AbleSkills Great Prices For Approved City & Guilds NVQ Electrical and Plumbing Training!
The need to acquire solid training and approved qualifications is key to employment and career success in today’s construction industry. Many of the students choose Ableskills as an established construction training provider because from the moment they land at the website then speak to a friendly and helpful voice on the telephone, they know they have come to the right place!
All prospective candidates are invited to visit the training centre to see for themselves the extensive and fully equipped two storey workshop facilities dedicated to each individual trade skill course. This now includes the latest ‘renewable’ green energy technical training and installations classrooms, also in their own state-of-the-art space. Foremost, amongst the exciting new green technology courses being offered is Solar PV, which looks to be now the in-demand energy efficient installation.
Many students you can speak to at the centre, openly express just how impressed they are, not only with a great set of course options and tariffs to cater for most requirements – including weekend courses - but bowled over with the high quality of tuition and training facilities.
Which is not surprising when you consider that AbleSkills are an approved and accredited provider with the time-honoured City and Guilds, IAB, Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE), EAL (EMTA Awards Ltd) the UK’s leading awarding body for engineering National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), Construction Awards Alliance, Building Engineering Services and many more recognised and respected Standards organisations.
The key entry level training for most students will be either be the City & Guilds Electrical NVQ 2330 or the City & Guilds NVQ Technical Plumbing 6129. Once begun, AbleSkills take great duty of care to carefully guide each student so if they wish, they can naturally progress along their career path training and up the skills qualifications ladder to NVQ 3 and other equally important NVQ course skillsets.
Some students may have originally enquired at a different training centre, but it immediately became apparent that there was a lack of interest, inability to speak with anybody or any follow-up. At AbleSkills, an immediate invitation is always extended to ‘come down and take a look around the centre’. Other students are immediately impressed with every question being fully and logically answered with full explanations for all the courses and their practical benefits.
All the students you can speak with are ‘enjoying it immensely’ citing the main reasons for enrolling at AbleSkills as a ‘relaxed atmosphere’, ‘great technical facilities’ and ‘good relationships’ with a friendly teaching staff who ‘take time to explain’ and ‘help you if you’re not sure’.
The course assessments give them all the feedback and prompting needed to progress and many are already deciding they will sign up at AbleSkills for the next level of training modules in their trade skill at the completion of the current course.
Latest Council Green Build Planning Boosts Trained Skills Future!
In the latest announcement by the Government, three planning rules have just been updated, which will grant nearly £10 million to improve green skills and back the second wave of eco-town construction.
Building with the aim of reducing carbon emissions and future climate change, the new policy statements give councils a “green planning rulebook” so new sustainable developments can be planned.
Proposals for the new climate change planning policy will ensure new developments are built in the right places, utilising sustainable sources of energy and encouraging the installation of electric car charging points. The latest targets are designed to ensure councils put combating climate change at the heart of future development and radically help people save money on their bills and reduce emissions.
For many who are currently thinking of starting, switching or further developing their career as an electrician or looking to become a plumber, learning to work with and install ‘green’ energy efficient appliances and systems will become an increasingly important part of energy trade skills training.
AbleSkills can not only provide the very important underpinning knowledge and practical skills required for students taking either the entry level Electrical 2330 or Plumbing 6129 courses, but can also lead you through a natural learning process to achieve the necessary highly competent skills training qualifications to ensure secure future prospects in a changing jobs marketplace. The opportunity is available to undertake courses at Level 3 as well as a number of combination courses for differing task requirements.
Training becoming available at AbleSkills in a brand new green energy training space, is dedicated to Solar PV systems, considered to be an important part of the Government’s UK green initiative for supplying clean energy and cutting emissions in domestic households. A further capability for students is to train to install another equally important renewable , the highly energy efficient ground and air source heating systems.
No Fee Download App For Qualified Skills Work Search!
The introduction of a Government pilot scheme aims to make Europe’s largest jobs database available by a ‘no fee’ mobile phone download app! Operating through JobCentre Plus, the app is designed to be a key tool for people looking for work, by making it easier to search by location, save preferences and job vacancy information finding.
