installation of electrical equipment in hazardous atmospheres. Therefore anyone with pharmaceutical experience should not find the transition to oil and gas that difficult. However it does not work quite so well the other way around as someone with oil and gas experience will not have experience in a GMP enviroment.

There are some very specific courses required for offshore work, but the opportunities for this type of work in Ireland are not very plentiful. I worked on two oil rigs (in dry dock) and decided that I would not be suited to offshore work. ALl of my colleagues felt the same.

2. Pharmaceutical/Medical/Electronics Manufacturing: A close second, not much between them really. Both this sector and Oil&Gas operate under strict conditions, and there is a lot of instrumentation involved. That will stand to you when/if you go looking for a job afterwards, and you could easily work in Oil&Gas afterwards if you have solid experience in this sector. If you're willing to travel there's a lot of opportunities out there.

Even if you are not willing to travel there are plenty of opportunities out there in the pharmaceutical industry. A quick Google shows that pharmaceutical companies in Ireland include:
Wyeth
Merck
Pfizer
Yamanouch
Genzyme
Allergan
Takeda
Novartis
GlaxoSmithKline
Bristol- Myers Squibb
Vistakon
Leo

The Pharma Industry Remains Robust in Recent Downturn.

Although much of the pharma industry in located in Dublin and Cork, there are plants in many other parts of Ireland.

Although I have several years oil and gas experience none of it was gained in Ireland.

HoggyRS

Got offered an electrical apprenticeship(they dont train instrument techs) today with an industrial electrical and instrumentation contractor 3 hours after they interviewed me. I'm starting monday down in Glaxosmithkline as they're doing some work down there. I reckon i'll get a bit of exposure to instrumentation but its a pity I couldn't get an apprenticeship in it. That said, i'm extremely excited to be starting next week.

2011

HoggyRS wrote: »

Got offered an electrical apprenticeship(they dont train instrument techs) today with an industrial electrical and instrumentation contractor 3 hours after they interviewed me. I'm starting monday down in Glaxosmithkline as they're doing some work down there. I reckon i'll get a bit of exposure to instrumentation but its a pity I couldn't get an apprenticeship in it. That said, i'm extremely excited to be starting next week.

Fantastic news, congratulations. That sounds like a great job, I am sure you will gain some great experience there.

HoggyRS

HoggyRS wrote: »

Got offered an electrical apprenticeship(they dont train instrument techs) today with an industrial electrical and instrumentation contractor 3 hours after they interviewed me. I'm starting monday down in Glaxosmithkline as they're doing some work down there. I reckon i'll get a bit of exposure to instrumentation but its a pity I couldn't get an apprenticeship in it. That said, i'm extremely excited to be starting next week.

Excellent news. Congrats and best of luck. You're in for an adventure

HoggyRS

Cheers lads, I might resurrect this thread in a few months to let ye know if i'm surviving!

confusedeire

If you manage to stay in cork you can do applied physics and instrumentation in cit in cork at an evening course.

DeccyJ

Great news HoggyRS!

2011 - couldn't agree more with you. Especially about the direction from Pharma to Oil&Gas. Thanks for clarifying.

HoggyRS

Well lads, bit of an interesting update. Just into my fourth week sparking down in glaxosmithkline, saw alot of interesting stuff on the pharmaceutical side of things and also on a new build down there at the moment. However, got a call yesterday evening off Jones Engineering(O'Sheas electrical down here) asking me was I around for an interview for an E&I apprenticeship, told them my craic(already working etc) and they said I could go straight to their office after work yesterday and interview.

Turned up covered in concrete dust in my liverpool jersey and snickers for the interview! Was convinced it was a waste of time but they offered me an E&I apprenticeship, working between O'Sheas and Douglas Calibration! Took it anyways, finishing up with my current employer on friday, starting with them on monday in Pfizers down here!

Was enjoying doing electrical but delighted now to be doing E&I! Happy days.

HoggyRS

HoggyRS wrote: »

Well lads, bit of an interesting update. Just into my fourth week sparking down in glaxosmithkline, saw alot of interesting stuff on the pharmaceutical side of things and also on a new build down there at the moment. However, got a call yesterday evening off Jones Engineering(O'Sheas electrical down here) asking me was I around for an interview for an E&I apprenticeship, told them my craic(already working etc) and they said I could go straight to their office after work yesterday and interview.

Turned up covered in concrete dust in my liverpool jersey and snickers for the interview! Was convinced it was a waste of time but they offered me an E&I apprenticeship, working between O'Sheas and Douglas Calibration! Took it anyways, finishing up with my current employer on friday, starting with them on monday in Pfizers down here!

Was enjoying doing electrical but delighted now to be doing E&I! Happy days.

Good man! Good things come to those who wait (sometimes) Better oppertunities as an E&I. Only out of an interview for a fire alarm crowd myself. Fingers crossed!

HoggyRS

shaaane wrote: »

Good man! Good things come to those who wait (sometimes) Better oppertunities as an E&I. Only out of an interview for a fire alarm crowd myself. Fingers crossed!

Thanks man! Hope that fire alarm job works out!

2011

HoggyRS wrote: »

Turned up covered in concrete dust in my liverpool jersey and snickers for the interview!Was convinced it was a waste of time but they offered me an E&I apprenticeship, working between O'Sheas and Douglas Calibration!

Not the best way to present yourself for an interview, but perhaps they felt that you looked like someone that was not afraid of hard work

Was enjoying doing electrical but delighted now to be doing E&I! Happy days.

Congratulations.
Now you just have to apply yourself and learn.
I think you will find the work fascinating.
Best of luck.

m.j.w

Fair play to you, im just finished my apprenticeship in December and the time realy flies in!! Im working at maintainance in a factory but if I had have known I would have went for the E&I jobs. All the best with it, not many getting offered 2 jobs these days.

DeccyJ

That's great news HoggyRS.

To be honest, I was a bit disheartened at the thought of another electrical apprentice in the pipeline.

You've been granted a great opportunity. Make sure you make the most of it!

DeccyJ

And I don't know if people have noticed the introduction of these so-called "electricians' helpers" on site recently?

Disgraceful means of getting some unfortunate soul who doesn't know any better to do the job of an apprentice with no future or formal training for him/her. And the union doesn't seem to be doing the slightest thing about it. I've seen it advertised on FÁS's website, the cheek! And how many apprentices are out of work? It beggars belief.