Electrical industry training charity, NET, has published information on AM2 hints and tips and common candidate errors.
Developed to underline how the assessment references the BS 7671 Wiring Regulations syllabus, the information includes reasons why marks are lost during assessment, useful preparation tips and notes on post assessment administration and queries.
NET development manager Stephen Plant commented, “The specifics of the AM2 are protected so that the assessment can do its job of benchmarking all apprentice trainees coming through Level 3 training fairly and equally to the industry’s standard. However, what we have done is look at the issues faced by parties to the AM2 and provided guidance around these to provide a better understanding of how the industry defines competence under BS7671.”
Operatives generally undertake the AM2 towards the end of their training as they seek to qualify. Last year 40% of candidates passed the assessment first time with very confident results of 90% or above, however, others still fail key tasks which they are expected to be competent in at this point, such as safe isolation, and the fundamentals of electrical installation and theory from the BS7671 Wiring Regulations publications.
Plant added, “If candidates don’t know key subject areas or where to find key information within the books they would use when working on a job then they are not ready to qualify and work unsupervised. It all comes down to training and preparation – if they know their subject material they will have nothing to worry about. By consulting the documents on our website, we hope to ensure candidates are comfortable with the areas covered in the AM2 before they are entered for the assessment.
“The AM2 can be the first step towards a brilliant career, but it is implemented by the electrical industry for a reason. We have to ensure that being fully competent is the only way to pass. There is no short cut, which is why it’s so important that trainees take pride in their performance and prepare for the assessment fully and then they will be an asset to the industry.”
