Here at Able Skills we are providing a Gas Portfolio and Training Service. We will provide you with the learning and support required to complete your Gas course and Portfolio to become “Gas Safe Registered Engineer”.
Skilled tradesmen and smaller firms could soon benefit from a simpler and easier procurement and planning process, as the government has said it’ll simplify planning and some organisations have lobbied local and national government to remove contract bundling from the procurement process.
What’s more, new figures show the construction industry’s grown - despite the recession – so things look on the up for skilled bricklayers, plasterers, carpenters, decorators, tilers and plumbers, as well as gas and electrical engineers.
Photography: Martin V. Morris
Skilled tradesmen could soon be in high demand as the government and the private sector have pledged to invest billions in construction, in a move that will create new jobs for bricklayers, plasterers, carpenters, decorators, tilers and plumbers, as well as gas and electrical engineers.
And London-based contractors are especially set to benefit, as experts predict the capital will enjoy a decade-long boom in both residential and student builds.
We are always keen at Able Skills to ‘up our game’ and stay ahead of the competition so we are constantly looking at the facilities we have and seeing what is the best possible use for it.
This time, we decided that one of our Gas Centres needed a revamp but rather than update the existing one, we decided to build an entirely new centre.
This project has been going on behind the scenes at Able Skills for some time now and is very near completion and will open within the next couple of weeks.
The investment into this centre has been huge in many different ways. The financial investment from Able Skills Director Gary Measures has been endless and the investment from the staff to get this centre up and running has been one of weekend and after hours work so as not to disrupt the normal daily running of our existing Gas courses. Great commitment from truly great staff.
The centre has been furnished with every conceivable domestic gas appliance with a particular emphasis on VOKERA boilers which we managed to secure built upon a great relationship with the Company and their belief in us as a training provider. This relationship will definitely grow but more about that in the future……. Watch this space.
Able Skills new Gas Centre will ensure that we stand out amongst the very crowded world of Gas Training providers as it has been designed for every eventuality, with every appliance and for everyone.
Ian Welthy who designed the centre says that it is the ‘best Gas Centre that he has ever designed’ and he has had a hand in a few having spent time at Crawley College, The Plumbing Academy and very briefly at BTSC before settling for the last 3 years at Able Skills.
This centre will ensure that everyone who attends, whether it is for New Entrant Training or ACS Assessment or even Weekend Gas Programmes, has a great experience and will leave being the best that they possibly can be.
In addition to the new facilities, Ian Welthy has spent the last year re-writing gas course material in support of the New Entrant programme and feels that the work he has produced will not be bettered at any other gas training centre.
He is a very passionate Gas Instructor and is insistent that any programme of training that he lends his name to will benefit the candidates to the fullest and make them the best Gas Engineers that they can be.
Director, Gary Measures is a true believer in offering potential students a complete training experience, taking them from start to finish in whatever field of construction career they may choose.
He commented that this new centre would provide ‘fantastic foundation training’ and that all candidates can now also ‘use Able Skills sister company On-Time Services to undertake their gas portfolio experience and with other facilities that we have at Able Skills can also look towards a Commercial Gas Changeover training programme’.
Where else can you undertake such a complete Gas Training and Assessment experience?
Ian Welthy is accompanied in the Gas Centres at Able Skills by fellow Instructors Roy Johnson and Simon Prangnell with one more addition on his way………
Roy Johnson, one of Able Skills Gas Instructors, successfully completed the London Marathon on Sunday 17th April.
Roy is not famed for being a fitness fanatic and so when he decided to enter for the Marathon and commence training, the rest of us thought maybe he was just ‘going a little mad’.
As the day drew closer, Roy sought times from his fellow staff which were given along with a donation, he was keen to see who would guess closest to his finish time.
As his manager, I thought that I would show support but then decided to be honest and put him down as a WNF – Will Not Finish…… How wrong was I? Roy completed the 26 or so miles in a time of 5 Hours and 23 Minutes and thoroughly enjoyed the whole event.
We at Able Skills are very proud of him although secretly I’m slightly embarrassed by my lack of confidence in his running abilities! Roy raised money from the run and this was donated to Able Skills nominated charity – Great Ormond Street Hospital so well done Roy.