Jobseekers will be able to enter their location, or select key areas where they are looking for work and see exactly where vacancies are with Google maps. Work seekers will be able to use GPS to spot jobs around them, whether from home or on the move. The app will also be developed to automatically notify people of new vacancies matching their preferences.
The scheme could be a valuable time saving tool for qualified personnel, who have completed a specific trade skills training to become an electrician or work as a plumber, and are looking to enter their particular chosen industry as quickly as possible. The construction industry is still short of many key skill workers around the country on both commercial developments and domestic projects.
At AbleSkills, great care is taken to ensure all students embark on the right course for them that fits in with their career goals and work schedules. The recognised and approved entry level for a trainee electrician, for example, is the City & Guilds Electrical 2330 Level 2, progressing onto the City & Guilds NVQ 2356 Level 3. Able Skills also offer a range of related electrician courses for key important knowledge areas an electrician should possess in order to develop valuable career and future service potential.
Over 30% of employers in the UK use Jobcentre Plus to advertise their jobs and almost 1 million people search for work through Jobcentre Plus every working day. In one month alone, recently, 60,000 people accessed the website from their mobile phones. The app is available to anyone who uses an iPhone, iPod touch or Google ‘Android’ phone. Once the app has opened, a keyword search for jobs in a specific area can be typed in or picked up by a GPS signal.
Warm Homes, Greener Homes Strategy Boost To Construction Industry
Under new plans announced by the Government this month, a ‘green’ transformation of Britain’s homes will take place over the next decade- designed to make them more comfortable, warmer and cheaper to run.
With around one quarter of UK emissions coming from energy used in homes the ‘Warm Homes, Greener Homes’ strategy is aimed at cutting emissions from the UK’s homes by 29% by 2020.
The new strategy will help people make smarter use of energy in homes, making it easier to take action and reduce bills. Installing some technologies, such as solid wall insulation, could see energy bills cut by £380 a year (average between 2013 and 2020).
The new strategy will also help boost jobs, with up to 65,000 jobs required in the green homes industry as a result, for example installing and manufacturing energy saving measures or providing home energy advice.
The demand for trained and qualified industry personnel is also likely to increase, with the focus on those training to be an electrician or looking to work as a plumber. Energy efficient heating and lighting technology is now an urgent priority and it’s becoming clear that undertaking green energy course training in Solar PV installation or ground /air source heat pumps is going to directly benefit trade skills trainees.
Knowing how to make a green energy assessment and undertake the required installation will be of direct relevance to experienced electricians and plumbers, who wish to upgrade their service provision.
The Warm Homes, Greener Homes Strategy will be implemented in a three stage plan:
• Insulation of 6 million homes by the end of 2011
• Insulation of all practical lofts and cavity walls by 2015
• Up to 7 million eco upgrades offered by 2020- all homes to have smart meters
The first demand for electrical and plumbing services looks to be from social housing. Government aims to focus efforts to reduce bills and carbon emissions with council and housing association landlords linking up with energy companies to get efficiency work done.
For those who wish to make a new career in the electrical or plumbing sector, entry level training without any prior knowledge or experience, can be undertaken on a City & Guilds NVQ Level 2 course – Electrical 2330, or Plumbing 6129 - which provides foundation knowledge and introduction to the required practical skills before qualifying to progress onto Level 3.
Electrical Part P – When To Notify and When Not!
It’s been just over six years since the new rules were incorporated into the Building Regulations which redined the installation and modification of electrical wiring.
Known as ‘Part P’, these rules specifically enforce all ‘notifiable’ electrical work to meet legal safety standards for electrical wiring. The rules state that to ensure these standards are met, all work must either be carried out by certified electricians or the work must be tested to the satisfaction of the local Building Control Department.
This is is particularly important to know for all those who wish to enter the industry and train to be a fully qualified electrician.
Not all electrical courses have Part P included in the training, and electricians not Part P registered will be restricted in their future working prospects by being prevented to undertake a number of key electrical tasks.
