Self-test: Is the course "Certified electrician with federal diploma" the right one for me?
Activities and competencies of federally certified electricians
Important note: A name change has been introduced as part of the revision of the regulations for the "Electrician" course: The course and title are now called "Electrical Installation and Safety Expert".
You can find the new "Electrical installation and safety expert (HFP)" self-test here
What does the day-to-day work of qualified electricians look like?
Qualified electricians own their own business or are responsible for managing a technical department or branch of an electrical installation company. Their main tasks include acquiring orders and looking after customers as well as preparing quotations and negotiating contracts through to completion. They manage employees in terms of personnel and technical matters and are responsible for personnel administration. On the construction site, they are mainly responsible for checking the progress of work and for approving new installations. They are also responsible for bookkeeping, calculations and cost management.
The following points, for example, are mentioned in job advertisements for employment as a qualified electrician:
- Electrician EFZ with further training as a federally certified electrician
- Several years of professional experience
- Strong communication skills and customer orientation, social skills
- Willingness to travel and an independent, reliable and service-oriented way of working
- Very good knowledge of German and MS Office, knowledge of French an advantage
- Business management thinking and acting
- Ideally with experience as a project manager and/or technical manager
Question 1:
Do the activities of qualified electricians meet my expectations?
Yes, if you like the actual job, you can assume that you are on the right track thematically. The next question is what type of training is right for you to acquire the relevant skills.
If you have marked "Partly" or "No", you should consider another job within the industry or check what other further training is possible following your basic occupation.
Course description "Electrician (HFP)"
Important note: The "Electrician" course is now called "Electrical installation and safety expert".You can find the new "Electrical installation and safety expert (HFP)" self-test here.
Target group of this course
- Electricians who wish to prepare for the higher professional examination "federally certified electrician"
- Professionals who want to take on management tasks in an electrical company or in the field of engineering
Course description
Further important key points of the "Electrician (HFP)" course are described here:
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Question 2:
Are you generally interested in this course?
If you are interested in this course but answered "partly" or "no" to question 1, you should try to find out whether there are other types of jobs that you could do with this training that you like better than the job profile described in question 1.
If you have already answered "Yes" to question 1, then this course seems to fit your expectations.
If you like the job description under question 1 and you have marked "No" here, you should try to analyze which contents of the course would appeal to you and which would not. And with what you find out, you can look at the following further training opportunities in related fields to see if you can find something that better suits your interests:
- Energy and water dispatcher (HFP)
- Maintenance Manager (HFP)
- Head of Technical Customer Service/Service (HFP)
- Master craftsman in switchgear and automation (HFP)
- Electrical engineering HF
- Systems engineering (HF)
- Telematics HF
Requirements for admission to the federal PET examination
Important note: The "Electrician" course is now called "Electrical installation and safety expert".You can find the new "Electrical installation and safety expert (HFP)" self-test here.
The following points are required for admission to the federal higher professional examination at the time of the examination:
- Specialist certificate as electrical project manager
- Passed preliminary examinations in the subjects of building technology, telematics/network technology, business administration, business management and marketing. These examinations are part of the preparatory courses and are taken at the relevant school.
Question 3:
Do I meet the requirements?
If you meet the requirements, you can start your training at the earliest possible date.
If you do not meet the admission requirements because you have learned a different profession, look for similar further training courses in your sector. This could be in the field of construction management or construction planning, for example, or project management or other further training in the field of electronics, IT or telematics.
If you do not yet have the specialist certificate, you should find out about the preparatory courses for the federal professional examination "Electrical Safety Consultant" or "Electrical Project Manager".
Click here to go directly to the self-tests:Self-test "Electrical safety consultant"orSelf-test "Electrical project manager"
Financing of further training
Important note: The "Electrician" course is now called "Electrical installation and safety expert".You can find the new "Electrical installation and safety expert (HFP)" self-test here.
The course fees for the "Electrician (HFP)" course must be paid either at the start of the course or by the semester. However, in individual cases it is also possible to agree individual installment payments.
Since January 1, 2018, preparatory courses for federal professional examinations have been financially supported by the federal government. Graduates of these courses can therefore be reimbursed up to 50% of the course costs paid after taking the federal examination.Further information is available here.
Question 4:
Are you in a position to pre-finance between CHF 8,000 and CHF 10,000 for the course fee until you are reimbursed the federal contribution after taking the final examination?
If you have marked "Yes" and would even be able to pay the full amount upfront, many schools will give you an additional discount.
If you have marked "Partially" or "No": First clarify whether you can benefit from cantonal contributions. If so, this will reduce the costs considerably. Ask the schools about the possibility of individual installment payments. Or try to obtain a contribution towards the costs of further education from your employer or find someone in your private social circle who will support your specific further education project with a loan. There are also banks and credit institutions that grant educational loans.
Time spent on classroom teaching and learning (homework)
Important note: The "Electrician" course is now called "Electrical installation and safety expert".You can find the new "Electrical installation and safety expert (HFP)" self-test here.
The part-time course lasts two to three semesters. Depending on the duration of the course, up to 15 hours per week are required for classroom teaching (there are different course models, such as evening courses or Saturday courses).
