Hi, my eldest has applied for an apprenticeship** at WPD and he’s now through to round-3, the practical skills tests.

We’ve been told it will be a three hour test inc Colour Vision Test, Practical Test and Climbing Test.

Could anyone shed any light on what to expect in the practical skills test please?Anything he can prepare for? Pre-read? YouTube vids etc?

Thanks

**He’s applied for all options, fitter, jointer & linesman so fingers crossed!

Nudge

I’ve applied too and got through to the next stage (which surprised me as I didn’t finish all the maths questions!) if he’s going through Tipton I may see him

re. The test, I think it’ll just be basic wiring, perhaps wiring a plug, sorting a fuse box etc, I guess we’ll have instructions to follow, some of the pix on the WPD website give clues, I’m sure you’ve done so already but play all the videos and have a read through guidance

Could anyone shed any light on what to expect in the practical skills test please?

Driving the main road.

Searching for overloads in the sun.

Cutting through the whine to hear what’s being sung.

Ability to stay on the line.

YouTube vids etc?

Has he had to apply for a particular role or are they looking to recruit and then pick roles further down the line?

The tests will be along the lines of taking them up in a bucket to see if they have a head for heights.  They might even try them up a ladder or perhaps even climbing on spikes.  Having said that, if they’re looking at all trades in 3 hours, then they’ll not go too deep into detail.  They may also be given a length of cable and given instructions to remove Xmm of outer sheath and Ymm of core insulation with out cutting themselves or damaging the cable.

It’s a potentially dangerous industry so they’ll be looking for people who are aware of their surroundings, can listen and follow instructions.

They’ll most likely be watched even when they’re not being assessed.  One tip for this, leave the mobile phone in the car.  That way, the temptation to take it out for a quick check can be avoided.

Best of luck to him, it’s a great industry to get into.  There’s also loads of potential.  The vast majority of engineers I work with started out on the tools and have been in the job man and boy.

@rene59 I think Mr Campbell was singing about a telephone linesman rather than a power linesman.

When you made the initial application you had to list in order of preference the trade you’d like to get in to. Linesperson was my No.1. From the info given we’re only going to be climbing a ladder, no cherry picker or spikes, we’ll have to harness up though

Thanks both.  As houns says they’re bringing in a new cohort for the autumn, various locations, all three trades.  My lad appears fairly open to all three.

Agreed a great industry: and a lot of change on the horizon.

🤞 Good luck too houns!

I’m a HV jointer for northern power grid, started as an apprentice back in 80s.

I think onza has about nailed it with the tests. Whenever I’ve seen potential trainees at school they’ve been tested on:

Climb a ladder against a pole, maybe 8 metre ish, belt themselves on undo a nut and bolt then lean back and let go with both hands.

Make off a 3 pin plug on a piece of flex. Make off a piece of service cable into a cutout, after been shown of course.

I think it’s  a great industry to be in, different places everyday. Just be prepared to work in all conditions at any time of the day.

Oh and great tip for leaving his phone in car

Cheers, and to your lad too!  Must admit I did feel really old in my assessment, I had at least 20 years on all the lads there… I’ll make sure I’m first one up that ladder and leaning off come the practical!

Thanks for the tips solidrooster

@solidrooster, I’m now wondering if I might have issued you a PtW!

😂

I’m racking my brains now trying to think if I’ve ever had a safety document from an engineer called onzadog. Mind you I doubt you would have made it out to solidrooster. Which depot are you out of?

If your boy gets in at least he won’t have to worry about writing specific RAMS for any job he does!

30 years in the industry and as much as its changed its still a great place to work, team work and challenging conditions are all part of the life.

I started as an apprentice in metering but escaped onto Engineering and never looked back, 33 Linesman/Jointer and Live Line before I took a job in the office. Now an Engineer on New Connections for UKPN, and still get up every day looking forward to a challenge.

yes its a corporate world now where keeping the lights on is lost behind hours of countless meetings and crap, but the 3 main trades are as they were when I started.

Our New recruits are shown how to climb a pole, and given the chance to try, build up a service joint and take a look at different types of switchgear, the last few years we have taken a few people on as Trainee Linesmen and Jointers and had some good people come through, with ages ranging from 18 to 53.

good luck, and hopefully youll get to do what is a great job, whichever way it takes you.

Ha, didn’t realise there were so many of us on here!

@solidrooster I’ve pmed you but I’m as far south as we go.

Not in that part of the industry, but had dealings with UKPN, Scottish and Southern, and EDF, The engineers from UKPN were really good when we were dealing with Transformer/ service head upgrades.

