History
Having worked in the electrical industry for over twenty years as a “sparky” and more recently as a lecturer, certain things have gradually dawned on me. I had always known how standards of training and installation and could have been better amongst my peers, but the question is “How do you achieve this? I was very lucky in my early years. I served my time as an indentured apprentice with one of the old regional electricity boards. The training was second to none but I did not realise this at the time! When I started teaching, being a little rusty from the classroom, I sat and read what was around on the market.
What I found disturbed me. Installation books are written by very educated people who don’t do installation work for a living. The publications are technically correct but lacking in real-life problem solving. They are also written in “exact” language which is difficult for the contracting electrician to follow, never mind be interested in!
The idea I had in starting to write was a long drawn out affair. Yes it had been discussed many times between family, friends and even students!
The final catalyst to was the inclusion of the IEE electrical regulations into the building regulations in England and Wales, more commonly known as “Part P”. This has mainly affected the kitchen and bathroom fitters, who now have to comply with the law when doing electrical installation as a side line to their main job. Within the electrical industry is a lot of hostility to these chaps being legitimised by doing short domestic installer courses. The time served man regards these individuals as “5 day wonders”. They scoff, “How can these guys become electricians in one week?”
Well, I am one of those trainers who look after these people. I know I can’t turn out electricians in a week. However the law of the land says a person must be competent to work on an electrical system and I can teach a person that much with no problems. At the very least I give them what they need to get started for a new, law abiding and safe career as domestic electricians.
You may be asking now, “How does he do that?” well, the answer is easy.
Simply, I have an in depth understanding of regulations and installation science. This can sometimes be unnecessarily deep in regard to the “domestic” installation. I attempt to strip away all the big words and technical language and give it to the student in layman’s terms. Also, because I am a practicing electrician I can then bust all the electrical myths and give tips for making the job easier and quicker. At the end of my courses a lot of students comment “It can’t be that easy, can it?” Well the answer is yes it can!
To summarise, this website and my written work is for kitchen and bathroom fitters, who “spark” as a by-product of their main job. It will, however, be useful for craft apprentices, self confessed “rusty” electricians and even keen DIYers!
Being an author is a relatively new venture and has been difficult for me though very enjoyable. I do hope you enjoy reading here as much as I did putting it together.
Alan Lynch
December 2009