I was very impressed to see him in work on Monday 18th April, raring to go and get week 2 of his Gas Training Courses under way and I would like to say that the whole event has done him the world of good but he is walking strangely and his face looks a touch agonised so I think he is struggling from the after effects!
Roy teaches both the Managed Learning Gas Programme at Able Skills and Assessment for the Gas ACS so if you decide to train with us at least you will know that you are being taught by a true athlete and that he can get you to the finishing line!
Able Skills are delighted to announce that we will be opening a new gas centre this springtime.
The new centre is scheduled to be ready in two months and will join Able Skills’ existing gas centres, which provide comprehensive training and assessment through both domestic and commercial gas courses.
Able Skills is accredited by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to provide courses to trainees who are new to the industry or those who are looking to be trained or assessed in aspects of commercial gas.
For those people wanting to work as a qualified gas engineer but not as a plumber, Able Skills has a new entrant gas course, which includes a mix of workshop and classroom learning to cover all aspects of domestic gas and related appliances.
Those with a plumbing or gas background will be able to take CCN1 assessment or re-assessment courses and Able Skills can arrange a placement for any portfolio aspect of the training process.
Able Skills can also provide evidence of ‘on-the-job’ gas installation and/or maintenance gas work for those trainees who hold nationally recognised, gas trade associated qualifications.
Our gas trainers and assessors have a wealth of experience and fully qualified to ensure that any potential engineers leave with extensive knowledge of all aspects of domestic or commercial gas.
Able Skills are open seven days every week and can accommodate anyone wanting to undertake gas training or assessment at weekends so feel free to come and visit our facilities and instructors anytime.
The last 12 months at AbleSkills have been busier then ever! After much careful preparation, planning and organisation, the opening of our fully approved and accredited 2 storey Renewable Energy Centre in November represents a significant development in creating a much needed, vital added dimension to the future direction of construction trade skills training throughout the UK, but especially here in the South East.
We are all aware that a new type of ‘green skill’ workforce is urgently required to meet the European emission reduction targets set for the UK over the next two decades. In addition to providing established and wide ranging options in NVQ electrical courses, plumbing courses, tiling courses, gas training and plastering in their own individual classroom workshops, the opportunity is now available at AbleSkills for candidates of all levels of experience and abilities to undertake City & Guilds, BPEC and NICEIC accredited renewable energy courses comprising Solar PV, Heat Pumps, Underfloor Heating, Vented & Unvented Hot Water, Woody Biomass and Rainwater/GreyWater Harvesting.
The increasing vital importance for construction trade trainees to receive the best possible renewable energy course training cannot be underestimated. A huge shortfall exists in the necessary skills required, which needs to be urgently remedied in order to meet the installation and maintenance of the rapidly emerging environmental technology systems and appliances.
To this end, the National Skills Academy has been established, led by Summet Skills, to ensure that the construction industry develops and delivers the correct training in environmental technology through approved and accredited renewable energy courses. This year saw The College of North West London announce that they would be the latest institute of education to join forces with Able Skills to play a major role at the leading edge of high quality, renewable technology training providers.
The story doesn’t end there!
Over the Xmas period, Able Skills will be putting the finishing touches to a refurbished and greatly expanded tiling centre, which will provide a greatly extended space facility to drive forward the tiling courses curriculum at a maintained high standard of training provision.
From January, first time students beginning on a 5 day Introductory tiling course or on any of the NVQ tiling courses of differing durations and learning modules will immediately feel the benefit!
Application for approval to deliver the CAA Diploma at level 3 in 2011 will be a significant accreditation, which will enable AbleSkills to take tiling students to the top level of knowledge and skill attainment. Obtaining a Level 3 qualification demonstrates that a candidate is able to master complex wall and floor tiling to the highest degree of competency.
And of course, if you haven’t noticed already, our website has been refreshed and upgraded, which we hope reflects the progressive changes that have been made at AbleSkills to make the entry and qualified career progress into the industry as clear and straightforward as possible – hopefully, you will let us know your thoughts here in 2011!
Seasonal Greetings to all our regular and new readers – thanks for your continued support!
Incredibly, there were two cutbacks that didn’t happen in last week’s Comprehensive Spending Review! In fact, Chancellor George Osborne gave the green light to green energy schemes, RHI, the Renewable Heat Incentive, confirmed to go ahead in June 2011, followed by the Green Deal in 2013.