The City & Guilds Electrical NVQ 2330, is the standard entry course required before progressing onto the full NVQ 2356 Level 3. There are also different combinations of courses that can be undertaken to gain elegibility for Part P registration, from a 13 day beginner course to a three week course. Also, fully qualified electricians who require Part P can enroll onto a short 2393 course.
Be aware that the Part P also applies to DIY activities, and anyone carrying out DIY changes which are notifiable have to submit a building notice to the local authority before starting work and pay the fee to have the work inspected and tested.
Failure to comply with these rules is a criminal offence which can lead to a fine of up to £5,000. Furthermore, problems may be encountered when trying to sell a property which has had notifiable electrical work carried out but for which the appropriate certificate cannot be produced.
Non-notifiable electrical work - which can be carried out by a non-certified individual without notification, but for which the individual does need to be competent, covers:
• Replacement of fittings such as sockets, switches and light fittings.
• Replacement of the cable for a single circuit where it has been damaged.
• Work that is not in the bathroom or kitchen and consists of:
- Adding additional lighting, light fittings and switches, to an existing circuit.
- Adding additional sockets and fused spurs to an existing ring or radial main.
• Installing additional earth bonding.
All ‘non-notifiable electrical work’ is conditional upon the use of suitable cable and fittings for the application, that the circuit protective measures are unaffected and suitable for protecting the new circuit, and that all work complies with all other appropriate regulations.
Notifiable electrical work – which is all other work that must either be carried out by fully qualified, Part P certified individuals/companies or notified to the local Building Control before work begins, includes:
• All new or modifications to the electrical wiring within bathrooms or shower rooms.
• Installation or modification of electric underfloor or ceiling heating.
• Garden lighting or power installation.
Other specialist electrical installation, examples being, Photovoltaic Solar Systems and micro CHP (Combined Heat and Power) power systems.
Plumbing Training Puts Your Hands To Many Skills!
In times of recession, those who specialise in one narrow area of expertise may find the going very tough indeed! However, those possessing an extensive field of knowledge and practical expertise within a given subject area are more likely to weather the economic uncertainties.
Training to be a plumber offers considerable scope, as it is not always realised just how versatile a plumber’s various skills can be - of which , one or more services are bound to be in demand at any time. In today’s world, a plumber is not always unblocking drains and fixing boiler thermostats!
Although, traditionally, some may have only chosen to work as ‘wet only plumbers’, and specialise in piped systems for water such as fitting bathrooms, radiators and sprinkler systems, energy efficiency is now a big and growing part of a plumber’s knowledge area, and may be expected to be called upon to be an energy assessor and advise householders on renewable ‘green energy’ water and heating systems, such as ground/ air heat pumps.
Most recently, plumbers were called into the front line with the announcement of the government’s ‘boiler scrappage’ scheme, aiming to replace the old ‘G’ rated boiler with the new energy efficient ‘A’ rated appliances.
The starting point for all plumbing trainees, is the City & Guilds Plumbing 6129 Technical Certificate which provides understanding of first plumbing principles and introduces the various basic knowledge areas and practical skills needed to practice as a competent, qualified plumber. Moving onto NVQ Level 3 is the next stage in career development and from there onto learning to install gas central heating systems.
Plumbers also learn to undertake ‘roofing work’ – providing a skilled service that requires the working out of precise dimensions and correct angles to fix sheet lead weathering on all types of roofs, insert chimney stack flashing and install roof valley gutters to porch canopies and external dormers.
Learning how to carefully operate and use welding equipment is another important skill to be mastered, as oxy-acetylene brazing, bronze and fusion ( lead) welding is used daily by plumbers for connecting copper pipes and for lead roofing work. And of course, learning how to work with plastics technology, from pipes to plumbers traps and connectors, which requires the use of solvents and adhesives.
For many career switch students, learning plumbing may simply require an adapting or extending their present work skillsets or building upon an interest in DIY, to enable a great opportunity to work in a rewarding and fulfilling new career.
Electrical 2330 Training – open door to your new career!
The current economic climate may mean you are looking to improve your everyday work prospects. Skilled knowledge is a valuable commodity at any time and the electrical industry always has a shortage of trained and qualified personnel in both domestic and commercial sectors. Even if you have no previous knowledge or practical experience, you can start training to be an electrician immediately and can be on your new career path within a few short months.
