The past few years has seen an increase in the number of Private Training Providers offering fast track qualifications and promising high salaried careers at the end of it all. Equally, the past few months has seen some of these same Private Providers close when their financial backers have withdrawn or when the truth is discovered that the ‘qualifications’ they were offering were not actually industry recognized!

Able Skills sets itself aside from these fly-by-night training schools in that we provide the correct training for the correct qualification for the correct industry. We do not promote Home Study; we do promote attendance at any one of our 7 Kent based Training Centres to attend tutor lead theory classes and practical workshops, to undertake the required examinations and to carry out the mandatory assessments. In effect, we provide industry recognized qualifications just like any Further Education College can but we have the ability to be more flexible with our intake dates and completion periods whilst still remaining under the watchful eye of the relevant awarding bodies, City & Guilds, CITB, EAL and Construction Awards Alliance.

Able Skills has been firmly established in the Construction Training industry since 2003. We deliver Plumbing training from level 2 to right up to NVQ level 3, Gas training and assessment for both the Domestic and Commercial industry, Electrical qualifications to satisfy the domestic requirements of Part P as well as meeting the standards set by JIB (Joint Industry Board) for electrical work within the Commercial and Industrial industry and we also now have a Renewable Energy Centre. Reducing the carbon footprint is something which we are committed to and so our Renewable Centre is a working example of these technologies as well as being furnished with all of the mandatory training equipment to achieve distinct qualifications. This Centre is undergoing BPEC and NICEIC approval for the delivery of training and assessment for Ground and Air Source Heat Pumps, Biomass, Hot Water Underfloor Heating, Rainwater Harvesting and Grey Water, Solar Thermal, Solar Photovoltaic and Wind Turbine Energy. This Centre will also play a massive part in the delivery of the proposed 2011 City & Guilds QCF title, Award in Environmental Technologies (Draft Title).

At Able Skills we work very hard to ensure that everything we do, we do in the correct manner. We are keen to play a part in generating quality Plumbers, Gas Engineers, Electricians and Renewable Technicians. Able Skills is designed for those of you who are seriously interested in embarking on a career as a fully ‘competent’ Electrician, Plumber or Gas Engineer, someone who is not looking for a quick fix or an easy ride but somebody who knows that these are all progressive qualifications to be built on or added to as time goes on and experience levels grow. We invest heavily in our facilities to ensure that everything is in place to deliver quality training and we also show our commitment to our staff by ensuring that individually, each of them is up to date with their industry and teaching qualifications.

We are entirely confident in everything we deliver to the extent that we do not employ sales teams or provide open days. We are open 7 days every week and readily encourage people to turn up at our training centres without appointment, Monday to Sunday; that way they can see the reality of what we do and discover that nothing here is staged, it really all is as good as we say!

Remember- there is no quick fix in career changing! Approved and accredited centre’s, although flexible in the differing lengths of time, ultimately require attendance spread over particular time periods, from several blocks lasting weeks or months, spread over a period of a year or even more, if required.

The unveiling of a ‘green enterprise district’ planned for East London is further good news for those attracted to change their careers to become involved in the green energy revolution that is gathering pace in the UK. Training to become a plumber or learning the necessary skills to be an electrician in the 21st century means getting to grips with learning about how renewable technology works and can be safely integrated into homes or workplaces as part of the drive for installing clean and efficient heating and lighting.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has just announced a £30 million ‘Green Enterprise’ three-storey pavilion for the Royal Docks, near the ExCeL centre and London City airport as an exhibition and conference centre to form part of a ‘green enterprise district’ planned for East London. The project will cover six boroughs – Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, and Havering.

The district aims to attract low-carbon businesses, particularly in waste and recycling, renewable energy and new technologies such as alternative fuels for vehicles and innovative building products, aiming to create up to 6,000 jobs ‘green-collar’ jobs for the area.

