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For many people, an interesting and varied choice often means a career within the electrical industry. Whilst the original term is ‘Electro-Mechanical Engineering’ we will simply refer to the subject as the Electrical Industry. As there are a wide variety of global standards, we will focus on those from the UK and in particular those relating to the domestic and commercial markets. As this is such a wide ranging subject matter we’ll begin by sticking to the main area first and come back to the ‘add-ons’ later.

Really there are two main ways to enter the electrical market. The first is for those wishing to train via a more traditional apprenticeship route, and the second is for people who are entering the field at a later stage in life. To begin with we have the ‘Junior Entrants’ and then we have the ‘Mature Entrants’.

Many Mature Entrants enter the market so they don’t have to rely on others, especially when they can work on their own building ideas and not have to pay for anyone else to help them. By contrast, Junior entrants would seek to work with an established electrical firm and build their skill-sets as they train. During their first years in the working environment, a young apprentice, or junior entrant, will have a host of additional skills to learn.

Clearly these two options have both differing training styles and methods of entry. Junior entrants go through NVQ training in England and Wales, and SVQ training in Scotland. The training itself is similar to non NVQ training, but completion of the full programme means getting the actual qualifications. New employees gain the necessary course work and testing elements through an apprenticeship or some form of suitable work program.

Mature Entrants, with the possible aim of entering the market from a self-employed perspective, seem to focus on attaining the most commercially viable qualifications (without the need for the NVQ element.) Having said that, the mature student does aim to gain the necessary skills to do the job, whilst at the same time reducing their training costs at all times. Although this may offer quicker and more commercial options, it does reduce the official requirements set for certain areas of the industry.

Between self-employment and general employment we have two routes to consider in terms of typical income. Whilst self-employed people can choose the hours that they work, we assume that they are working full time for the purpose of this review. Certainly, whilst salary levels can be affected by knowledge and qualifications, they can also be affected by competence and aptitude.

Although starting wages for ‘Junior Entrants’ are around 13k p.a. they can rise above 30k p.a. but this does depend on their level of experience. ‘Mature Entrants’ salaries though are often more difficult to work out, but can rise to 70.000 and above as reported in UK newspapers. Regardless of all that is the need to cover off additional costs such as tools, clothes and even a vehicle and all that goes along with that. In addition to this they will also have to allow for items such as accountancy and personal/professional insurance. That aside, whilst the work is open to market-forces to some degree, the current skills shortage in the UK means that there’s a high work-load available. Working 7 days a week is totally achievable for most people if they want it. It should be understood that the 70-100k figures that we see thrown around in newspapers are not easily achieved, and would either require working long hours or having assistants (or both.)

Firstly, it is worth pointing out that the working week between the Junior and Mature electricians can vary enormously. Most of the work for Junior Entrant electricians will be on a simple 9-5, Monday to Friday basis. To be fair, if the Mature electrician is focused on the domestic market then they often find themselves working out of hours, especially to support their clients when they get home. And yet, a huge number of self-employed electricians operate during the main part of the working week by focusing on office and small business systems.

Any specialist knowledge the Junior Entrant gains whilst in someone’s employ is usually down to the sectors of industry that company works in. Whereas the mature entrant can gain knowledge from any trade source – even one outside of the core of electrical work. Within the domestic market this allows them to work under a range of headings without having to rely upon sub contract suppliers.

‘Green Engineering’ is another area to consider. This requires new skills and working knowledge and is one of the fastest growing areas today. The chance to win some big employment and business advantages within the governmental as well as the traditional growth sector means that this area could be attractive to both Junior and Mature Entrants alike.

Author: Scott Edwards. Browse around Part P Courses or CareerChangeHelp.co.uk/qcch.html.

Posted under Software

One of the key concepts which any user of QuarXPress 8 needs to master is the distinction between item and content. Basically, an item is an object or container while the contents of an item may either be text, graphics or none. Understanding this fact and being aware of which level you need to be working at to carry out a certain operation can help new users to avoid a good deal of confusion and frustration.

