Dave Noakes has been an ECS cardholder for 25 years and quickly signed up to become a Registered Electrician when it launched. He explains why it was important to him to get on board.
Over 7500 ECS cardholders have become an ECS Registered Electrician following the launch of the new status last year. We recently ran an article covering some of the frequently asked questions about the status. In this piece, we get a first-hand account from Dave Noakes, an early adopter of ECS Registered Electrician, to get his view on what it means for the electrical industry.
“I decided to add Registered Electrician status to my card as soon as it was possible as I felt it was a real positive step by the ECS. The ECS card scheme overall is affordable, with good solid checks on qualifications. Some other schemes can be more about membership fees than quality in my view; also membership fees on these schemes are expensive.”
“For me, Registered Electrician status brings great benefits and the more recognised it becomes in the industry, the better it will become. It shows you're qualified and have been assessed. The wider industry has needed a scheme like this for many years.”
Throughout his career, Dave has kept up to date by undertaking additional training such as solar PV, CDM regulations EAWR1989 & electrical safety management to name a few.
“Keeping qualifications up to date is essential,” he says. “To carry out high-quality work both installation maintenance and inspection & testing, electricians must have the most up to date qualifications and training. I will take the BS7671 exam as soon as possible after the July release date of the 18th Edition.
His advice to other electricians is clear: “I would encourage all qualified electricians to sign up. It proves your qualifications and it's not a lot of money, even for a first time application with the H&S exam, to invest in having proof of the skills & qualifications you've worked hard to obtain. If you take a look at some of the other scheme providers, the ECS card is amazing value.
“I would say to all qualified sparks let's make this the industry standard registration scheme. The more of us who join the Registered status the better.”
The MyECS Virtual Card app, which has received over 10,000 downloads since it launched earlier this year, is also proving beneficial: “I have downloaded the App, it's a really handy way of having an electronic version of the card with you at all times,” he says. “These days, who doesn't carry their smartphone with them? The physical card is still important in my view, but the virtual card app is a great addition and another free benefit.”
“On a final note, I would like to believe if the ECS scheme can become the industry standard maybe the Government can be encouraged to class electrical work like gas. Hopefully backing this scheme of registration and having the same enforcement for electrical work as GasSafe is something I feel is long overdue in the electrical industry.”
Career Fact File
Dave started his training as an apprentice electrician for an electrical contractor in central London, working for them for five years and attending college two evenings a week. Following this he joined Laing Construction for 18 years working on major construction and refurbishment projects, keeping his qualifications up to date and dealing with the NICEIC as a QS.
More recently he has worked with the Building Research Establishment as a Senior Electrician, dealing with a large mixed-use estate and also working on electrical research projects, which have formed part of BS7671 amendments and changes that are due in the new 18th Edition.
He became a TMIET member of the IET in 2012 and plans to become an MIET member this year.