Did get asked by the fellow from EDF if I was interested in joining them one evening when he was on site installing CT metering(UKPN had been in earlier upgrading the service head and jointing the existing supply cable to the new transformer), I declined as I enjoy what I do now.

Great field of work to be in. Loads of potential for a bright kid with a bit of sense. Look interested and listen.

Leave the phone in the car!

Thanks all for the advice (and the OP for starting the thread)

Its the only job I know where you look forward to bad weather! rain/wind/snow the lot bring it on, my wife gets concerned if I haven’t got myself on extra standby when the weather turns!

One of the other perks, is that in severe weather you get to travel the country and Europe helping people out, in my career I’ve known colleagues to be sent to Europe, all over the UK and even Jamaica! so its always an option. Some of my best memories of being on the tools were in 2006, the winter flooding in Carlisle saw us spend a week in Northern England/Scotland saw some fantastic places id never been to before. One village we went to near Shap was great, the locals were not only pleased to se us, but also did an article for the parish magazine of our Team, which also made the local paper, somewhere I have a copy as they sent one down.

If you get in you won’t regret it, and as I tell our younger guys now, never turn down training, watch, listen and ask loads of questions.

I got chatting to some WPD linesman when the snow in December brought down some trees/lines on National Trust land I volunteer at. I knew already that wanted to apply for apprenticeship, but those guys made me really hope that I make it through…. Of course added bonus that I’d get to drive round in some fun toys

Indeed vehicles are another plus point, the Unimog being my particular favourite, just when you think its stuck, it comes through and gets there!

The Industry is all in love with the Transit now, On the gang we had some great trucks, from a Leyland Roadrunner Box Truck through various Cargo”s, all of which had a purpose built body for the all important Tea kit, even doubled up as overnight accommodation more than once.

We have a few John Deers ATV”s great on big shutdowns for getting kit around, although to my peril I found they don’t float well, managed to bounce one out of a rut and into a dyke nose first on Blythburgh Marshes while doing an Hv Shutdown to replace poles, one of the Linemen ran over, I thought to offer help, but it was just to get a photo for his instagram account…..

all the best with your application.

Yeah I’ve got the NT’s Gator stuck a couple of times and is currently missing a door thanks to someone

ahem

Not my field at all but as a result of being on a couple of professional services frameworks for WPD I receive all their H&S incident notices. As per one of the comments earlier I would say finding an opportunity to demonstrate a H&S awareness/focus would be a strength.

Just back from my assessment day, all went well bar the pole climb. Climbed up, lent back all ok but really struggled reaching over to hook the equipment on the bar, I felt the only way I could reach it was by taking a ‘step’ out in to thin air. Annoyed at myself. Just hope my scores elsewhere are enough to bring up my average.

Op, if your son is still to have his let me know and I’ll give you the lowdown on the tests

I got offered a job as a linesman (well, woman). It was prob about 15 years ago now, but I was asked to use spikes to climb a pole and then change an insulator. Great fun! Kinda regret not taking the job. Good luck to your son.

Thanks Houns.  My lad was there today as well as it happens.

He thinks he did generally okay, didn’t ace anything but doesn’t feel like he dropped the ball either.  Fingers crossed!

…reckons that you’re in the last 200 for 40 roles!?

God knows how many applied originally.

Yeah it’s pretty sought after, that’s just for this area, chatting to one of the trainers he was saying they had the same amount the day before over in East Mids

Hi Houns – have you heard anything from WPD yet?

I know we’ve had Easter hols since which probably hasn’t helped but just wondering if you’d received any comms? My lad has not heard anything yet *as at 19/4

I’m a jointer for ENWL.

i started 5 years ago and they took around 4 months to get to the interview stage and then 2 months before they offered me the job.

if WPD are anything like our lot, your lad could be in for a long wait.

Good luck, it’s a great career.

Cheers strugglinon!

I was one of the first to get into the industry through the work force renewal program. From application to offer, it took well over six months. No news is good news.

Also, once you qualify, it gives you a skill that is in demand pretty much everywhere in the world. Plus the DNO will be a close to a job for life as anyone can get these days.

No, not heard anything yet, they did say it’ll be a at least a couple of weeks before we hear.

Champion.  That’s all more or less word-for-word what we’d said to him.

Thanks all.

Had a letter from them today, I’m shocked that I passed and I’m through to interview stage, hope your lad is through too

That’s great news Houns.  No news here yet.

Any news? I’m just back from my interview, again I’m not confident, I was well and truly stuck when asked about substations and a few other technical bits, ah well, experience for applying again next year

Fingers crossed!

Yes, at our end he’s received a Dear John letter.  No worries though, he’s found another job in the meantime but appears quite keen to reapply to WPD next year.