Steve Evans, Clarkson Evans Managing Director, was among the judges who decided on this year’s winners – to be announced during a ceremony at Cheltenham Racecourse on Wednesday 4 April.

HRH Princess Anne will be among the high profile guests attending the event and three of our apprentices will be lucky enough to meet her in person.

Now’s the time to book a course before it’s too late

During this year all solar PV courses are changing and in future you’ll need to have NVQ3 before you can achieve an accredited PV installer qualification.

Reasons to BOOK NOW:

1. The new courses from will only be available for those with NVQ3 in Electrical Installation.
2. Our current Logic Certification course requires only 3 days off work – the new course will last 5 days.
3. The price will increase for the new course (to reflect the longer duration).

To check the latest availability and book online, click here. Or call us on 0845 900 3600.

Understanding the new inspection and testing qualifications

Confused by the changes to the City & Guilds inspection and testing qualifications?

Then let us explain what all the new qualification numbers mean and hopefully set you on the right path.

Until recently there were two 2391 qualifications: the 2391-10, widely known as ‘inspection & testing’ and the 2391-20, known as ‘the design course’. Now the 2391-10 has been divided into two qualifications (2394 and 2395) and the 2391-20 has been raised to level 4 and given a new course number (2396).

The new 2394 is the Award in the Initial Verification and Certification of Electrical Installations and it covers inspection and testing of new work carried out in electrical installations, covering both single and three phase supplies. Anyone involved in the periodic inspection and testing of existing installations to ensure they remain safe and effective will need to achieve the 2395 qualification (the Award in the Periodic Inspection, Testing and Certification of Electrical Installations).

Meanwhile the new 2396 is for electricians looking to take their career to the next level by developing knowledge and skills in designing and verifying installations.

There is another inspection and testing qualification aimed at electricians who need to learn the basics (the City & Guilds 2392). This level 2 Certificate in Fundamental Inspection, Testing and Initial Verification focuses on inspecting and testing domestic installations and is a valuable foundation for moving on to the level 3 courses. By splitting the old 2391-10, City & Guilds have narrowed the big gap that used to exist between this and the 2392. Now electricians and installers have a valuable stepping stone towards the ‘main’ inspection and testing qualification that most people will be aiming to achieve (the 2395).

Still confused? The table below summarises the inspection and testing qualifications now available.

Achieving the 2392 involves passing an online multiple choice test and a practical assessment. Just like the old level 3 qualifications, all of the new ones require candidates to pass an exam with written answers. For each of the 2394 and 2395 awards, candidates will also have to pass an online multiple choice exam and a practical assessment. And the design qualification still requires the completion of a project.

Our total workforce of over 350 staff are based at branches covering much of southern England, the Midlands and South Wales, but it’s only in the last six months that business has really taken off in Devon and Cornwall.

Despite operating in an industry that has struggled through the recession, we have steadily expanded in the last two years and Steve Evans, managing director, puts this down to two key things. “We invest heavily in staff development and have a strong emphasis on customer service”, said Steve. “We usually employ at least 40 apprentices every year across all branches, offering them a long-term career path. The vast majority progress to become our team leaders and everyone is taught from day one that in our customers’ eyes we’re only as good as our last job”.

Amongst those who attended the official opening of the Exeter branch were senior staff from our key customers – the UK’s leading house builders – as well as Councillor Kevin Mitchell (Deputy Lord Mayor of Exeter) and Richard Daulton, Employer Services Manager at the National Apprenticeship Service. Richard commented on the clear importance of workforce development to the success of the business, saying “A significant amount of the reputation and growth of Clarkson Evans can be directly attributed to their substantial and sustained investment in Apprenticeships”.

When asked about plans for further growth in the South West, Steve Evans is cautiously optimistic about the future. “These remain difficult times for the house building industry but there are positive signs that we’ll be able to expand our workforce and offer more apprenticeships in the coming months. We’re pressing forward not just with the volume of sites we’re working on but also the range of services we offer – solar photovoltaic installations are in particular high demand”, said Steve.