A consortium is being put together by Siemens engineering and technology group to design and build the ‘pavilion’ covering nearly 40,000sq ft. The centre, which it is hoped will be a permanent showcase for sustainable technologies that will attract 100,000 visitors a year, will include a public exhibition, 300-seat auditorium and educational facilities with interactive exhibits, a café and shop, will open in early 2012.

The structure, built with recycled steel and industrial by-product cement, will maximise natural daylight using high performance glazing, photovoltaic panels and energy efficient lighting.

Its design includes ‘rainwater harvesting’, ground source heat pumps and solar water heating, the latter two types of ‘green energy’, which should now be considered by trainee plumbers or electricians as an essential part of their skills learning.

At AbleSkills, dedicated and state of the art green energy classroom workshops have been built for students to train under approved supervision. A course directed curriculum can be structured so trainees can naturally progress their career forming knowledge right from entry level 2 through to level 3 on either a NVQ Electrical or NVQ plumbing course over optional periods of time right through to advanced and specialised knowledge areas that includes renewable energy training.

The Renewable Heat Incentive – aiming at generating heat from renewable sources – is set to launch from April 2011, and is the latest scheme to be announced in a bid to cut carbon emissions.

As a result of the 2020 Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT), the heating industry is beginning to see renewable incentives rapidly gathering momentum.

Many manufacturers of low carbon and renewable products have been gearing up for the anticipated shift in the way homes are heated despite slowness in financial incentives and legislation. The launch of the Renewable Heat Incentive is a positive sign that renewables are rapidly entering the mainstream.

All this means good news for the future of the plumbing industry, especially at a time of economic challenge. For the trainee or those individuals looking to start out to train as a plumber, there has never been a more rewarding time as the switch to green energy pushes forward in all areas of working and home life.

A trainee plumber takes his first step on the career ladder by embarking on the Plumbing NVQ 6129 level 2 technical certificate course, which provides all the essential foundation knowledge and introduction to practical installations. Once qualified, the next stage is NVQ level 3 before being considered industry-ready to build up valuable working experience.

Learning to work with and install the latest green technologies, such as ground source heat pumps, can also be undertaken as well as gas training.

Over 1.5 million gas boilers are sold every year in the UK, and for the vast majority of the population who presently are unable to invest in green technologies requiring a higher initial outlay, the simplest and cheapest method could see the installation of a mix of technologies within existing properties. This might mean for the all round trained and qualified plumber, integrating boilers with solar thermal heat pumps with underfloor heating, along with an array of other combinations.

Each property will require individual advice for usage and energy assessor courses are another opportunity to extend a plumbers skillset for future vital and necessary work.

An electrician’s skills learning and training is often talked about here as absolutely the key to developing a serious career within the industry. When a student begins their foundation training on an approved course like the City & Guilds Electrical NVQ 2330 level 2, it is soon realised that an important part of being able to reach the standard of first class workmanship, necessary to become qualified, is the quality of the tools an electrician uses.

The purchase of your own set of high quality test instruments is probably one of the biggest investments an electrician will have to make when starting out in their new career. It would be a wise move to make! Precise measuring instruments enable the electrician to undertake a wide range of tests as well as help ensure that their installation work is ‘sound’ throughout the course of the job. In terms of good Health & Safety practice, instruments also help to keep an electrician and his client safe, alerting them to potentially dangerous situations and helping predict when a fault might occur in the future.

As a student progresses through his training onto Electrical NVQ 2356 level 3 plus, undertaking the additional options in electrical PAT testing and 17th Edition Wiring Regulations 2382, for example, meter testing becomes a constant companion, needed to check and double check multiple circuits and connections.

Generally, there are two types of test instruments :

All-in-one/Multifunction testers - These are single units designed to carry out a wide range of tests, including continuity, insulation resistance, polarity, etc. The main benefits are cost savings (cheaper than purchasing individual meters for each test) and convenience (less equipment to carry around). On the downside, if the meter breaks you may not be able to carry out any of your tests. Cheaper meters may also exhibit the “jack of all trades, master of none” characteristic and should really be avoided.

