Instrumentation

Inbox

Hi, i'm looking for advice on instrumentation courses, have any other Electricians gone on to do this type of work?

I can't seem to find much info on courses, Is there any national institutions that do this all i seem to find are private training courses. What subjects are involved , Is it heavily maths based? Any advice please?

2011

Most people that work in that area have served their time in the craft of electrical instrumentation, or they have completed a level 7 or level 8 degree course.

Instrumentation is a vast area and a short course will only give you a taste (just as it applies to being an electrician). Of course being an electrician is an advantage, to anyone wanting to work in instrumentation but there are still vast differences. The maths is not that complicated. It only gets more complex when you move from instrumentation to automation.

Most instrumentation work in Ireland is in the pharmaceutical sector. This involves a lot of paperwork and routine calibrations, which can be quite boring. Thankfully that is only part of the job. One of the advantages of working in the pharmaceutical sector is that they pay for you to do lots of courses during work hours. My experience has been that the pay is better than that of an electrician.

Inbox

Thanks, i see that institute of tech' in Blanchardstown do a course starting in September. I will give them a ring tomorrow.

2011

Good luck with it. Try to get some work in a pharmaceutical plant, even as an electrician.

Inbox

I hope there is work in Ireland although i have worked with guys who talked about earning mega bucks in the middle east. Might be an option as have some contacts that could lead to that.

It seems to be a 2 semester part time course, i would prefer a full time course.

m.j.w

Inbox wrote: »

Thanks, i see that institute of tech' in Blanchardstown do a course starting in September. I will give them a ring tomorrow.

I just finished that course in june, its a 10 week course, 4 hours on a wednesday night. I found it usefull but its only a starter course as 2011 says, although there is a second part starting now in september. Im in the 4th year of apprenticeship so looking for stuff to stick on the cv. There was a lad in my class who was unemployed that started a full time instrumentation course in Baldoyle through Fas so if you give them a ring you might find something out.

Inbox

m.j.w wrote: »

I just finished that course in june, its a 10 week course, 4 hours on a wednesday night. I found it usefull but its only a starter course as 2011 says, although there is a second part starting now in september. Im in the 4th year of apprenticeship so looking for stuff to stick on the cv. There was a lad in my class who was unemployed that started a full time instrumentation course in Baldoyle through Fas so if you give them a ring you might find something out.

Cheers for that, i heard there was a course in FAS , i need to have another search.

2011

Inbox wrote: »

I hope there is work in Ireland although i have worked with guys who talked about earning mega bucks in the middle east. Might be an option as have some contacts that could lead to that.

You could try contacting Dunreidys. They do quite a bit in Ireland as well as work in the UK and Germany. By working with them as an electrician it may be possible to gain some instrumentation experience.

Inbox

Would anyone have any examples of past exam questions and info on what the subjects are so I can have a gander at them please?

2011

Here is an example of a first module instrumentation eaxm paper:

http://eleceng.dit.ie/gavin/DT009_2/Exam%20Questions%202011.pdf

Students would sit this eaxm following an introduction to instrumentation. They would also have completed a PLC module, and would have experience with op amps and power electronics.

Inbox

Thanks for that.

2011

There is also some very relevent material, questions, defenitions etc. here:

http://eleceng.dit.ie/gavin/DT009_2/index.html

Inbox

Brilliant thanks for the help, you deserve member of the year award

mattym

m.j.w wrote: »

I just finished that course in june, its a 10 week course, 4 hours on a wednesday night. I found it usefull but its only a starter course as 2011 says, although there is a second part starting now in september. Im in the 4th year of apprenticeship so looking for stuff to stick on the cv. There was a lad in my class who was unemployed that started a full time instrumentation course in Baldoyle through Fas so if you give them a ring you might find something out.

Does anyone know if there is a similar course to the one in Baldoyle but which is part time? I am a qualified electrician in full time employment but working at instrumentation so would love to get some formal qualification. That course is ideal if i could get 10 weeks holidays:):)

m.j.w

mattym wrote: »

Does anyone know if there is a similar course to the one in Baldoyle but which is part time? I am a qualified electrician in full time employment but working at instrumentation so would love to get some formal qualification. That course is ideal if i could get 10 weeks holidays:):)

The one i done was a 10 week part time course in blanchardstown. Wednesday night 6 till 10, and its fetac level 7 i think. Its starting sometime in september I think so give them a shout.

tevion1

I had my name down for the 10 week course but I wouldn't be able to afford to do it really with travel and accommodation expenses.

Qualification for the 10 week full time course is: City & Guilds 2800 Unit Certification 737 in Working with Instrumentation and control systems. How would that compare with the level 7 course.

m.j.w

tevion1 wrote: »

I had my name down for the 10 week course but I wouldn't be able to afford to do it really with travel and accommodation expenses.

Qualification for the 10 week full time course is: City & Guilds 2800 Unit Certification 737 in Working with Instrumentation and control systems. How would that compare with the level 7 course.

I havent a clue, i done the 10 week part time one and it was fetac level 7 so I would assume the 10 week full time one would be of a higher grade! If you do the part time one in itb you can continue on and do part 2 of it which is level 8 then. I think part one is starting in Sept and part 2 is starting in January. They are expensive though at 600 euro each

http://www.itb.ie/StudyatITB/SECTH3015.html
http://www.itb.ie/StudyatITB/esiah4019.html

They are actually 12 weeks and not 10

2011

tevion1 wrote: »

How would that compare with the level 7 course.

I do not know enough about that course to comment, but I am sure that it would be very beneficial.

However, if you look on this link here:
http://www.itb.ie/StudyatITB/SECTH3015.html

Jessica from Blanchardstown Institute of Technology answers that question:

"This course is a single subject certificate at NFQ level 7. This course will give you 5 credits at NFQ level 7. A degree at level 7 will give you an average of 120 credits."