The City and Guilds 2330 Certificate in Electrotechnology is the industry standard recognised training course that you can enrol for straightaway at required entry Level 2.
There are very good reasons indeed why you should take the 2330 Course! If you want to get proper electrical training, you need to get the right qualifications! Once you have completed all the course units necessary to qualify as an electrician, you have a solid knowledge foundation to build upon and progress your career further. In other words, a job with a future!
The approved and accredited City & Guilds training schedule at AbleSkills is a progressive structure that offers to take you through all the necessary knowledge and practical training modules, starting at Level 2 and onto NVQ level 3. You also have the opportunity to train at other mandatory ability areas , such as the 17th Edition Wiring Regulations ( 2382).
Once qualified, the world of work and building up of your experience beckons! From residential and domestic projects, working on electrical installation in commercial building sites of any size or open your own business after successfully completing your electrical qualification courses. With add on specific training, you could also work in a number of specialised electrical occupations from electrical machine rewind and repair, panel building, highway electrical systems and installing instrumentation equipment.
At AbleSkills, Level 2 of the City and Guilds 2330 course is conducted in its own dedicated classroom complex with each student fully equipped with all the necessary equipment in their own training areas.
Subject areas covered will include health and safety, basic electrical principles such as resistance, relativity, and Ohms law, a.c. theory, polyphase systems, short circuits, earthing, installation techniques, specifications, and regulations.
Advancing to Level 3 of the 2330 Course will take each topic and examine it in more depth, some subjects being tested separately, and a written examination on inspections and testing, along with a practical assessment.
Gaining your electrical qualifications for City and Guilds 2330 levels 2 and 3 ensures that both theory and the practical hands-on knowledge gained during your course training means you are competent and gives you a solid springboard to confidently enter the electrical industry.
Career Switch Boosts Electrical and Plumbing Training
As the recession lingers on and more job cuts are announced in areas such as in financial services because they can be done at one-tenth the cost on the other side of the world, the construction trade continues to hold firm. UK housebuilder, Persimmon has just this week announced an improvement in trading, with sales up by 7% so far this year.
The work of a plumber, electrician or gas fitter has a clearly defined purpose which always requires their physical presence to actually carry out the installation, repair or maintenance. Practical skills cannot be electronically farmed out overseas even though the onward march of technology has enabled an ever widening array of services to become possible to accomplish over the internet!
Trade skills personnel are hands-on and in control of the entire process from start to finish!
For many in certain types of employment, instead of controlling an entire process, they are trained to do ever tinier slivers of work, which then become part of a much larger process. To be able to make your small contribution, you are required by employers to become a member of a team and if you lose your place in the process or the team, your existence is meaningless unless part of the whole.
In stark contrast, training to be an electrician, for example, means you learn to be self sufficient, and entirely reliant on your own training, experience and skill to analyse and solve a problem. An electrician or a plumber are always in demand, in person!
Even in the current economic climate, a recently conducted survey by Manpower Recruitment of employers around the world found that there was still a lack of skilled manual trades such as electricians, plumbers bricklayers, carpenters, tilers…etc.
In addition, job satisfaction and personal fulfilment always rank high with the construction trade industries. It is work with a discernible product or result that can be actually measured and see working in the real world!
Testimonials Tell The Good News Training Story!
When it comes to Trade Skills training centres, it really is a case of the good, the bad and the ugly! Student testimonials can help to make your mind up about which one’s wear the white hats!
It can be a bit confusing when it comes to trying to work out which trade skills training centre is really going to provide the correct courses and ultimately, approved qualifications to best serve your career prospects. Unfortunately, we hear too often from students whose choice of past trainers was not all that it should have been, often the focus of attention for trade industry regulatory bodies.
Even worse, some centres fold unexpectedly and the students will have to restart their training elsewhere.
AbleSkills has been established as one of London’s and the South East’s foremost skills training centre of excellence, offering a comprehensive range of City & Guild approved and accredited courses, the most popular of which, are the entry level Plumbing 6129 Technical certificate and Electrical NVQ 2330.
