Archive for February, 2010
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.
Solar PV at Ecobuild Showcase Key Energy Installation Trend.
The presence of Solar PV technology at this year’s Ecobuild show in London, which takes place from March 2-4, 2010, is a sure sign of the growing interest in installing clean renewable energy in the UK. In addition, visitors will be able to find out more about the government’s Clean Energy Cashback Scheme, due to be launched in April 2010, which allows owners of PV systems to be paid a guaranteed rate for the energy they generate.
Solar systems are not new, and have been used around the world for many years. It is sometimes assumed that solar technology is not suitable for northern European climates, but this is not true. In Germany, for example, where a similar scheme has been in existence since 2000, the market has grown by approximately 3GW per year, creating what is now the largest and most developed market in the world. PV subsidies have been introduced in many other countries around the world with rapid market growth being achieved in each instance.
With over 40,000 systems installed in the UK alone, solar power is becoming the leading source of providing alternative energy. In the UK , we receive sufficient sunshine to provide up to 70% of our annual domestic hot water needs from a well designed solar installation, and this type of system will also reduce harmful emissions by up to 500 kg per square metre of panel per year.
According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a solar water heater is a long-term investment, representing real cost and energy saving and providing insurance against energy price increases. Solar PV systems are one of the renewable energy sources that you can have your property assessed for and have the panels easily and safely installed on your roof without the usual kind of local planning problems.
Training to be a plumber or electrician now involves working with the installation of renewable Green Energy for use in the home or workplace. AbleSkills have built dedicated renewable energy training workshops in conjunction with energy assessment courses to supply an increasingly vital service.
Solar heating course training in specially built classrooms provide the necessary theory and practical knowledge for correct and safe installation, which is undoubtedly at the tipping point of becoming an essential skillset for all trade skills trainees, from now on.
AbleSkills Progressive Training With Integrity!
Training to enter the Construction industry as the UK slowly strives to move out of recession is still a safe a solid career move! Estimated worth is in excess of £ 110 billion and employs 1 .5 million! The industry involves a wide range of high technical key skills such as electrical and plumbing to bricklaying, plastering, tiling, carpentry and joinery.
Good quality trade companies and employers always look to recruit fully trained and competent personnel with recognised qualifications who are prepared to honour codes of responsible, professional standards.
Compliance with laws, regulations, standards and codes to safeguard the environment, public health and safety, combined with the desire to constantly broaden, improve and maintain skills, knowledge and personal qualities are the distinguishing traits of both work and service excellence.
Personal qualities of integrity and workmanship are acquired as part of learning your trade in a corresponding professional training environment. Experienced and expert tutors will naturally transfer their own standards of required adherence to quality standards of workmanship, which hold good for your entire working life, not just for passing course assessments to obtain qualifications!
Most trades currently require an NVQ at Level 2 or 3 to be classed as qualified. For those wishing to become an electrician, the City & Guilds 2330 Level 2 is the recognised entry point and for those looking to become a plumber, then the City & Guilds Plumbing 6129 Technical Certificate is the course to commence the necessary foundation knowledge.
An NVQ knowledge training takes time to achieve, using a combination of off-the-job training with a training provider and working with an employer in the sector. Remember - ‘quickie’ courses aimed at the DIY market may be useful for background or the most basic skills, but hardly prepare someone to become a skilled trades person.
At AbleSkills, an extensive trade knowledge learning path has been developed as a structured series of courses, which can be followed to naturally take an entry level student right through all the necessary training and qualifications to be ready to enter the industry at a very high level.
This can favourably put an AbleSkills graduate, who has undertaken and qualified at each step of the related course ladder, at an advantage in the employment application process.
Employers look for at least basic practical skills and essential knowledge gained from a respected City & Guilds qualification or foundation award so that they can at least put the apprentice to work alongside more experienced and qualified people. In addition, they will encourage beginners to further their knowledge and work towards an NVQ.
As an AbleSkills ‘graduate’ you will, have already attained the necessary training qualifications to impress at interview and parachute you into your chosen job destination!
Qualifying After Completing Your Course Is Just The Beginning!
Learning never stops! Especially when it comes to understanding an electrician’s technical trade skill. It is important to recognise that it takes considerable working experience to truly claim this status. The approved entry level qualification is City & Guilds Electrical NVQ 2330 level 2, which will get you very much acquainted with the principles and a basic working knowledge of undertaking basic electrician’s tasks, and a great first step on the career ladder, perfectly setting the groundwork for you to build upon.