It is important to remember that instrumentation would only be one element of a level 7 degree. This is why it is only worth 5 credits.

Inbox

Would any other of the evening courses in ITB or DIT be worth doing to complement the Instrumentation course?

Philistine

Instrumentation is usually one part of a larger course. It's expensive, but take a look at the following course in Industrial Automation in ITB.


http://www.itb.ie/StudyatITB/bn742.html

The Nutty M

Anyone that passes the course in Baldoyle seems to get a job out of it,the latest is Lotus recruiting for Inst Tech's in Leixlip. Qualification in Instrumentation seems to be the way to go.

m.j.w

The Nutty M wrote: »

Anyone that passes the course in Baldoyle seems to get a job out of it,the latest is Lotus recruiting for Inst Tech's in Leixlip. Qualification in Instrumentation seems to be the way to go.

is that the part time course or the aprenticeship in instrumentation

el diablo

m.j.w wrote: »

is that the part time course or the aprenticeship in instrumentation

It's a ten week full-time course I think. If you don't like maths I'd avoid it though.

lledlledlled

What are the employment prospects like for Instrumentation? I'm a qualified sparks coming to the end of a level 7 degree that seems to have no job prospects. Would consider the 10-week course in Baldoyle if there was a good chance of a job. Unfortunately I have less than a year's electrical experience post-apprenticeship.

2011

lledlledlled wrote: »

What are the employment prospects like for Instrumentation? I'm a qualified sparks coming to the end of a level 7 degree

What is the degree in?

There are some popular level 7 courses that could be completed in 2 years by a qualified electrician that provided plenty of employment opportunities during the boom. These courses equipped the student with many of the skills necessary to be able to design much of the electrical services for the average office block, shopping center or factory. This knowledge is great to have, but unfortunately there is not been much demand for people with this skill set anymore.

Would consider the 10-week course in Baldoyle if there was a good chance of a job.

This may be enough for you to get your foot in the door with a pharmaceutical company.

Despite the recession the pharmaceutical sector in Ireland is performing well.
In fact Ireland is now the largest net exporter of pharmaceuticals in the world.

Unfortunately I have less than a year's electrical experience post-apprenticeship.

Look on the positive side, you are a qualified electrician (minimum of 4 years hands on experience as an apprentice) with a level 7 degree and perhaps an instrumentation qualification soon. With the right attitude and a little luck you could land a nice job.

lledlledlled

2011 wrote: »

What is the degree in?

Hi 2011, thanks for the reply. I am studying Energy & Environmental Engineering at IT Tallaght. It is really a mix of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering modules with an emphasis on sustainability and energy efficiency. It seems to suffer from an identity crises in that employers want an Electrical or a Mechanical Engineer, but not half of each!

There are some popular level 7 courses that could be completed in 2 years by a qualified electrician that provided plenty of employment opportunities during the boom. These courses equipped the student with many of the skills necessary to be able to design much of the electrical services for the average office block, shopping center or factory. This knowledge is great to have, but unfortunately there is not been much demand for people with this skill set anymore.

Sounds like you're talking about the Electrical Services degree in Kevin St. In hindsight, I probably should have gone for that but I bought into the 'green economy' fad that prevailed at the time. I'd have finished a year earlier and at least had a shot at a job in the UK if not here. My course isn't accredited by Engineers Ireland, which seems to be a barrier to graduate or internship positions in the UK.



This may be enough for you to get your foot in the door with a pharmaceutical company. I have been lucky enough to be working in this area for several years.

Despite the recession the pharmaceutical sector in Ireland is performing well.
In fact Ireland is now the largest net exporter of pharmaceuticals in the world.

I would jump at the chance of a job in the pharmaceutical sector. I know a lab manager in a pharma company so he might give me a few ideas.


Look on the positive side, you are a qualified electrician (minimum of 4 years hands on experience as an apprentice) with a level 7 degree and perhaps an instrumentation qualification soon. With the right attitude and a little luck you could land a nice job.

I have been the one consistently positive voice in my class, until recently when I began looking for jobs. To be honest, I think I'd really like the job of an Instrumentation Technician. I just cannot afford to make another error when deciding on a career move. Decisions, decisions....

lledlledlled

Sorry about the formatting of the previous post. I'm much better at electrical work than posting on forums!

Ging Ging

I spoke with FAS about the instrumentation course last week. They told me they take 12 people per class and there was 62 people on the waiting list. My advice is to get on the waiting list as soon as possible if you can. They also told me that normally a proportion of people on the list will not take the course due to reasons like finding employment, emigration, other training etc.

lledlledlled

Hi Ging Gong,

Thanks for your reply.
I might have a bit of a problem regarding the waiting list, as I'm a full time student until mid-May. I was hoping to do the course that starts in June but in order to get on the list, I'd have to claim the dole for a few months first, even though I was on the dole for the couple of months until I started college in 2010, and during each of my summer breaks from college. Mad system.
You think you'll have much problem getting a job once you've done the course?

2011

lledlledlled wrote: »

I have been the one consistently positive voice in my class, until recently when I began looking for jobs.

What is the course that you are doing?

lledlledlled

Hi 2011,

I'm studying Energy & Environmental Engineering. (For more detail please see the post where I replied to you above. Sorry, I'm just getting the hang of using the forum!) Thanks again.

Ging Ging

No guarantees with employment but from what people say here it does definitely seems worthwhile and in my opinion the city and guilds cert will impress most interviewers. Fair enough its not an instrumentation apprenticeship but if you were to do this you will have an instrumentation qualification, an engineering degree (still relevant even if you don't en up working in that sector) and an electrical qualification. Its more than most so it should open the door for some interviews.