Providing a tremendous confidence boost to the heating industry, the £860 million RHI funding will, according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) “drive a more-than-tenfold increase of renewable heat over the coming decade, shifting renewable heat from a fringe industry firmly into the mainstream”. The DECC will be also working with the private sector to enable households to improve the energy efficiency of their homes via the Green Deal.
This can only be good news for both students on current plumbing courses or those men and women who, as a result of the imminent cutbacks in many affected sectors, may be looking to start now to train to be a plumber.
The increasing confidence and investment in renewable technologies will support the UK in the tough economic times ahead by enabling the country to move to the forefront of the transition to a low carbon economy. Inevitably, the engine for this change will be the building services and installation industry.
The roll out of RHI is predicted by the government to run into several millions and the surge in demand will mean that today’s severe shortage of trained and qualified plumbers capable of green installations will need to be quickly addressed.
In other words, at this time of employment turmoil there has never been a more obvious time to seriously think about immediately training to be a fully competent plumber, able to install renewables technology.
The first step on the career ladder is undertaking 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.
Latest news that private sector, non-residential construction has increased by 7% in the three months up to September compared to the same period last year, reflects improved business confidence, according to work analyst reports.
While retail and hotel construction has been strong over the first half of 2010, industrial and office based projects have seen a return to growth after a period of post recession decline and all sectors saw increases in the value of construction project commencements.
Not only is this seen as good news for the construction industry as a whole, it also provides valuable reassurance and optimism for future career prospects to the many individuals who are either looking to train to be an electrician or take one of the many available NVQ electrical courses.
Construction industry skills such as plumbing, electrical installation and gas fitting are always needed in both domestic and private commercial sectors, and with the urgent push to take up green energy across the UK, those at a career crossroads will find a rewarding future path very much assured in the decades ahead. Even those with no previous knowledge or practical experience can start immediately on the City and Guilds Electrical NVQ 2330 at required entry Level 2.
The approved and accredited City & Guilds training schedule is a progressive structure that can guide you through all the necessary knowledge and practical training modules into Electrical NVQ level 3 and further knowledge courses.
Qualified and experienced electricians will be competent to work in residential households and commercial building projects of any size. With add on specific training, you could also work in a number of specialised electrical occupations.
Although construction projects dipped following a year of sustained growth in the wake of the recent recession, the continued recovery shows a slow return to growth. Civil engineering is also a sector that has been earmarked as a potential source of new work opportunity over the next few years and professionally trained and qualified electricians will be well placed to take advantage of the growing confidence in enterprise projects requiring their specialist trade skills.
As of 1 January 2011, all gas engineers will be required to fill out a Benchmark checklist for every boiler installation they have completed. The documentation will then be left with the householder, to be included with the manufacturer’s installation instructions and thus, enable the appliance warranty to be deemed valid.
The Benchmark scheme, being launched by the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council, is intended to prevent cowboy installers from attempting hazardous and illegal heating installations offered for ‘cash in hand’ work. It has just been announced that boiler manufacturer, Baxi, have just joined a number of other UK gas boiler manufacturers in a campaign to link the key checklist, completed by Gas Safe registered engineers, with the appliance’s warranty as a safeguard against poor quality and sometimes, illegally operating installers.
It is also a tremendous boost to encourage unregistered installers, who are at present working illegally, to get the necessary training, qualifications and skills to be Gas Safe registered as a minimum. Although the ‘cowboy’ element may only be in the minority, unfortunately, it is the horrifying consequences of their work which receives much publicity.
It is estimated by the CIPHE that there are around 120,000 UK plumbers, but not all have the necessary qualifications or indeed, the experience!
The established route to becoming a professional industry plumber is to undertake an officially accredited and verified City & Guilds NVQ Plumbing 6129 Level 2 course, followed by the City & Guilds NVQ Plumbing Level 3 qualifications required.
AbleSkills is an approved training provider with full time instructors, assessors and internal verifiers, with 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 in fully equipped classroom workshops.
Knowledge learning through a progressive structured series of courses is the recognised method to becoming a fully qualified industry ready plumber, competent to undertake most domestic and commercial work, according to the experience built up after completing the courses. Many students who complete their full plumbing training opt to go straight on to a full gas training courses in order to become trained, qualified and eligible to eventually be a Gas Safe engineer, and thus, apply to be part of the new Benchmark scheme.