Single-application testers - These will generally be smaller than the three-in-one units and will be designed to carry out one specific function – RCD testing, earth fault loop impedance (Zs) testing, etc. Unlike three-in-one testers, they contain less electronics so unlikely to develop a fault. In the same way, your three-in-one meter will be needed every time you carry out any test, whereas your RCD tester will only be used when you’re testing RCDs. On the downside, more meters means more investment – particularly relevant when it’s time to get all the meters calibrated. Taking a professional approach means not cutting corners when purchasing tools.

When buying any tester, make sure it’s GS38 compliant, i.e. regularly checked, so as to conform with the requirements of BS 7617 (current edition) and HSE document GS 38. Always check in advance, before going on site, to make sure you know exactly how your tester works.

An all round thumbs up to the former Government’s Boiler Scrappage Scheme has led to expressions of regret that it was not continued after its March closure date.

According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, not only had the scheme helped people save around £200 a year off fuel bills and reduce emissions by the installation of an ‘A-rated’ energy efficient boiler, it had also provided a much needed boost to the UK’s plumbers and boiler manufacturers, helping to sustain work for the 130,000 installers and up to 25 UK-based boiler manufacturers throughout the economic recovery.

In addition, it represented positive encouragement to the many men and women who are currently thinking of entering the industry and take up training to be a plumber with an approved trade skills centre like AbleSkills.

Originally announced in the December 2009 Pre-Budget Report, the scheme was launched to encourage homeowners to change decrepit boilers, if more than 15 or 20 years old, by offering a financial incentive. Since that time, The Energy Saving Trust has reported that the scheme had “really caught the public imagination … incentivising tens of thousands to move from the worst to the best performing boilers saving on CO2 emissions and their energy bills”.

The Energy Savings Trust has sent out all 125,000 vouchers to take £400 off the cost of replacing an old boiler with a new efficient one, to be claimed by the closure date, 26 March. So far, two-thirds of the boiler scrappage vouchers have been
redeemed, with over 97,000 people having had the work completed and nearly 60 per cent received the £400 rebate with the remainder still being processed.

The National Home Improvement Council claims that the boiler scrappage scheme has the potential to offer more savings and make a difference in more areas than it did. They have called on the industry to continue to offer incentives for households to upgrade their boilers, as there are still many boilers still needing to be replaced.

Significant savings of up to £235 per year can be made by replacing their old boiler with a modern “A-rated” boiler or a renewable heating system like a biomass boiler or a heat pump.

For many student trainees currently on a Plumbing NVQ 6129 level 2 course the increasing UK demand for the installation of an efficient green energy heating system indicates good work prospects in their future career path. A number of approved and accredited courses have been developed at AbleSkills that will enable students to smoothly progress their knowledge base and extend their skills competency  to confidently be able to install the new technologies like ground source and air source heat pumps as well as a traditional heating system.

Over the years, fly-by-night training schools, intent to exploit the marketplace with questionable tuition, facilities and certificates have come and gone, leaving much distress caused to students stranded mid training and a general harming to the reputation of the established skills training industry.

Recently, an announcement by a major high street bank that they will no longer be involved with the specialist adult education and training market has led to a number of ‘fast-track’ training providers being put into administration or finding themselves on the brink of financial failure.

The Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC), who are responsible for education and training policy have commented that, “ the bubble appears to have burst for fast-track training providers”.

It seems that a significant number of ‘fast-track’ trained individuals have been competing on unfair terms with skilled and experienced APHC members and other legitimate companies.

Inevitably, the students who have handed over money and were led to believe that the product they were buying would lead them to a fulfilling career in the industry have now realised the consequences of thinking the type of training offered at a certain price would be sufficient or sustainable.