Training and qualifying up to NVQ level 3, takes you to the next crucial stage, after which you have ample opportunities at AbleSkills to study important practical knowledge areas such as the 1 day Electrical PAT testing course and the 17th Edition IEE Wiring Regulations (City & Guilds 2382), over 3 days. Keeping up to date with technology changes is vital!
Government initiatives to speed up the installation of highly efficient green energy supply to reduce domestic - as well as commercial C02 emissions is high on the agenda now. At AbleSkills, there is opportunity to increase your knowledge base and employment chances by undertaking courses held in their new dedicated training workshops for energy assessment , the increasing popular Solar PV and Air/Ground Source Heat Pumps.
AbleSkills training centre has an established reputation for its duty of care to all their students! An unique career progression curriculum is set into place which allows a student’s natural development to be coordinated with the necessary approved course qualifications. By going down this learning route, a solid and comprehensive experience is built up, which significantly boosts all types of future career prospects.
You will only stand a chance of gaining employment if you have trained and obtained a recognised certificated trade ( NVQ) qualification at an approved and accredited training centre like AbleSkills. Employers will always ask what work experience you have- so building up work experience is crucial to boosting your career prospects.
Today, more than ever, to stand a chance of working in the electrical industry, the key is to remember that you do not stop learning when you have finished your qualification. AbleSkills also offer 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.
Plumbing Training – the people’s choice!
With so much gloomy economic news recently, it’s always reassuring to hear that the Construction trade skills are solid as a rock, as we would expect them to be! Despite the economic downturn, the news is that training centres and colleges are still experiencing strong demand from students wanting to train to be a plumber, learn electrician skills, or enroll on a plastering course.
The truth is that there always has – and will always be - a shortage of properly skilled and qualified plumbers! Even when cheap East European labour was at its highest in the UK up to fairly recently. Just prior to the onset of the credit crunch, demand was estimated to be running over 32,000!
According to recent reports, plumbing is still the most popular choice, with a quarter of trainees choosing to enroll on the City & Guilds 6129 Plumbing course level 2 – a technical certificate that enables you to carry on to the full NVQ Level 3 course.
An established, approved Skills Training centre always represents a vital career opening for many looking to enter the trade construction industry as Colleges do not have the capacity to train the yearly requirement of new plumbers, which typically has always been known to stand at around 3,000 trainee vacancies per annum.
Unlike some institutions or non-accreditated trainers, AbleSkills is a specifically dedicated centre with an engineered 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.
The first key learning schedule is gaining awareness and understanding of the basic principles and a popular method that students opt for is to undertake the Plumbing 6129 home study course. This means learning in your own time and at your own pace, ably assisted by comprehensive self assessment for each module, in order to prepare yourself for final assessment. Practical workshop training begins once the theory learning has been satisfactorily verified at the required standard.
Offering flexible course times and durations – including weekend plumbing courses – for different certifications and qualifications is as varied and student friendly, if not more so, than many of the traditional educational establishments.
RCD Safety Long Term UK Campaign Means Prospects For Electrical Training!
Training for a long term career as an electrician is always a safe best, whatever the economic outlook. Electricity is an integral part of all our lives and even more so in the 21st century digital world. Your PC needs an electrical supply to function and mobiles need to be charged! It’s easy to forget just how powerful and reliant we are on an uninterrupted and safe electricity supply. And how dangerous it can be!
UK Wiring Rules (BS 7671, formerly the IEE Wiring Regulations) are designed to meet the modern challenge of providing a safe supply by introducing an important and necessary electrical safety device - the residual current device or RCD - into all buildings, domestic or commercial. The electrical installation industry has embraced the change because they know that RCD protection can help save lives and provide better prevention against electrical fires.
For those are embarked on an electrician training course - the approved entry level qualification being the City & Guilds NVQ 2330 level 2 - knowledge and practical working with the required electrical safety regulations and protective devices is a major assessment requirement.
In fact, since mid-2008, as part of any new installation, major rewire or replacement of a consumer unit, there has been a requirement in the UK Wiring Rules to provide RCD protection for virtually every socket-outlet and circuit in a domestic dwelling.
However, as yet, most optimistic estimates suggest that only 25% of consumer units in the UK include an adequate level of RCD protection. It is for this reason that the Electrical Safety Council is currently mounting a major campaign to both create awareness and encourage the adoption of the RCD system, in similar way as the smoke detector is now considered as an essential safety requirement.
The key message of the campaign is a basic objective of increasing RCD protection in UK homes by 10% over the next 5 years, at least !
