City and Guilds have this month re-launched the 2391 qualification – with a twist. There are now three versions of the 2391, the 2391-50 Level 3 Award in Initial Verification, the 2391-51 Level 3 Award in Periodic Inspection and the 2391-52 Level 3 Award in Inspection and Testing (combining both initial verification and periodic inspection elements).
At the end of August 2017, registrations for the 2394 and 2395 will close, although students will have a further year (until the end of August 2018) to complete their qualifications and still receive certificates.
Why have C&G done this?
Well, in a presentation sent out to centres, they suggest that they have made the changes for many reasons but chiefly because industry understands the 2391 (which was the T&I qualification between 1995 and 2012) and without the written paper they will be able to provide speedier results at a lower cost. They also say that they have created the new qualifications in order to reflect what the industry competent persons schemes are accepting…
The more cynical among us may believe that C&G have woken up to the fact that they need to compete with the likes of EAL and it just so happens that the new 2391 qualifications follow the structure of existing EAL equivalents, in that the written exam has been scrapped and the multiple choice exam is now open book. This is good news for students, particularly the introduction of the combined 2391-52 qualification, although expect some confusion over the coming months.
Q&A
Q: I’ve just taken the 2394/2395 – is this now a redundant qualification?
A: No, the 2394 and 2395 will remain acceptable Level 3 Testing Qualifications. If you already have them, there’s no need to take the new 2391 equivalents.
Q: How much will the new qualifications cost?
A: The same as the old qualifications. Although C&G have removed the written examination, they have extended the multiple choice and practical exams slightly and kept costs fairly even. Therefore, for the combined course 2391-52, PTT will continue to charge £825 + VAT (£595 + VAT each for the 2391-50 and 2391-51 if a single element is all that is required).
Q: What exams do you need to take for the new qualifications?
A: There are now two elements for all qualifications as follows:
2391-50 (Initial Verification) 1 x 40 question 90 minute open-book multiple choice examination and 2 practical assignment tasks including a 2 hour inspection and test on a main rig and a short paper consisting of four written questions.
2391-51 (Periodic Inspection) 1 x 40 question 90 minute open-book multiple choice examination and 3 practical assignment tasks including a 2-hour inspection and test on the test rig, visual photo exercise (30 minutes) and a short paper consisting of four written questions.
2391-52 (combined course) 1 x 60 question 2 hour open-book multiple choice examination and 3 practical assignment tasks including a 2-hour inspecton and test on the test rig, visual photo exercise (30 minutes) and a short paper consisting of four written questions.
Q: How does this affect the EAL 4337 and 4338?
A: It doesn’t. These Level 3 Qualifications will continue to be delivered and accepted by the relevant Part P bodies.
Q: When can I take this new qualification?
A: Now! We have moved straight over and delivering courses every month. Telephone us on 01442-828754 for more details.
