MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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A local ventilation company are looking for a trainee technician. Admittedly I don't know a great deal about this industry, but it does seem to tick many boxes for me.
As someone who has no relevant professional qualifications (good school grades) and a few years experience in a well paid but ultimately unskilled dead-end job, I realise I will have to enter at the bottom rung wherever I go in order to progress career wise - but I also know that my ambitions won't be satisfied to remain at technician level.
-What qualifications would you expect to be on offer? Not just at this level, but to continue further in this field.
-How long would you expect a competent person to be in training for?
-What would you expect to receive in regards to earnings?
-What does your typical working week look like? This appears to be 40 hours per week, predominantly Mon-Fri (sometimes early starts) with potential for emergency out-calls.
Obviously I will be asking such questions when I meet them later this week, but I suppose I am looking for some confirmation beforehand and possibly for other things I haven't yet considered.
Thanks in advance.
I’m a chartered mechanical building services engineer (which encompasses HVAC).
You’ve not given nearly enough info to give a more specific response as technician could cover a vent ductwork installer, someone who operates the ductwork manufacturing equipment (25 years ago, the contractor I worked for it was all automated/computer controlled, I did the site surveys/measure ups & manufacturing drawings), it could be design of systems... 3D modelling is where things are at/headed. There are dedicated manufacturing CAD packages, not used them myself though.
For chartered you need a masters degree these days, that’s 4 or 5 years at uni full time though. More likely to be HNC/HND level part time over the same period. My initial training was five years (in a M&E consultancy design office, with day release to tech colleges) I came out with a college diploma that would have allowed me IEng (had I pursued it). I went to uni full time in my mid 20’s (of my own volition/cost).
Do you have maths & physics school qualifications?
Here’s a link to the most recent pay information I know of (and the spectrum it covers):
https://www.cibsejournal.com/general/hays-salary-survey-2019-bridge-over-troubled-water/
Are you looking at staying in a fitting roll? I deal with one company a lot and the design behind it is pretty basic, we need to move this amount of air to meet these calcs etc etc, we need to collect this to this value.
Not particularly hard graft,l but can involve tight spaces/lofts etc, some of the ac or air handling units can be heavy but in this day and age lifting isnt really ever an issue on big sites.