The primary target audience will be consumers who put themselves at greater risk of electrocution by using mains-powered equipment for improving their homes and maintaining their gardens – without RCD protection.
The campaign will work in partnership with retail outlets, national media, electrical contractors and most importantly will harness the trained and qualified electrician to help realise the aims of a considerable challenge – and this will almost certainly guarantee domestic work for the foreseeable future.
First Enquiry With A Trade Skills Trainer Gives First Clue!
Finding a quality approved and accredited trade skills trainer can be a bit of minefield as there are now so many organisations offering a confusing number of courses. Which course is best for you and are you going to get the correct training and qualifications to really allow you to make real progress in your career path?
The key is always to do your homework! By spending time carrying out prior research you will be armed with the right knowledge in order to make a sensible decision. Visit their website first and really look carefully at all the pages and ask yourself the really important questions as you look through, e.g. how long have they been in existence, are they really approved for the right type of courses, how many experienced, trained and qualified teachers and verifiers on the staff?
It should go without saying that you should not be dazzled by cut price, bargain basement course selling, which claims to offer instant industry working status. Remember - experience and expertise takes time to build, and is not achieved in a matter of days or weeks.
Most importantly, and dependent on the individual course level, where exactly will you be training – at their premises or elsewhere?
If you are serious about entering a trade profession, then the likelihood is that you should already have found out that to begin a career as an electrician, you are required to undertake a series of courses that will take you through a structure of required knowledge learning and skillsets, beginning with the City & Guilds 2330 level 2.
Likewise, plumbing training requires a body of knowledge and practical training to be fully understood and practiced as you progress through several levels, but once again, you will need to start with City & Guilds Plumbing 6129 level 2.
Be aware that short centre certificate courses are mostly primers, and aimed for DIY or one set skill learning, giving you insight into the requirements to carry out the basic task the course claims to provide. It does not instantly transform you into a fully fledged tradesperson in that field!
An established and recognised training centre will also offer short, advanced courses for the experienced trade, such as electricians, plumbers, gas fitters, tilers, plasterers, bricklayers and builders to learn specific skills and update their knowledge, which can be added to their range of customer services.
First enquiry will give you a first clue! Listen to the their telephone style. Friendly, yes, but do they sound knowledgeable and can explain in detail about the course you have in mind? Are they approved by City & Guilds and the major trade body examiners and verifiers, most importantly in electrical and plumbing? Do they offer you the opportunity to visit their centre so they can spend time showing you around?
Find out just comprehensive their courses are, availability and if subscribed? What course teaching aids are available and are you offered flexibility with regards when you can train, how long it will take and are there staggered schedules for some types of courses?
There are sure to be other questions you will need to ask with regards your own specific requirements and once again, focus on how keen the response and desire to genuinely help. The next important step will be the visit to the training centre itself!
Plastics Makes Plumbing Smooth To Learn!
Plastic pipe systems first came into everyday use for above ground drainage, i.e. rainwater gutters, downpipes and soil and waste water systems, where they replaced older cast iron alternatives. In recent years, rapid development in the use of plastics pipe systems for hot and cold water services applications has transformed the plumbing industry – and in plumbing training itself.
Initially put to use primarily for a specific purpose, e.g. ’ restricted access’ or when a fire risk prevents use of rigid systems and blow torches to make joints, plastic products were adopted by the plumbing industry, and they are now very widely used across the UK and elsewhere, around the world.
Learning to accurately measure, bend and fix copper pipes is still an important part of training to be a fully qualified plumber but working with plastic pipes, both rigid and flexible, self sealing waste valves, traps and the different types of connectors is also central to plumbing training and obtaining qualifications. Needless to say, handling plastics equally requires great care and attention to detail and the work rewards still satisfying.
Today’s plastics technology produces products designed for ease of working, installation and long term performance. Some of the most significant developments in the use of plastics are to be found in hot and cold water services and central heating applications, two very important subjects within the City & Guilds Plumbing 6129 level 2 course.
Widespread use of polybutylene pipe, in conjunction with advanced fitting designs, make for a easier and simpler, flexible plumbing system installation. They are now becoming commonplace in new homes and increasingly are being adopted for refurbishment or extension of existing properties/plumbing systems.
Key benefits include :
• The supply of pipe on coils up to 100m in length reducing the number of fittings required upon installation.
• Flexibility making it simpler to route plumbing circuits, in much the same way as electrical wiring, through and around
building elements such as modern silent floor joists or ‘I’ beams.
• Silent operation absorbs and suppresses sound, rather than transmitting it.
• Non- corrosive in soft water areas or scaling up in hard water areas.