The learning effort (homework) amounts to around 12 hours per week in addition to school lessons
Question 5:
Can I cope with the time and effort required for the face-to-face lessons and homework?
If you can manage the effort very easily, you could consider completing a more intensive version of this course in two semesters.
If you are short on time, look for courses that extend over a longer period of time and require fewer lessons and less time for homework each week. And if that's still not enough, you should check whether you can free up more time in another way. Perhaps someone close to you can take on certain tasks for you for the limited period of your training?
Conclusion
Important note: The "Electrician" course is now called "Electrical installation and safety expert".You can find the new "Electrical installation and safety expert (HFP)" self-test here.
Will I graduate?
General success factors for passing a further training measure are:
- Interest in the topic and high motivation to achieve the goal
- Active participation in lessons
- Preparation and follow-up of the lesson material at home
- Regular practice to get into the routine of solving tasks
- Regular application of what you have learned in everyday working life
- Contact and exchange with other participants, lecturers and successful former graduates of the course
Question 6:
Do I have the confidence to pass the final exams?
If you are confident that you can pass this qualification, the most you can do is consider whether you would like to achieve even better results using suitable learning and working methods or whether you would like to achieve the same results with less effort.
If you are very unsure, you could look at which subjects you may have already struggled with in the preparatory course for the vocational examination. If these are subjects that will be repeated in this final exam, you should find out about possible preparatory courses, fill in any gaps in your knowledge with the help of tutors or discuss with the school whether there is the possibility of internal tests. If you have intense exam anxiety, you could look for a different type of course that focuses more on learning achievements, mid-term exams or semester work. External help from learning therapists, kinesiologists, autogenic training providers or mental training providers can also be considered.
You can find suitable providers here:
Receive course or training documents from suitable schools immediately
Under {#CourseLink#} you will find an overview of schools that offer the "Electrician (HFP)" course. You can request detailed documents with just one click and usually receive them directly by e-mail. You can also use the area search to find providers in your immediate vicinity.
Conclusion:
Before you want to complete the "Electrician (HFP)" course, you should be convinced that you really like and are suited to the role of managing director or entrepreneur. The course description should also appeal to you. If you have answered these first two questions with a clear "yes", you can continue to look into this course. If you are unsure about these questions, you should consider which other further training courses are also suitable for you.
If you do not meet the admission requirements because you do not have one of the required professional certificates, you should first look into this further training. Further information and self-tests on preparatory courses for professional examinations"Electrical safety consultant"and"Electrical project manager"(new: Electrical Project Manager Installation and Safety or Planning) can be found here.
Financing further training is not always easy. Several thousand francs have to be paid over 1-2 years. In individual cases, many schools offer the option of semester or even individual monthly installment payments so that the entire amount does not have to be paid at once. In addition, it is helpful for part-time courses that participants continue to work during the course and thus earn money for the entire duration of the course. If this is not enough to finance the training alone, it is sometimes possible to obtain a loan from a private source. Banks and credit institutions sometimes also offer educational loans. A good argument for financing further education is the relatively quick amortization of costs through wage increases. Do the following calculation: How much would a wage increase of 10% per year amount to? How many years would you need to recoup the costs of the course? How much more will you earn over your entire working life as a result of this pay rise? In most cases, this is a six-figure sum, which confirms that training or further education is the best personal investment there is.
The time required for training or further education should not be underestimated. Going out, vacations and spontaneous wellness weekends often fall by the wayside. However, this time usually passes relatively quickly. The prospect of better job opportunities and more pay should be motivation enough to get through this time. It often helps to organize yourself into study groups. It also makes sense to stick with it right from the start and schedule fixed study times. Good learning effects can be achieved by creating summaries and mind maps. Flashcard systems help with memorization. There are many tools and ideas to make learning easier. You can obtain the guide "The personal learning strategy" free of charge if you register with a school via Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch.
If you have doubts about whether you will pass the final exam, you can expect that every school has an interest in ensuring that as many of your students as possible pass the final exams. Talk to your head teacher or course leader and ask about support options. But with good motivation, perseverance and hard work, it is generally possible to pass these exams. If you suffer from exam anxiety, good preparation, various practical tips, therapeutic treatments or, in severe cases, even medication can help. You can obtain the guide "Overcoming exam anxiety" if you register with a school via Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch. Here you will also findsuitable providerson the subject of test anxiety.
The benefits of further training are usually measured in terms of a higher salary, more challenging tasks or promotions. This presupposes that you make an effort to change your professional position accordingly and, if necessary, are able to assert your demands. If you have already experienced that this is not always so easy for you, you could also check whether personal job coaching could be of benefit to you in addition to further training.
Now it's up to you to decide. If in doubt, seek personal advice from a school or external advice center. If you enquire about course or training documents via www.ausbildung-weiterbildung.ch, you will receive a free educational or school consultation worth CHF 150.00 on request.
You can find a list of providers here: {#courseLink#}
We wish you all the best in your professional and private lives and a bright and exciting future!
The team of Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch
Linda, deine Weiterbildungsfinderin