We’re delighted to have scooped the Medium Apprentice Employer prize at the prestigious National Apprenticeship Awards.

This year’s awards attracted thousands of entries from across the country and the chosen few were invited along to this week’s ceremony at the Mermaid Conference Centre in London. Having fought off tough competition, we were presented with this much coveted national award that recognises our commitment to apprenticeships.

“It’s only by employing apprentices and training them in-house that we’ve been able to develop a dedicated workforce with the right skills”, said Steve Evans, managing director. “We always look for people who are keen to forge long-term careers with Clarkson Evans and many previous apprentices have grown with the company, taking on more responsibility and helping us maintain high levels of customer service as we continue to expand”.

Gold Medals are awarded only to organisations that have achieved RoSPA Gold Awards over at least five consecutive years – and we’re very proud to be one of them.

Judged by a panel of professionals from organisations including the Health & Safety Executive and the Electrical Contractors’ Association, Gold Awards can only be achieved by demonstrating a culture of excellent health & safety management, a rigorous approach and high levels of compliance.

Photo shows Mike Parker, Rospa Trustee (left) presenting the award to Steve Clarkson, our technical director.

By reducing the tariffs for large-scale solar the Government is effectively protecting the money available for small-scale projects. This new focus will result in an increased demand for domestic installation of solar panels, providing businesses in the industry with more chances to compete for work. SummitSkills – the sector skills council for the building services engineering sector – has welcomed the announcement.

Back in April 2001 Jon joined a team of just three training staff who trained mainly apprentices and only around 100 paying customers each year. Now the 12-strong team welcomes around 1,500 delegates a year and delivers a wide range of electrical qualifications.

Jon commented on the highlights of his 10 years: “Achieving Centre of Vocational Excellence status in 2003 was a major turning point, and being part of a team that’s won so many awards has been great. The most memorable thing has probably been my trip to Iraq in 2009 to deliver 17^th Edition training.”

Clarkson Evans has been selected as a finalist for this year’s South West Regional Apprenticeship Awards.

After having won the Medium Employer prize in 2004, the inaugural year of the competition, we’ve continued to invest in training large numbers of apprentices, helping young people establish worthwhile careers in the industry.

We’ve also seen significant business benefits and would strongly encourage other employers to support this training.

The regional final will take place in Taunton on Wednesday 18 May. We’re keeping our fingers crossed!

Gloucester based Hewer Facilities Management was established over 40 years ago and has evolved into one of the region’s leading building services, installation and maintenance providers. A large part of their success can be owed to their strong track record for investing in apprentices.

Since 1965 Hewer FM have employed more than 50 apprentices, mainly following electrical schemes but also in other trades such as plumbing, gas and pipe fitting. Working in partnership with training providers including Clarkson Evans, the company has been able to develop the staff it needs to expand. Hewer FM now cover all aspects of electrical and mechanical services in industrial, commercial and domestic sectors.

“We took the decision many years ago that it was no good just complaining about skill levels and the lack of suitably qualified electricians available”, said Paul Thompson, Mechanical and Electrical Contracts Manager. “By taking on apprentices we are able to provide our own supply of well trained, committed staff who understand the multi-faceted nature of our business. And it’s only by training apprentices and promoting people through the ranks that we can maintain our ethos of high quality workmanship and customer service.

“Finding the right training provider is an important part of the equation. Clarkson Evans is one of the electrical providers we currently work with and they provide an excellent apprenticeship programme that’s very flexible according to the needs of employers and apprentices. This has been a great asset in helping us turn our apprentices into fully fledged electricians.”

Those lucky enough to secure an apprenticeship with Hewer FM can look forward to some of the best training around, joining a multi-skilled workforce and climbing a well established career ladder.

“Although the current economic climate means it’s been a challenging time for us, we are hoping to take on two electrical apprentices this year”, said Paul. “This is a vital part of our strategy for keeping the business moving forward and making sure we emerge from the recession in good shape to respond to the ever-changing needs of our customers”.