Obsolete Skills?

[Chris56000]

Hi!

I'm a 49 year old Electronics Repair Engineer recently made redundant from a medium-sized Electronics Company due to increasing branch losses.

For most of my working life I have either worked in Consumer Electronics Repair (Radio, Television and Audio), or in Industrial Electronics Repair repairing Printed Circuit Boards and Railway Monitors to component level.

Unfortunately the CRT-based Display monitors I am skilled in are all virtually obsolete now and no further production of Cathode Ray Tubes occurs now as they're all being replaced with LCD's & dot-matrix indicators etc.

To make matters worse my previous employer *does* repair LCDs/matrix indicators but these were done by another engineer in another department and requests for them to be booked into the department I worked in were always refused, as a result of this I feel I am now debarred from reapplying for jobs in the Consumer Electronics field again as the vacancies I can find are all looking for LCD experience which I've not had a chance to get!!!

I also have Printed Circuit Board Design experience and skills, suscessfully completing a set of PCBs for an Aircraft - Ground Communication System that went into small-scale production. In addition I also have Test Equipment and Power Supply repair skills.

I am now looking for any type of Electical/Electronics Draughting, PCB Design or repair work, or an opening that I can use my exsisting skills in to learn new types of work such as Automotive Electronics.

I have read that in many magazines that Medical Electronics Repair may be a good avenue for my exsisting skills to try for but unfortunately I've no idea where to start looking for this.

Is there likely to be some sort of Apprentice/Training for Adult trainees? I'd welcome a chance to re-train as an electrician as I did the 16th Ed Wiring Regulations at College but this looks like I'm disqualified on age grounds by the looks of current JCP+ adverts!!!

Can anyone please point me in the direction of openings, useful agencies etc., and is it worth making speculative applications to Automotive Electronics Repair Firms?

I feel like I'm in a hopeless position, as unfortunately I had no luck getting a degree or HND - I tried but I failed on the Mechanical Engineering part of the courses, which didn't come easy to me!!!).

Finally I have had a long and accident-free driving career spanning 18 years although not in any form of field service - I have always had bench jobs - if the worst came to the worst could I make a living for myself with a driving job?

I'm a single man with no partner/children but do have rent unfortunately!!!

Any advice, tips, suggestions etc., would be welcomed! JCP recently listed several vacancies that were ideal but they were hundreds of miles away and as my accomodation is from a Social Landlord I'm reluctant to give it up!

Chris Williams