For all those who are seriously interested to embark on a career as a fully ‘competent’ electrician or plumber need to understand that there is no quick, easy entry! A proper sequence of approved and accredited NVQ learning at the required level must be undertaken. This means commencing electrical training on the City & Guilds NVQ 2330 Level 2 course and progressing onto the NVQ 2356 level 3 and for those wishing to train as a plumber, the required foundation course for beginners is the City & Guilds NVQ 6129 level 2, also with the ability to progress onto NVQ level 3.

Always check first with your selected skills training centre , speak on the phone and visit their training facilities, ask questions of the tutors, and see for yourself the classroom areas and equipment in place.

Remember- there is no quick fix in career changing! Approved and accredited centre courses, although flexible in the differing lengths of time, require ultimately, attendance spread over particular time periods, from several blocks lasting weeks or months at a time over the year or even more, if required.

We are all aware just how important electricians and plumbers are when the lights go out or a pipe springs a leak! The Construction trade services workforce are the unsung heroes that keep homes and businesses up and running with vital systems essential to everyday existence!

Climate issues and the growth of the use of the internet have reinforced our awareness of just how important and critical energy supply and maintenance is to our future survival. So it’s good news to hear that recognition of the key role that electricians and plumbers play is being highlighted by parents encouraging their children to pursue careers in both industries.

In a recent survey, the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) discovered that one in five parents (20%) are advising their children to train as an electrician or plumber, on the same level as advising careers in engineering and accountancy.

Although the majority of parents want their children to become doctors (36%) or lawyers (30%) – increasing significantly in the 45-49 age group, to over a quarter of parents (25%) – many recognise that qualifying as a highly skilled electrician provides just as important a service and commands equal respect and salary. In fact, significantly more parents would advise their children to become electricians rather than teachers, vets, estate agents and even pilots! The least favoured careers in the survey were Singer (1%), Estate Agent (3%), and Hairdresser (3%).

When we recognise the important influence that skilled tradespersons, like electricians, have on the way in which we live because of the advances in energy technology in our homes and buildings we realise that it’s not just about important domestic jobs such as rewiring a house. Electricians are also now expected to perform critical roles in the installation of latest green energy technology such as PV Solar panels.

Entry level electrician training begins on an approved and accredited City & Guild Electrical NVQ 2330 level 2 Course progressing onto NVQ 2356 Level 3 – although both electrical learning courses can be taken together and undertaken on consecutive weekend courses.

Frequent media exposure to the ever present dangers of ‘rogue traders’ has its obvious consequences. Householders are constantly wary of losing money or damage to property and become increasingly anxious about finding a reputable tradesman who will do a good job at a reasonable price. It is a main reason why they are encouraged to only use members of an industry trade association to help ensure a high standard of workmanship.

The Tile Association – for tiling trade members – provides assurance of quality products, excellent service and professional workmanship to the concerned consumer by assisting in their search for trained and qualified tilers of approved standard in their local area.

Their TTA insurance backed Warranty Scheme, especially for TTA Registered tilers working in the consumer sector, can give members a competitive advantage. It covers the tiling only for domestic contract work from £250- £5,000 for six years after full payment has been made for the tile installation.

The endeavour to uphold a ‘good name’ within the industry reflects on all trades and is dependent on all those who wish to make their career within the construction trades to adhere to following the obligatory skills training route to formal, recognised qualifications.

This means applying to an approved and accredited skills training centre, where industry experienced tuition is properly given in both theory and practical knowledge within fully equipped classrooms. The recognised ‘benchmark standard’ City & Guild NVQ courses are only allowed to be taught subject to full approval status, guaranteeing course credentials and maintained qualification standards.

At Able Skills, a number of high quality certificated tiling courses are available, including a complete City & Guilds NVQ Tiling Course and an opportunity to train on weekend tiling courses for those unable to commit to weekdays.

Ever increasing competition in today’s tough economic environment means that only the properly trained tradesman who has completed recognised qualifications to gain experienced, professional status will be likely to sustain a livelihood. In order to do this, active support by trade associations, developing good reputation to obtaining constant referrals is vital and will only apply to those who have genuinely invested in and can prove they have served the necessary qualified training time.