• Heat is transmitted through the pipe walls less quickly and they remain cool to the touch - particularly helpful where young children or the elderly and infirm are among a property’s residents.
• Water takes longer to freeze, with the pipe simply expanding to accommodate the greater volume and returning to its original dimensions when temperatures rise.
The difference between full Electrician Training and the Domestic Installer
The likelihood is that you have come across advertised training courses offering to magically transform you into a fully qualified tradesman in as little as two or three weeks. Unfortunately, it is very often the case that the training offered does not in any way qualify anyone to undertake serious electrical or plumbing work simply because the course only certificates for basic ability to only carry out limited operations.
Unfortunately, the trainee may only become aware of the limited scope of the training at a very late stage and may still try to justify the knowledge gained as being possibly sufficient to muddle through. Depending on the working circumstances, sometimes there may not be a choice in carrying out work with which he or she has little or no experience or qualification of competency to carry out. We only get to hear the end result of this sorry state of affairs when a serious accident or fatality is reported in the press or on local TV.
The most common mistake made is the difference between becoming a Domestic Installer and training as a fully qualified electrician. A Domestic Installer is trained to carry out basic domestic electrical work, such as the installation and replacement of electrical components, putting in and/or rerouting cables, lighting, and similar types of work.
To reach the defined standard of Domestic installer, a first course must be taken, which takes generally between 2 to 5 days. To be able to legally carry out the electrical work and self certify, registration onto a ‘competent persons’ scheme - commonly known as Part P – is required so that the chosen Governing body can, by appointment, make the necessary work assessment.
Part P registration is only completed once the City & Guilds 2382 (17th Edition)- which provides a full understanding of BS7671 – Wiring Regulations - is obtained, up to 12 months from registration/acceptance.
Learning to become an electrician begins with the City & Guilds 2330 level 2, with a total intensive period of different knowledge training of 20 weeks. It is with the award of this qualification that gives approved status to enter into the electrical industry where skills, knowledge and valuable experience is gained for the necessary onsite assessments required in order to obtain NVQ level 3.
In addition, further training in the City & Guilds 2382 (17th Edition) and City & Guilds 2391 (Inspection & Testing) is required before being considered to be a fully fledged electrician within the commercial and industrial sector. The EAL VRQ Domestic Installers Certificate is the relevant qualification to register onto a Part P scheme needed to work within domestic dwellings.
It is strikingly obvious that there are clear and important differences between the two types of training requirements and final qualifications. Understanding these differences and what to expect by fully enquiring before embarking on an electrical course is strongly advised to avoid making a costly and potentially fatal mistake.
Tiling Full Time Whilst Waiting For House Prices To Improve!
Housing prices are slowly recovering and Britain pulls out of recession. The signs are good for the construction industry and reassures all those learning trade skills or looking to begin training, that future work prospects are much improved now with many Government and private development schemes around the country being recently announced.
But recovery will take time and many homeowners will choose to wait and spend money on refurbishments to help maintain both the look and value of their properties until the price of general housing stock significantly shows better figures.
This means more work for skilled tradesmen, especially in those larger home improvements that enthusiastic DIY’ers might not attempt, although there will always be someone you know who would have attempted tiling their own bathroom or kitchen – it has become, like running a mile for charity - almost the universal ‘must have a go’ challenge!
Yet as soon as they start to lay out the tiles, they realise they have not really understood those little ‘how-to’ tips and that’s when unforeseen problems start to rear their head and another DIY disaster looms!
For many reading this who have a solid background in related practical trades or whose work patterns have been seriously affected by industry cutbacks, career switching and retraining represents an attractive option. To embark by gaining a City & Guilds NVQ Tiling qualification in a relatively straightforward skills retrain can make sound sense. Courses are devised to cater for all types of time schedule requirements, so you may decide to set aside say two consecutive weekend tiling training sessions that condenses an entire course of weekdays into one.
Also available are three week full NVQ fulltime courses which are strongly advised for obtaining a complete understanding and practical skillsets for most tiling jobs required in both domestic and commercial applications. This will invariably cover such basic skills as correct spacing, lining up the patterning or working neatly over or around a corner, step, or column, applying a screed and surface preparation before beginning the tiling itself.
More specialised courses are on offer to know how to work with expensive natural products like Granite, Marble, Limestone and Slate, which are increasingly popular.
Within a short space of time, you can be fully trained and qualified to approved competency in order to go out, get some valuable experience under the belt and help those homeowners to retile their bathrooms, shower units or kitchens whilst they wait for better house prices to come.
