Hi all, I,m doing a rail course at the moment, but it all seems a little haphazard, and I'm starting to get a little concerned!
I started off by seeing the course advertised by an organisation that helps you get back into work, so applied, the initial bit was a bit chaotic, but I stuck with it. Anyway on Monday I went to the training centre, (I won't name them) for a drugs test, alcohol test, and medical, which I appear to have passed!
A couple of hours later I was sent an e-mail giving me the log-in details for the NR training portal, I had to do an online ICI test(passed it), then a pts test(passed it), then it said that you have to do another test at the training centre, which, as I understand it, is a closed book exam, followed by practical training, in a track scenario.
Now what concerns me is the lack of study material, basically none! I,m the oldest on the course (53) and am from an engineering background, so a lot of the stuff isn't totally alien to me, but the others on the course are younger and most have never worked in any form of engineering, or construction industry, basically they know nothing.
All we were told was to read the document on the NR training page, which after some digging around appears to be the 'keypoints' PTS card, this doesn't contain as much info as I managed to find elsewhere online, I've done a number of courses over the years but this is the first time I've received absolutely no books, information sheets, or whatever. Now as a skilled worker, I know that when you're doing an 'upgrade' as I'll call it, say going from domestic electrical work, to say industrial, you wouldn't expect to be given information regarding stuff you should already know, but when you are starting off in a field about which you know very little, then I was expecting some kind of paperwork.
The trainer who we've only met once, seemed, at least to me, as disinterested, when asked what the itinery was, his reply was along the lines of, ' day one, when you arrive, you'll sit an exam, and in the afternoon sit your PTS, then on day two, we'll start track training, now, as I said in the begining, this is all a little concerning to me, how can you pass an exam, if nobody teaches you what you need to know?
I have a sponsor, and have been virtually guaranteed a job by a company, if, and when I get my sentinel card, any advice please.
I started off by seeing the course advertised by an organisation that helps you get back into work, so applied, the initial bit was a bit chaotic, but I stuck with it. Anyway on Monday I went to the training centre, (I won't name them) for a drugs test, alcohol test, and medical, which I appear to have passed!
A couple of hours later I was sent an e-mail giving me the log-in details for the NR training portal, I had to do an online ICI test(passed it), then a pts test(passed it), then it said that you have to do another test at the training centre, which, as I understand it, is a closed book exam, followed by practical training, in a track scenario.
Now what concerns me is the lack of study material, basically none! I,m the oldest on the course (53) and am from an engineering background, so a lot of the stuff isn't totally alien to me, but the others on the course are younger and most have never worked in any form of engineering, or construction industry, basically they know nothing.
All we were told was to read the document on the NR training page, which after some digging around appears to be the 'keypoints' PTS card, this doesn't contain as much info as I managed to find elsewhere online, I've done a number of courses over the years but this is the first time I've received absolutely no books, information sheets, or whatever. Now as a skilled worker, I know that when you're doing an 'upgrade' as I'll call it, say going from domestic electrical work, to say industrial, you wouldn't expect to be given information regarding stuff you should already know, but when you are starting off in a field about which you know very little, then I was expecting some kind of paperwork.
The trainer who we've only met once, seemed, at least to me, as disinterested, when asked what the itinery was, his reply was along the lines of, ' day one, when you arrive, you'll sit an exam, and in the afternoon sit your PTS, then on day two, we'll start track training, now, as I said in the begining, this is all a little concerning to me, how can you pass an exam, if nobody teaches you what you need to know?
I have a sponsor, and have been virtually guaranteed a job by a company, if, and when I get my sentinel card, any advice please.