4 Oct 2022
A new electrical qualification has been designed by NIE Networks and the Northern Regional College to prepare for the replacement of all electrical meters in Northern Ireland.
There are currently approximately 1.1million meters in Northern Ireland which the Utility Regulator legally requires NIE Networks to replace. With Smart Metering on the horizon, the demand for meter replacement is going to rise rapidly.
The new qualification has been jointly designed and was, earlier this year, opened to NIE Network meter readers. It will address a skills and resource shortage of time served electricians within metering services and provide career progression opportunities for meter readers.
The bespoke, two-year course is City and Guilds and NVQ accredited which will qualify candidates as Metering Electricians.
Barry O’Lone, Team Manager of Meter Recertification in NIE Networks, said: “Traditionally, we employed time served electricians and put them through a 10-week training programme but we have found the recruitment process more challenging due to demand for this skillset so decided to rethink the process.”
We have approximately 110 Meter Readers but until now they had very few opportunities for progression. These colleagues are semi-skilled so we decided to explore a route which would give them progression opportunities and address the company’s requirement going forward.”
Barry continued: “The Northern Regional College were very supportive and allocated a significant amount of time to develop a bespoke course. The content developed is high quality and specific NIE Network topics are also included. The energy market is changing at a rapid pace and we need our workforce to be experts as they will be leading the way in meeting our renewable energy targets. The partnership with NRC is therefore very important and we would like to thank the College for all their support and work in establishing this new qualification.”
Michael Breen, Electrical Installation lecturer at the College, explained why the College had developed the specialist training programme for their long-standing partner, NIE Networks.
“Last August, NIE Networks asked the College to create a new programme, following an identified need for more electric meter installers,” he said.
“I developed four bespoke modules and to ensure that we could deliver the training, the College invested in the development of a new dedicated workshop for emerging technologies at the Newtownabbey campus. During the two-year training programme, they will spend one day at the College’s Newtownabbey campus, two days at NIE Networks training facilities and two days on-site installing the new metering equipment.”
While the course was being developed, a recruitment process got underway in NIE Networks to recruited 11 meter readers who wished to retrain/reskill and progress. The successful candidates started their course earlier this month.
The Trainees on the Training Metering Operative course have also been provided with brand new electric vehicles.
On successful completion the newly qualified metering electricians will be authorised before working full time on the network and continuing training via the NIE Networks Skills Matrix Training Programme.
Unite the Union and NIE Networks both believe this is a progressive step in providing a progression path for existing employees that did not previously exist. Going forward the company will be in a better positioned to resource and safely deliver the extensive Meter Recertification Project, the New Meter Installation Programme, Smart Metering (once it is given the green light) and Smart Technologies to facilitate Electric Vehicle charging etc.
It is hoped that this will become an annual opportunity open to anyone within NIE Networks and potentially in time to others outside of the company.