DCET on Course

Professional Electrician travelled to Bristol to witness the opening of a new DCET training centre.

First established in 1995, DCET Training (formerly known as Devon & Cornwall Electrical Training) has strived to provide the best quality training courses for apprentices and electrical professionals in the South West region.

With a growing reputation and a portfolio of loyal, satisfied customers, DCET decided to extend its reach up the M5, opening a brand new centre in Bradley Stoke, North Bristol back in April of this year.

From this new centre the company will be running Electrical Apprenticeships, Traineeships and electrical Continued Professional Development courses. They will also be offering the JIB-ECS Mature Candidate Assessment route for operatives who have several years’ experience – but never completed an apprenticeship or the NVQ 3.

Professional Electrician attended the opening of the brand new centre. Here we had a chance to chat with Bernard Collins, Curriculum Manager at DCET:

What facilities are available at the new Bristol Centre?
The facilities include a full practical area with work bays where the apprentices can carry out installation work, usually over a two-day period. This includes all wiring types from singles in conduit, both PVC and Steel right through to MICC.

We have a specially designed IT suite for research, exams and functional skills and two classrooms, with space for two more as we grow.

We also have a fully equipped break room.

What training courses do you offer at the new Bristol Centre?
We offer a wide range of cpd courses including, City & Guilds 2382, 2377, 2392, 2394/5 and the 2396, we are an EAL centre and currently offer the 4337/8. We are pleased to be able to help experienced workers via the EAL ETS3 or the City & Guilds 2356-99. We are a HESA approved centre for Highway electrical courses and we specialise in developing and delivering bespoke courses.

How many students have you had so far?
We currently have 39 apprentices enrolled at our Bristol centre.

What can a student expect from DCET?
DCET will provide high quality training carried out by individuals who are from the industry and care about the industry. DCET has excellent industry links which was clearly demonstrated by the support shown at the opening of the Bristol centre. We work hard to ensure all learners achieve and we are
proud of our exam results which are consistently above the average.

How have you engaged with the Trailblazers Apprenticeship programme?
As far as we are aware DCET is the only provider currently delivering the Trailblazer. All of the apprentices who enrolled last September are undertaking the Trailblazer programme and DCET would like to thank their employers who engaged with this scheme and recognise the benefits of a scheme which was written by the industry.

Do you feel electrical apprenticeships are in a strong position?
We are privileged to be part of an industry which has always valued training and recognise that properly trained individuals will be safer, more productive and loyal. We feel very optimistic about the future.

“I have been visiting DCET Training for many years both to see their progress and to present the prizes at the end of each year. The amount of effort they put in for the apprentice and the employer is second to none. It’s only natural that with that effort that they are expanding and I look forward to visiting all their centres as they progress in the future.” Tony Cable