Taking on Gas after Plumbing?
This week here at Able Skills we have students starting on the first week of their City & Guilds Level 2 Plumbing Course - Which is a great place to start for anybody considering a career as a plumber. This got us thinking about how many students that we have return here once they have been out in the industry working as a plumber...It is more than likely that some of these students will return to begin learning the trade of gas via our Gas courses! This is because of many different reasons, but mostly it is the fact that these two trades are very similar in many ways and tradesmen and women that can offer the two skills in conjunction will find it easier to come across opportunities and overall see more earnings! Here's a look at what the students are getting up to on their first week...
Why learn gas?
Taking on Gas courses after picking up qualifications can be very beneficial for your career further down the line. Building a diverse skill-set makes you eligible for a much wider range of employment opportunities, giving you better chances for finding which career path works best for you. Plus if you decide to take on Gas courses with the help of Able Skills, due to your existing knowledge of plumbing you can skip past 2-weeks of gas training as you will already have the skills that would be taught in those initial weeks. We actually have such a large amount of experienced plumbers seeking Gas courses that we devised our Qualified Plumber Gas Training Packages such as our Qualified Plumber Gas Training Package 2 for this very reason!
Gas Training Courses at Able Skills.
This course includes all of the elements that you need to become a qualified Gas Engineer such as 5-weeks of hands-on training, portfolio completion and an ACS assessment. The portfolio section of this course is a means for you to collect evidence that you can carry out work efficiently and correctly, to complete this you will need to work along-side an already 'Gas Safe Registered' Engineer. If you cannot find a placement on your own for the Bpec Foundation Portfolio completion and with their assistance, you will undertake a variety of gas work on a variety of appliances to meet the requirements of the portfolio to move you on to your formal gas assessments (ACS). You will receive guidance throughout on how the portfolio evidence should be recorded. Remember that before going out and carrying out Gas work you will too need to become registered with the Gas Safe Register as it is a legal requirement in the UK.
How do I become Gas Safe Registered?
Before applying online via their website you must have the relevant qualifications, experience and evidence. Currently, they only accept a few qualifications including; National Vocational Qualification, Accredited Certification Scheme and Scottish Vocational Qualification. An ACS will need to be completed before you are eligible for Gas Safe registration and this is a requirement for all operatives involved in the installation, maintenance and servicing of domestic gas appliances and pipe-work installations. Also, every Gas Safe registered business renews their registration on an annual basis and updates their qualifications every 5 years, meaning you will need to refresh your memory on gas safety every 5-years!
Contact Us:
For more insight into how our Gas courses or any other training works, give us a call on 01322 280 202 - We are happy to assist you in any way that we can. If you have questions, concerns or simply want some advice give us a call. If you would prefer to speak with a representative of Able Skills in person then know that you are welcome to pay us a visit! Come any time between 8:30 - 16:30 we are open all year round 7-days a week.
Live outside of the London & Kent area? Then you may be interested in accommodation - All three locations are within walking distance of our training centre and can be booked for the reasonable price of £20 per night! - If interested, please contact us ahead of when your course is due to start as spaces are limited!