Frequently Asked Questions

We are happy to provide On-Site courses throughout the United Kingdom, providing we have availability.

No.

Although online courses are suitable for many subjects, we don’t believe PAT testing is one of them. In order to help candidates’ competency, our courses require practical demonstration and assessment, something impossible to do effectively through an online course.

No.

It is an operative’s responsibility to keep up to date with any changes in legislation or a change of Code of Practice, which can be obtained from the IET website.

The candidate will be required to undertake three assessments on the course; visually inspecting faults on leads and plugs, followed by actually appliance testing, and certificating an electrical appliance. This is carried out after the tutor has first shown the candidate how this is correctly done.

Based upon the candidate successfully completing these assessments to the required standard, the candidate would then be issued with a ‘Certificate of Competence’ allowing them to go on and carry out the procedures in the work place.

Yes.

Unlike the City and Guilds course which is a one day course, padded out into two days, we feel that a candidate can absorb all the information required to competently carry out PAT Testing after successful completion of our 1-day course.

No, our trainers provide a variety of PAT testers and electrical equipment for the candidate to use throughout the day. If a candidate does have their own PAT tester, we strongly recommend it is brought along so our trainers can assist in its use and function.

If a candidate would like to purchase a tester after the course, our trainer can give impartial advice on a suitable product to meet their requirements.

There are no pre-existing knowledge requirements for attending our training courses.

We regularly have people attend who wouldn’t know how to connect a 13A plug.

All candidates will require an understanding of written & spoken English, due to the regular references to the Code of Practice and the requirements for form completion.

If a candidate requires the use of reading glasses, please ensure they are brought along, as there are requirements for some close-up inspection practicals.

The short answer is ‘No’.

The IET Code of Practice states that persons carrying out PAT Testing should be ‘competent’ and nowhere in the code of practice do City & Guilds get a mention; although they are a recognised body for accreditation, you do not require their certificate to legally carry out PAT Testing.
Successfully completing our course gives a candidate all the required information, knowledge and training to understand what is required by the IET and how to implement it.

We regularly get candidates attending our training courses who have completed the City and Guilds 2377 course but still don’t know what to do!

This is because the City and Guilds 2377 syllabus is more geared towards trained electricians and is heavily theory based with very few practical elements, whereas our course is approximately 50/50.

Everything that you need to complete the course is provided on the day. From stationary to PAT testing equipment, we will ensure that you have all the material necessary to complete the course. Feel free to bring your own PAT tester if you own one that you may already be familiar with.

The Open course is scheduled to start at 9:30am and finish no later than 4.30pm.

Please arrive before 9:15am to ensure the course can start on time. Any further questions on the day can be answered by the instructor after the training course finishes.

The On-site courses can start whenever is convenient, usually before 9am.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided on all open courses; please advise us beforehand of any allergies/intolerances or other specific dietary requirements.

If we are carrying out training in your own premises, this will be up to the company hosting the event to decide, providing lunch if required.

Most of our open courses provide free parking, but there are exceptions. Visit our Locations & Venue page for more detailed information.

Sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances, delays can happen. Should this be the case, please contact our office on 01132 48 99 66 (option 3) as soon as possible, and we will inform the course instructor.

Insurance is required to carry out PAT testing but the answer depends on whether you are an employee, employer or self-employed. Companies’ public liability insurance will cover their employees whilst employers must provide both public liability insurance and employers’ liability insurance in case anything happens to a staff member or member of the public. Self-employed PAT testing operatives should have public liability insurance with cover up to the amount of £2M or even more, depending on customer requirements.

According to the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, all potentially hazardous electrical equipment must be safely maintained. However, the specifics about how, when and who should do this are not set out in Regulations.

In addition, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to ensure the ‘health, safety and welfare of persons at work’ and of anyone connected to ‘the activities of persons at work’. All employers must also provide and maintain plant and systems of work that are safe and do not pose a risk to health as far as is reasonably practicable.

Finally, the Health & Safety Act imposes a further duty to ensure the health and safety of persons not in their employment i.e. customers, contractors, and anyone else using a business’ facilities, including when they are open to the public.