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ECONOMIC PRESSURES RAISE FEAR OF COWBOY OPERATORS
With the economic downturn likely to result in a growing number of redundancies, industry bodies are warning that more people may be tempted to look to the plumbing trade as a potential money earner. There is concern that there could be a rise in bogus plumbing courses that fail to provide adequate training and which could lead to unskilled operators advertising for work.
SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for building services engineering, is advising prospective plumbers to beware of training courses making unrealistic claims to what their graduates can achieve. Many have undertaken such courses, only to find that their new skills are not recognised by employers and are inadequate to successfully get them into employment.
The organisation advises that the best route to getting qualified is through an apprenticeship that combines classroom theory and practical on-site experience with an employer. Keith Marshall OBE, Chief Executive of SummitSkills, says:
"We have received many calls from people who have taken up expensive short- term training that leads to virtually worthless qualifications. Short courses rarely provide the skills, experience or qualifications recognised by employers or reputable trade associations. In today’s economic climate it’s all too easy to consider one of these courses as a route to employment, but in reality these courses do nothing for your prospects.
‘I urge anyone considering taking a plumbing course to check the course and the qualification it leads to thoroughly. We are happy to provide advice on the appropriateness of the qualification and whether the skills learned are likely to be sufficient to achieve industry recognition and employment."
CIPHE is backing Summit- Skills’ message by urging members of the public to ask for proof of qualifications before allowing a plumbing or heating engineer into their home.
"It is a sad fact that unscrupulous training providers are taking advantage of the economic downturn to rip-off the unemployed," says Chief Executive Blane Judd. "There’s no fast route to become a competent plumbing or heating engineer. It takes years to gain the knowledge and experience to tackle plumbing and heating systems, which are becoming more complex. We fully expect to see a significant rise in the number of bogus plumbers plying their trade to unsuspecting members of the public and urge homeowners to be extra vigilant."
APHC has also thrown its weight behind the campaign. The association’s President Graham Beevers says: "These rogue training companies are always looking out for vulnerable individuals, and the, current, spate of redundancies has led to these companies increasing their presence. Alongside SummitSkills, we are continuing our own efforts to explain to people that there simply is no shortcut to becoming a skilled and qualified plumber."
With the economic downturn likely to result in a growing number of redundancies, industry bodies are warning that more people may be tempted to look to the plumbing trade as a potential money earner. There is concern that there could be a rise in bogus plumbing courses that fail to provide adequate training and which could lead to unskilled operators advertising for work.
SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for building services engineering, is advising prospective plumbers to beware of training courses making unrealistic claims to what their graduates can achieve. Many have undertaken such courses, only to find that their new skills are not recognised by employers and are inadequate to successfully get them into employment.
The organisation advises that the best route to getting qualified is through an apprenticeship that combines classroom theory and practical on-site experience with an employer. Keith Marshall OBE, Chief Executive of SummitSkills, says:
"We have received many calls from people who have taken up expensive short- term training that leads to virtually worthless qualifications. Short courses rarely provide the skills, experience or qualifications recognised by employers or reputable trade associations. In today’s economic climate it’s all too easy to consider one of these courses as a route to employment, but in reality these courses do nothing for your prospects.
‘I urge anyone considering taking a plumbing course to check the course and the qualification it leads to thoroughly. We are happy to provide advice on the appropriateness of the qualification and whether the skills learned are likely to be sufficient to achieve industry recognition and employment."
CIPHE is backing Summit- Skills’ message by urging members of the public to ask for proof of qualifications before allowing a plumbing or heating engineer into their home.
"It is a sad fact that unscrupulous training providers are taking advantage of the economic downturn to rip-off the unemployed," says Chief Executive Blane Judd. "There’s no fast route to become a competent plumbing or heating engineer. It takes years to gain the knowledge and experience to tackle plumbing and heating systems, which are becoming more complex. We fully expect to see a significant rise in the number of bogus plumbers plying their trade to unsuspecting members of the public and urge homeowners to be extra vigilant."
APHC has also thrown its weight behind the campaign. The association’s President Graham Beevers says: "These rogue training companies are always looking out for vulnerable individuals, and the, current, spate of redundancies has led to these companies increasing their presence. Alongside SummitSkills, we are continuing our own efforts to explain to people that there simply is no shortcut to becoming a skilled and qualified plumber."