Unlike some institutions or non-accredited trainers, AbleSkills is a specifically dedicated centre with a fully developed course development structure, which can take an entry level student through all required subject knowledge in order to gain the approved and verified standard at each stage of the process to becoming a fully qualified plumber, electrician or another skilled trade, such as a Gas fitter, tiler, bricklayer or plasterer.
AbleSkills also offers advanced courses for experienced electricians and plumbers to update their knowledge in order to compete successfully by offering a range of qualified technical services, both as a company employee and if you decide to be self-employed.
For most students, AbleSkills is their trainer of first choice because their key concerns of flexible course timings and duration, fully equipped and dedicated workshop classrooms and approved, verified and industry experienced course tutors tick all their boxes!
Don’t just take my word for it, read below a brief selection of testimonials from delighted AbleSkills students :
• “ This is my second course that I have undertaken at Able Skills ….Both courses have been excellent value for money. I would recommend Able Skills as a training centre to everyone; the teachers have great knowledge and are so helpful and informative. They deliver the course in such an easy way to understand and at a pace that you can enjoy and take it all in. I’m looking forward to booking my next course here”
• “The tuition, resourced and support that came from all staff within the facility was second to none.
There is constant updating of information across all trades and the administration support is outstanding. There is an onus on individuals to expand their knowledge by private study. I would endorse Able Skills without reservation”.
• “ Able Skills were first rate, looking after all of my needs from Accommodation through to Instruction.
I received excellent tuition from the Instructors who were superb tradesmen and very approachable from day 1.
• After finishing the course I feel more than confident to gain employment within the industry and Able Skills will continue to support me through NVQ if I choose that route. I want to thank Able Skills for an outstanding course and service and wish them all the best. The instructors are great, helpful and patient. They tell you what to do and let you get on with it, but are there for any queries or problems, giving you the benefit of their experience. I would recommend this course and able skills to anyone”.
• “All staff are helpful, and even willing to share their knowledge, during breaks. In my opinion, able skills, merits itself by being very good value for money. A professional centre, that I will definitely be using again, and recommending to my friends”.
• “I can thoroughly recommend all of the courses; the instructors are all very knowledgeable in their trades, extremely helpful and put themselves out to make the week both enjoyable and also a valuable learning experience for every one who attends”.
Approved Training Prevents Plumbing Imposters !
There can be problems to be faced for all those looking to train for a plumbing qualification. There may not be a suitable college course near to where you live or not enough plumbing companies who have vacancies to take on apprentices or students for work based experience.
Established and industry approved training centres like AbleSkills have become a very popular method for most wishing to start out or retrain for a career in the key skill trades of electrician or plumber. However, unfortunately, not all training centres possess adequate facilities or are accredited for the courses they offer, which are often not the required industry qualifications to carry out specified work.
Ultimately, the students will be paying to undertake courses which will not give them the recognised and legal standard of competency to undertake the work they then attempt to carry out. In a word they may become ‘rogue traders’!
According to the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) - the professional body for the UK plumbing and heating industry - there are approximately 120,000 people who call themselves plumbers in the UK, but not all of these plumbers hold qualifications or experience!
While the ‘cowboy’ element are a minority, they are often highlighted in the media, affecting the reputation of professional plumbers, endangering the public health and can cause costly damage to properties they work on.
The proper route to becoming a professional industry plumber is to undertake an officially accredited and verified City & Guilds Plumbing 6129 Level 2 Technical Certificate course, followed by the City & Guilds Plumbing NVQ Level 3 qualifications required.
As an approved training provider, AbleSkills has accreditation to offer qualifications on behalf of: City & Guilds, Construction Awards Alliance, NICEIC & EAL for Domestic Installer qualifications and CITB for Gas training and assessment. Fully equipped classroom workshops for each trade skill area are overseen by full time instructors, assessors and internal verifiers.
Key to becoming fully industry ready - you will be able to progress your learning through a series of courses that will qualify you to undertake most domestic and commercial work, according to the experience which will need to be built up after completing the courses.
