Group of students with an Able Skills instructor on the tiling course.

While there is a long list of reasons why a career in the trades is so appealing—good earning potential, career progression and job security to name a few—the time required to complete the necessary training can understandably be a little off-putting for many who may be considering a role in the industry. 

Fitting training around full-time work, childcare and other prior commitments can be a big ask, and for many, simply impossible to manage. 

At a time when the construction industry continues to face a huge shortage of qualified tradespeople across just about every sector, it’s obvious that traditional training routes must be adapted and made more flexible to attract a new wave of talent.

That’s exactly why at Able Skills a huge portion of our courses can be tailored to suit individual needs—be it through weekend sessions, home study or breaking them down into manageable sections, we’re well aware that a one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t work for so many people. 

Weekend training

A number of our courses can be undertaken on a flexible weekend basis. For example, the City & Guilds Level 2 Electrical course, which teaches all the elements required of qualified electricians from scratch, can be completed on a two weekends on, two weekends off schedule, as can the City & Guilds Level 2 Plumbing course.

Flexible training

For anyone considering a longer, more intensive course, it’s possible to split the programme into smaller segments and complete them over a longer period of time. Take our Flexible Gas Training courses, which allow for the usual seven weeks of required attendance to be broken down into seven separate weekly chunks of learning. 

Complete larger courses in sections

Committing to entire courses can be daunting, particularly if you’re new to the field. If you initially choose to take an introductory course, once completed this period can contribute to more advanced training. For example, the first week of our eight-week NVQ Level 2 Tiling Course will include the same teaching as the Introduction to Tiling course, meaning the introductory training can be seen either as a standalone course, or as part of the further training should you choose to continue, and develop your skills further.

Home study

The initial theory-based learning of some courses can be completed on a home study basis, meaning you don’t actually have to travel to the training centre until the practical workshop and assessment stage of your course. You can find a range of our home study courses here. 

Want to learn more about the flexible construction training alternatives on offer at Able Skills? From electrical and plumbing to tiling and gas, we’re committed to making construction training as accessible and inclusive as possible. If you want more information about any of our flexible courses, we recommend popping into our training centre for a chat. If you can’t make it in, give us a call on 01322 280 202 and our team would be happy to advise.