Choosing the right solar PV course can be hard especially as more and more qualifications appear. Trade Skills 4U offer 2 of the most highly regarded courses in the UK that train electricians and domestic installers in the installation and maintenance of solar PV.
Most people investigating this field will usually end up weighing up whether to train on the BPEC Solar PV course or the City and Guilds 2399 qualification.
So what is the difference between these qualifications and which course is right for you?
City & Guilds 2399
One of the key aspects of this qualification is that it is a framework encompassing a whole range of renewable technologies including solar PV. As such anyone planning on taking the 2399-11 and 12 must firstly take a 2 day foundation course in renewable technologies. This is a positive from an educational point of view (especially if you plan to train in more than 1 renewable technology) but could be seen as a negative if all you are ever going to want to do is install solar panels.
The full 2399 qualification is longer than the BPEC course. At Trade Skills 4U it takes 10 days to cover the foundation, the installation and maintenance modules. However this is because the 2399 qualification goes into further depth than the BPEC course and more time is available to focus on practical training.For instance although the BPEC course does cover some fault finding,the 2399 course dedicates 3 whole days to fault finding with students setting up faults for each other and then swapping rigs to diagnose them.
The entry requirements for the 2399 are also stricter than the BPEC course and it is pretty much limited to qualified electricians whereas the BPEC is more open to domestic installers.
BPEC Solar PV
Although the BPEC is more compact than the 2399 it still highly regarded within the industry. We offer the bulk of the course over 4 days and 25% of this time is still spent on the tools. From a financial and time perspective the BPEC wins. Both courses count towards MCS accreditation but the BPEC can be done in approximately half the time of the Full 2399.
Both courses will give you the skills and knowledge to move ahead and competently install Solar PV and if you are just looking at getting your foot in the door with a renewable energy company the BPEC course will be ideal.
The entry requirements are less stringent than the 2399 and as such there are more opportunities for competent domestic installers to get trained.
So overall both courses have their strengths. We always say more knowledge is always a good thing so in that respect the 2399 could be viewed as stronger. However depending on your current level of experience, financial situation and goals following the course you may opt to go for the BPEC course.
One key final point to note is that City & Guilds is the only course that is internationally recognised and as such if you intend to work abroad this is going to be your best option.