There are four types of item which one can create in QuarkXPress: picture boxes, text boxes, path text, lines and tables. Text boxes and picture boxes are both containers and QuarXPress allows you to convert one of them into the other. Simply right-click and choose Content then Graphic, Text or None.

An example of this difference is the use of Content and Item tools. They are the first two tools on the toolbar and the two that are most frequently used. The Item tool is used for manipulating items. Typically, one one selects this tool when you want to move items around and when you want to work with groups of items. When this tool is active, it is not possible to manipulate the contents of items. Thus, for example you cannot select the text in a text box or move a picture around inside a picture box. Naturally, lines are never containers, so it doesn’t usually make any difference which tool is selected when you want to manipulate a line.

Tables in QuarkXPress have three levels: the item level, the cells level and the text level. Basically, as far as QuarkXPress is concerned, a table is simply a series of text and/or picture boxes stitched together. Each cell is basically a box which can have the same content choices as other boxes: graphic, text or none. If the Item tool is selected, you can only work with the table as a whole. However, when the Content tool is active, you can work either with the contents of an individual cell or you can drag across a range of cells to work at the cell level.

Grouping items is really flexible in QuarkXPress. Basically, if you click on any item in a group using the Item tool the program highlights all the items in the group. However, if you click on an item which is part of a group using the Content tool, the group is ignored and you can still edit the contents of that item. In fact, you can even move the item by holding down the Control key and dragging it.

Another important distinction between Item and Content can be found in the menu: Item-related commands are all in the Item menu, while command relating to the contents of items is found in the Style menu.

The author is a trainer and developer with Macresource Computer Training, an independent computer training company offering QuarXPress Classes in London and throughout the UK.

The author is a training consultant with OnsiteTrainingcourses.Com, an independent computer training company offering QuarkXPress Classes at their central London training centre.

Posted under Software

Online property management software can help you work better and faster using it. This software can help you record and identify everything in one location, which can make the filing and finding of records simplified and readily accessible. This can be able to assist you and save you a lot of time from doing the simple tasks in your office.

Because it is an online system, you can set this up very easy. Most of the time, it will take under a quarter of an hour, and you can begin to use it immediately to keep track of and record the rents that you have in the system. You may also find the tax reports to be beneficial, since they can identify uncommon write offs, and be able to help you know what to keep for tax purposes and give you reports for the forms.

Rent collection can be automated with this type of system, allowing renters to directly deposit their rent from their account into your with electronic banking. This can make the collection simplified and less taxing to your time. It can be set up to be recurring, so you will never have to worry about the collection of it, and can update the records, saving you from having to manually enter the amounts into the system.

You can log in from anywhere, even if you are across the country and be able to view how the property is doing at any ti, me. The program can also help you identify things that can be written off your taxes, even uncommon ones some don’t think about. The many extra features of the software can also help you cut costs and save time.

You can take advantage of the free trial and use it to see how it can save you time before you commit to buying it. This allows you to put it to practical use and be able to see where it will benefit you and your office.

The report capability of the software can help you identify trends and losses. You can get a general report, or group it by repairs, taxes, rental income and even late fees. Because the offer so many, you can find at a glance, how the property is doing.

You will also be able to set up a bill pay reminder so that you can be sure that the bills are being paid in a timely fashion. Some of the other business programs may be able to be used with it, which gives you an added level of convenience.

Property management software can assist you in quickly doing all of the daily routine tasks in your office and save time and energy for you. This software is an all in one program, which will let you spend much less on having to have many other software products. Because it is web based, you will be sure that the program is always updated and you are using the newest copy.

Using online property management software can make the job of being a landlord very easy. By using this type of software you are able to keep track of everything in one place. Get Property Management Software That You Do Not Need to Download, now!

Posted under Software