It has been estimated that only 25% of consumer units in the UK include an adequate level of RCD protection, yet 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.

Electrical Safety Council has this month launched a major campaign, “Plug Into Safety”, which aims to reduce the number of electrical accidents in the home by encouraging people to fit an RCD, and viewed as an essential safety requirement similar to the smoke detector.

The modern consumer unit is the centre of the wiring system in the home. The unit distributes the electricity, via fuses of one kind or another, to the different circuits in the house. The older fuse wire are being replaced gradually by their modern equivalent, the MCB or miniature circuit breaker.

Every week someone in the UK dies in an electrical accident in their home and thousands of people are injured every year. The “Plug Into Safety” Campaign will urge householders to review their RCD protection and ensure they engage the services of a trained and ‘competent’ qualified electrician to carry out the work to required correct and safe legal standards.

To be ‘competent’, means a full, qualified knowledge of electrical installations. It will mean the ability to thoroughly check a circuit for safety and be able to issue, under the legal requirement of the Part P registration scheme, a works certificate as a self certified “competent person”. All cables and connections to the consumer unit must be checked and tested by a qualified electrician.

The campaign aims to raise general awareness of electrical safety and encourage householders to:

• Consider upgrading to a modern fusebox with built-in RCDs or install plug-in RCDs (which are readily available from local hardware or home and garden stores)
• Contact a registered electrician any with concerns about electrical safety

The campaign will be promoted through the media as well as through partnerships with leading retailers and manufacturers. Electricians will be encouraged to support the campaign by providing information on RCDs for consumers. The Electrical Safety Council is currently developing a campaign toolkit for distribution to electricians, giving all the information they need to pass onto consumers, which will be available from mid-July.

AbleSkills, as a leading London and South East’s construction skills centre provides fully accredited City & Guilds NVQ 2330 electrical training  Level 2  and to the required NVQ level 3. Flexibility to cater for a variety of trainee circumstances is considered paramount and many opportunities exist to train, whether on electrical weekend courses, or different combinations of certificated courses lasting from 3 weeks to 8 weeks.

The building regulations on drainage and waste disposal are designed to protect public health and safety and the water bylaws are designed to prevent the misuse, waste and contamination of water. Before undertaking work on soil and waste pipes or drains (except for emergency unblocking), the local authority must be contacted.

Yet the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) were in the news again recently, giving its official backing to the Connect Right campaign, launched to raise awareness of the health and environment problems caused by misconnection to the public drainage system. A breach of both water regulations and health and safety regulations, it is an issue which we only mentioned on this blog last month.

Both internal and external pipes and drains can easily become blocked over time, causing not only the water to cease to drain away easily, but smells from the drain making their way into the property. More seriously, damp can form as a result of walls remaining wet.

For the majority of houses built in the UK before the 1960s, the waste water from a property is split and drained in 2 distinct ways:

Waste water from baths, sinks and washbasins is drained into a trapped gully at ground level, which in turn flows into the main sewer network. Water from toilets feeds separately into a large bore vertical waste pipe which runs directly into the sewer network.

Modern houses operate a ‘single stack waste system’, whereby all waste water, irrespective of it’s point of origin, drains directly into the main sewer network via a large bore waste pipe.

Thoroughly understanding and knowing exactly how to correctly supply a safe water connection is a key training module, which forms part of a plumber’s training on an approved NVQ course at an accredited skills training centre. In order to be able to enter the industry, a standard learning procedure must be undertaken before obtaining verified certification and qualification as a trained plumber.

All entrants must study on an approved NVQ 6129 Plumbing Level 2 Technical certificate course in both theory and practical. Once a student has satisfactorily completed this first part and gone onto the NVQ Level 3, can he or she be considered ‘competent’ to begin their career proper.

Legal and Registered plumbers will always be able to show and demonstrate their formal plumbing training and qualifications, and thus hopefully, prevent more of the incompetent and negligent lack of responsible workmanship that often is reported and brings the industry into disrepute.