No - the City and Guilds course is NOT the one to go for if you want to do PAT Testing! We get asked this so often that we've produced a short article about it - ask us for more information. In very simple terms, the C&G 2377 qualification was introduced in the late 1990's as one of a series of qualifications aimed at apprentice electricians. It was never intended to be a practical based course, and was never intended to be taken by people who just wanted to carry out PAT Testing. In fact, City and Guilds recommend that you are already a qualified electrician before taking the course. Most people who go into PAT testing are not electricians (and you don't need to be one) and so the C&G course is completely unsuitable. The 2377 course studies the IEE Code of Practice in intricate detail, with usually only a short time devoted to demonstrations and practical - testing one or two items at most. We have spoken to many people who have taken this course hoping to become competent in PAT Testing, only to find that the course was completely unsuitable. In fact, the IET offer the course, but state on their website that their course 'provides an overview only of the Code of Practice' and 'nor will attendance on this one-day course provide adequate training to enable attendees to be considered competent' to carry out PAT Testing.
The simple fact is that the C&G 2377 is a theory based qualification which is aimed at electricians who want to add electrical appliance testing in addition to their work with electrical installations. There is no legal requirement to hold the qualification to carry out PAT Testing, and you don't need it!
If you are dead set on getting the qualification (or your employer insists on it) then our advice would be to get the practical training that you need on our course, then sit the C&G examination (not the course, just the exam) at your local college or training centre. We can of course provide you with more information.
If you want to carry out Portable Appliance Testing in your own workplace, or offer a PAT Testing Service you need a practical based PAT Testing course which will teach you what you need to know - this is exactly what you get on our course.