A new Start

[Old Timer Chris]

Hi All
After 22 year in the RAF followed by 23 years of experience of industry, I should be putting my feet up and heading for retirement. But no! I have decided to cherry pick my career and have put together an engineering course. A course which will give you focus, something to aim for and a new start where the more you learn the more you will earn. I have my reasons for doing this because I know too many of us leave without really understanding industry or the skills you need to taken seriously. I know you can do better, because you will not make the same mistakes I made. This is why I have decided to work on a course designed for you. If you are not convinced, just go to Job Site and type in ‘Control Engineering’ if you are still not convinced try ‘Maintenance Engineer’ and see how many hits you get where knowledge of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are required. These are jobs with real opportunities, all over the country, and I can help you reach a standard where you will stand a chance of entering this industry at a sensible level. This is a unique opportunity to learn from someone who understands where you are coming from and where you need to go. I won’t assume! I have prepared notes from binary/hex number systems all the way through to advance Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) ladder logic programming, including Industrial Communications. There are also modules which cover Motors and Drives and the commonly used industrial hardware associated with a PLC control system. If you don’t know what SCADA is, or have never heard of PIDs, DDE/ OPC, you will after this course. This is about helping you gain a real understanding of PLCs and Control Engineering over a 3 week period. I am now at the stage where I would like to find up to 6 volunteers to try it out on a cost neutral basis approximately £100/per person for printing and the hire of a room (to be confirmed). Oh and you supply your own lunch. In return you get to learn how to program PLCs and learn about Control Engineering and I get the opportunity to build up a reputation for delivering a high end engineering course so I will need some background information. If you are interested send an email to cdk.rutland@btinternet.com. I live near Cottesmore (now Kendrew Barracks) so I think it is safe to assume that you can arrange accommodation if there is enough interest. Priority will be given to though of you who are prepared to come and visit me and look at the training equipment and the material I have prepared and discuss if this is something you would really like to do! This could be the best investment of your time you have ever made!

Over to you!

 

[Old Timer Chris]

A new Start

PS feel free to ask me any questions via the forum....like can I instruct? or have you approached the CTP for instance. and while you are at it check what it will cost for a single weeks training on PLCs from a preferred provider. This is genuine offer!

 

[vim_fuego]

Hi Chris...one thread on this subject will suffice. If you get any business out of using the Goat to advertise feel free to hit the green 'donate' button at the near top of the page and bung this non-profit making site some much needed sheckles?

 

[Old Timer Chris]

Donations

Donations

No probs! just made one with more to come!

 

[Flybynight]

Chris

People would be more likely to read this if you broke it up into paragraphs, which must reflect against your credibility. I've met a lot of people who described themselves as 'maintenance engineers' in the NHS and elsewhere in the public sector, who in reality were little more than handymen with pay to match.

 

[Old Timer Chris]

Commitment is the key!

Commitment is the key!

Good point, and maybe that is why I had no takers, but I am sincere about what I am trying to achieve and believe me PLC programming is a very high end engineering skill and if you look at jobsite as suggested there is plenty of information about the type of jobs requiring these skills and the salary expectations. This is a vast area of potential employment and all I am trying to do is give you a new start and suggest a sensible ways to help you move forward. You will still have your ELCs in tact to spent on further training and stand a real chance of actually gaining useful information, from one of these week long course as opposed to sitting there wondering what on earth is going on!

 

[Foz]

PLCs

PLCs

I left the RAF in 2006 and whilst trying to gain employment in engineering for a decent wage it was very apparent that having PLC knowledge was high on most engineering companies recruitment adverts, I booked myself onto an evening course to learn some PLC to give myself a better chance of landing a well paid job. It was tricky to find somewhere that actually taught PLC at a reasonable price.
I have since been employed by Nestle and have completed further PLC training paid for by them, I think they employed me partly because I had shown some get up and go by getting a PLC course privately to compliment my other engineering skills.
I would recommend a PLC course to anyone trying to gain employment in an engineering environment. It's a little extra on your CV that could give you the edge over someone who has not even made the effort to learn about PLCs.

 

[Old Timer Chris]

At Last a reply!

At Last a reply!

At last a reply that’s positive! And still no takers for a 3 week 100 quid course! Amazingly, if you can find one that lasts for 3 weeks, you were easily looking at 3 grand’s worth of course from a preferred provider, so it is not my intention to compete. Besides, without a course like mine you’re not going to get much out of theirs unless you are PLC trained!

If you do choose a new career in Control/Automation Engineering and want to go somewhere you will need to understand PLC’s. So, if nothing else, I suggest you at least do some research!

Thanks to those of you that actually read ‘Time for a New Start’ and even more thanks if you actually followed up the links at Jobsite because that must have given you something to think about!

And yes ‘Vim’ I have added some more funds to the Goat’

 

[briggfairy]

the problem I see it chris is that your asking people in their resettlement phase to give up 3 weeks of a very important time for them without anything concrete at the end of it, whilst as an E+I tech I agree that PLC knowledge is useful it probably won't be the deal breaker when it comes to what companies are looking for, after all most companies tend to stick to one type / brand of plc and train their employees up on it.

I was lucky enough to have an instructor on my 17th ed course that has a lot of experience of plcs and even supplied us with an emulator to have a play around with in our own time.

 

[vim_fuego]

PM'd you Chris

 

[Old Timer Chris]

Message from Vim

Message from Vim

Sorry Vim the PM message won't open. Not sure what happened?

 

[vim_fuego]

Sorry Vim the PM message won't open. Not sure what happened?

What are you doing when trying to open it? What message are you getting?

 

[Old Timer Chris]

In reply to 'briggfairy' 3 weeks is a big ask!

In reply to 'briggfairy' 3 weeks is a big ask!

3 weeks is a big ask I understand that and whilst I don’t disagree entirely with what you say. You should know the two major players are Allen Bradley (Rockwell) and Siemens and knowledge of either of these PLCs will open doors. This course is based on Allen Bradley.
.
Where I disagree, is where you suggested that a Control Engineering company will train you from scratch. This is highly unlikely, unless you already have something else that they need, as in my case. Even if they did most of the courses last for about a week and I defy anyone to develop any sort of programming skills in that time unless they have already been exposed to a PLCs.

Control Engineering can be a life time study and how far you go will depend upon the individual. It is a massive subject so it should be debated as a serious area of potential employment for ex-service techies. Yet, few seem to know what it is or what it does!

So if nothing else that debate should continue so thank you for your input Sir!