In this issue Paul, an electrical tutor at our Leeds centre, shares some valuable advice for practical assessments and working on site.

Name: Paul Dexter
Centre: Leeds
Years in the industry: 34

What did you do prior to becoming an electrical tutor?
I initially completed an indentured electrical craft / technician’s apprenticeship in the mining industry. This involved working on special installations in both preventative planned maintenance and proactive maintenance.

What do you like most about being an electrical tutor?
I want to pass on my knowledge and experience so the student’s confidence grows. I also want to help maintain industry standards in the practical sessions, and motivate and empower students to self-assess through open discussions and technical referencing.

What tips can you give for how best to prepare for practical assessments?
Read your task notes, before arriving for the practical assessments. Focus on the set tasks. Be aware that there’s a natural progression to ensure the installation is installed correctly. Finally, ask questions if you’re unsure of anything.

What’s your best practical tip for electricians working on-site?
Plan your work well, and know where you are in the job schedule and what’s expected of you. Communication is important too, either with the customer, other trades or the site manager.

What’s the best thing about being an electrician?
As an electrician I was fortunate enough to travel across the country so I’ve got to see and work at some very interesting places that I wouldn’t have visited.

Do you have any interesting experiences from working as an electrician that you’d like to share?
I was once asked to rewire a domestic installation. After working well on Saturday, I had only the kitchen left to do. On Sunday, I was about to start but the tenant insisted on cooking a full roast dinner. What made it more remarkable was the kitchen fitters had now removed the old kitchen units. So in the end the only things in the kitchen were me, two kitchen fitters, the cooker with veg boiling away and roast beef in the oven, and the customer waiting for his Sunday dinner!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 16th, 2011 at 3:02 pm and is filed under Electrical, OLCI, Training centres. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.