UKC

I'm really struggling with my general employment background in aviation to find a decent job at the moment and am considering taking some time off to get some rigging qualifications and making a career from that.

I'm looking for any advice on qualifications to aim for and where to head for advice on work on the industry if anyone can point me in the right direction? I live quite near this place [http://www.totalaccess.co.uk/] so travel isn't really an issue.

In reply to lewismansell:
Industrial rigging is one of those things that, like scaffolding, is mainly time-served.

IIRC you do a 1 weeks course which gets you your stagel 1. With that you can start working as something like an apprentice if you can find a company willing to take you in as they are supposed to teach you.

After you got enough experience you can go and do your stage 2, which allows you to take a bit more responsibility but you are still not a rigger and work under the wings of qualified riggers.

Once you clocked yet more experience you can sit your final exams, and if you pass you are finally a rigger who can just work normally.

As with everything, it's all about contacts.

Other useful quals is to get an Irata ticket, and for the big bucks offshore qualification to do the job on the oil platforms.

In reply to Mr Lopez:

Here are the actual facts about the Opito Rigging ticket.

Stage 1 - 3 Day course. Which is an introduction into the techniques and loads of theory.
Stage 2 - Up on completion of Stage 1, you get given a logbook, to record a certain amount of lifts/techniques, etc etc. You then have a maximum of 2 years to go and sit your Stage 3 Riggers assessment. You have to wait a minimum of 52 days though.

If you have experience you can go straight to Stage 3 assessment.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

Close enough. 3 days instead of 5 for stage 1, so not too bad for something i was explained over 3 years ago

In reply to Mr Lopez:

Well apart from all the other stuff you got wrong too.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

All right, i don't get it then.

So you do stage 1, get to work under the wing, when you get enough experience you get your stage 2, and then when you are ready you take the exam for stage 3. Isn't that right?

Not arguing, just that that's how i interpreted it.

What happens in between getting stage 2 and doing the stage 3 exams? Is that were i got it wrong, as in as a stage 2 you don't get any 'privileges' over having only done stage 1?

In reply to Mr Lopez:
Apologies, i misread what you put. Yeah that's about the size of it.
Apart from you don't 'do' your stage 2, you complete the log book and then you are a stage 2 rigger.
Not the most easy process to follow have to say, haha!

In reply to lewismansell:

I've put on similar threads before; but rope access just gets you to your work place, you need to do a task once you get there like NDT, sparky, painting etc.

In reply to lewismansell:

Like Dave 88, I think rigging alone will only get you to a particular spot. No other skills and you are just someone else's labourer or gofor.

My step sun is a trained/qualified rigger and also a multi qualified welder/fabricator/engineer/fitter. And that is what he does when he gets to where he's got to be.

In reply to Dave Perry:
IRATA Level 1/2.
Opio Rigger Stage 3.
Offshore Survival.

You will be set for life.

Best place to do your ropes ticket, is Access Techniques if in England.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

Yeah... reading back i don't know if i would understand myself what i wrote

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

Ah, and another vote for Access Techniques

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

And in Scotland Adam? (careful how you answer this..... )

In reply to lewismansell:

heightec have a venue in West Bromwich if that is closer for you.

You could also consider the National Rigging Certificate scheme by PLASA if you fancy a life in rock 'n' roll.

I also see a number of jobs for LEEA inspectors online at the moment (Linked In and Rigg Access).

There must be 50,000+ IRATA techs out there, so you are gonna need to have other skills to improve your employability. Aviatin background... if that is engineering type skills there are tensile fabric companies to consider amoungst the mirad of other options.

In reply to creag:


Errrr..... If you are Edinburgh way, Talon, and if further east, Applus. Hows that?

In reply to Adam Lincoln:
Lol, well done Adam, your diplomacy skills are almost as impressive as your rope access ones!!
However, your geography is poor, surely if further WEST Applus?

In reply to Dave Perry:
I think the chap is talking about Rigging as opposed to Rope Access; two different things. There are many RA technicians of all Levels who have an OPITO rigging ticket and some even who are NVQ riggers.
Rigging= working with cranes, hoists, blocks etc to move a load around. Sometimes this may be carried out by RA technicians where the anchor points are arial and inaccessible from the ground. Good fun work!

In reply to creag:
Another vote for Talon Edinburgh. I've just redone my L3 there and it was probably the most useful retraining I've ever done.
By the way Craig, guess what? After finishing up at your place I went to the Alps, shed loads of snow, so went skiing, crashed and broke my back. My offshore slot is no more! Looks like it'll be guiding this winter then. Hopefully back with CAN in March.
Rich P.

In reply to lewismansell:

http://sparrowsgroup.com/training_course/opito_rigging
this would give you an idea of whats involved with the Opito training, there is a shortage of EXPERIANCED riggers offshore and doubly so for experianced rope access riggers. Getting a foot in the door is the hard bit and you will have to self sponser yourself for the first couple of years buildng up your experiance and qualifications and I would suggest once you get your foot in the door investing in getting NVQ qualified.

good luck

In reply to jethro kiernan:

Holy crap, what an amazing photo!
I would give that a 5, but it seems I can't vote on photos any more. (Something to do with the forum upgrades maybe.)

In reply to jethro kiernan:


Just out of interest, what does "self sponsor" mean in practice? Unpaid work/internship kind of thing? Paying for additional training? That kind of thing?

In reply to jethro kiernan:

Ha! The Magnus. I did the S3 caisson after this went I think.

In reply to Murko Fuzz:

Christ Rich!!! Hope you are ok? Will get the full story off you when you feel up to it. I'm sure there will be plenty of other O/S work this winter. What is your recovery time looking like?

In reply to creag:

Actually fine pretty much Craig, very stable compression fracture of T12. Will be fit by mid Jan and all solid again by Feb, so could have been worse. Dealing with inactivity is my main problem!

In reply to Adam Lincoln:






Erm.... No you won't . But then what do I know with my Opito L4 and IRATA L3 sat on a rig running a rigging job. The thing the OP needs to do is get experience of as many types of job as he can. The industry is saturated with people who have tickets but can't even be trusted not to smack themselves in the mouth with a spanner let alone lift a load . Total is as good a place to get an IRATA ticket as anywhere .

In reply to Murko Fuzz:
My mistake then.!!!

In reply to deepsoup:

Most companies wont invest in any training for new starts so , when you start earning put a bit into some training,rigging loft management and gear inspection can be a handy one to have, it's all about getting the experience , some companies may put you on other jobs such as painting or cleaning, be carefully because do to much of that and you will wake up one ,
Morning and find that your a painter and not a rigger, this may mean turning work down but it is better to set your own course rather than some harassed young trainee project engineer in the office trying to get bodies for jobs.

In reply to Murko Fuzz: Good old Magnus , hope the back is okay

In reply to jethro kiernan:

Backs not too bad thanks. The Magnus was my favourite platform, WIFI'd from top to bottom now. Good vibe on there. Is there not one of your pictures in the accom stairs? A guy climbing on slate?

In reply to Murko Fuzz:

There were a couple of photos on the walls, always liked the Magnus (relatively that is)

In reply to muppetfilter:


Whys that? Crying out for L3 riggers offshore...

In reply to jethro kiernan:
Gotcha.

Thanks for the reply, that seems like sound advice. :O)
(Not for me though so much - I was just asking out of curiousity, it's not something I'm interested in pursuing myself at the mo.)