Did A Short Intensive Training Course Pay Off For You?

[woodbine]

Firstly, I should mention that I am neither in the plumbing industry, nor wanting to join.

I am just interested in the experiences and success (or lack of) of people who have completed short intensive plumbing training courses at colleges and training companies?

Did you then go on to become self employed, or if employed, was it easy to find work? Were the promises about high earnings in the industry that the college mentioned a reality or not, when you graduated? Was the course a success for you in finding gainful work/employment, or a waste of time? Would you do the course all over again, and would you recommend a friend to do one?

What are you experiences, good or bad, since you finished your course?

 

[bcp]

Why? what is your interest here?

 

[david williams]

did 6 month course 1967.goverment one after i came out of navy,it was good but instructor told us it would not be enough,did 3 years night school 3 nights a week for c@g advanced craft,best thing i ever did.training is the only way forward but it has to be right.problem with paying for training is do they lower standerds to get good pass rate.you can not train a fully competant plumber in 6/12 /25 weeks and im afraid just because you have a bit of paper does not meen you can do the job. as for employment this is the worst time for work i have known since 1967.plumbing has kept me employed with a good standerd of living but i think with all the fast trackers coming in the problem for them it is not going to be as good for them.because of there lack practical skills employers are looking for at least 4 years post training experience

 

[so-solar]

it took me 7 years to complete my plumbing and heating training and i am far from thick, taking 8 gcse and had 4 b 3 c 1 d, it takes a year to learn the bloody fittings so how can these fast track courses be of any help? I personally think they are a massive con and a huge blow to the plumbing industry! It is unbelievable what money can buy these days but the real outcome is ' MONEY CANNOT BUY EXPERIENCE'

 

[Winston]

True the courses wont give you the experience required to be fully competant for many plumbing tasks. However I did a fast track I wasnt promised big earnings.

However many of my fellow students were under the impression that they would earn mega bucks and know everything on completion of the course. Certain individuals wanted to run before they learnt to walk.

As I understand it I am the only one still doing plumbing through self employment, I couldnt get a job with a company. I am still trading making a small profit, but I am very selective as to what work I do.

If I get a enquiry for gas work or that is beyond my capabilities I pass it to a time served guy, who is happy for me to tag along for the experience. I also if I havent got any work tag along if he has anything of interest or he needs a extra pair of hands.

All I would say to anyone before they commit themselves to a course is ask yourself why plumbing? Will you be competant working in a classroom enviroment is very different to a customers home.

 

[david williams]

right way to go winston good luck mate

 

[Winston]

It is funny here, on another forum I am hated But honestly for anyone thinking of plumbing really do your research. If you intend to go self employed ask yourself what are you going to do if something dont work.

My personal view is know your capabilities, stretch them yes, but not to far. Think on the job, check and double check. We are also in a recession the construction industry has been hit hard, so lots of site guys competing. Not all businesses fail in a recession some succeed but what is going to make your business different to others AND IT ISNT PRICE!

 

[islandview]

on another forum I am hated

If its the screwfix forum you are talking about then im not surprised.

I just hope you dont drag any of your mates over here and ruin this forum.

 

[Winston]

I am sorry island what do you mean? I do not deserve that

 

[woodbine]

Why? what is your interest here?

A) I'm a nosey bugger

B) The real reason is that reading this site and others, you see lots of posts/questions about people thinking of training to be plumbers. You don't really hear so much about the experiences of people who have come out the other side.

 

[johnny j]

im a time served plumber. took 4 years to complete up to nvq level3. didnt learn a lot in technical college. i learned mostly everything onsite. there's absolutely no way you could learn plumbing in 5/6 weeks. i was still lagging pipes and running to the van after 3 months.lol. winston has the right idea of tagging along with an experienced worker. plus try to get hands on. i tended to step back a bit too much when first learning the trade. trick is to get stuck in and get your hands dirty!

 

[david williams]

reactfast can train a fully competant plumber in six weeks.but as he would already be fully competant what are they training him to do.its in the word competant,as most gas engineers will tell you even the courts do not like to define competant

 

[alph250]

the courts do not like to define competant

Very true!

I'll stick my 2 pence worth in;

Unfortunately copetence is not wholly defined by how qualified you are it also comes down to experience, 6 weeks may get you qualified but you would probably be looking at 6 years before you could experience enough to say you were 'competent'.

However, If you were already familiar with the construction industry or had other engineering experience then 6 weeks plus a year on the tools working under a competent plumber would see you as a run of the mill plumber but when someone asks you to diagnose a problem then thats where you would come unstuck and where years of experience becomes invaluable.

I do slate fast track plumbers, But i also beleive you have to start somewhere, But a 6 week course is not a route i would advise but then what are the alternatives? perhaps if there is a real skill shortage then perhaps the government should be looking at running more evening courses, If it were a toss up between 6 weeks intensive course or 2/3 years of 2 nights a week plus homework i would say 9/10 people would take the evening course and i personally think it would give them time to digest the information and gain some experience whilst learning.

And as for how much do they earn, well i had a leaflet pushed through my letterbox from train 4 trade skills, it has a picture of a cleaner on the front saying "our world is changing, Dont get left behind, enrol now, earn more money etc" wrong wrong wrong, I find it quite disgusting as these leaflets seem to pry on the not too sharpest of people. "Unique 3D interactive virtual reality software for real world experiance" oh please come on, Virtual reality?! my arse!

And the worst bit is when you look on the back from past student testimonials;

'MR A, Labourer with no relevant industry qualifications, Now qualified and just obtained CORGI registration (edit: Anyone spot the major problem there!)" His comments "I never take home less than £1200/wk" Seriously WTF!? 1200 a week.

If anyone on this forum can honestly make that statement then i will register for train 4 trade skills!

 

[david williams]

as i have said before define competance,first of all you would have to understand the level of skill needed to do a job.but could not be a rigid assesment as meny people go about the task selected in different ways and still acheive the same result, as for the new fast track courses we should not blame people who wish to become plumbers and earn a living.problem with them is they all want to look good ,so not in there intrest to fail anyone,so what is the standerd of those who pass through these cources.c@g and bpec all lend there name to these trainers in my opinion they should make shure anyone who teaches plumbing maintains a proper standard

 

[secret squirrel]

I worked extremely hard on my fast track course. Both in the workshops and in the classroom. The course cost me a lot of money and I was under no illusion how difficult this course was going to be or how difficult the industry is. There was no other alternative for me than do the intensive course, college was not an option neither was an adult apprenticeship.

I think that the high pass rate of these courses is two fold. Firstly, for me, failing was not an option, it cost a lot of money and no way was I going to fail.

Secondly, the pure nature of the course, I was residential for 10 weeks, we were immersed (no pun intended) in plumbing, talking constantly about the subject just covered, covering a subject, going over it again, revising it, then taking an exam.

The fast track course is what it says, fast and I found it quite intense. It was not a soft option neither is starting out on your own. Its pure hard work.

Competent, yes, I'm competent at the tasks I do. Fast, definetely not. I've still got heaps to learn.

Every time I see "intensive course" critism I say to myself, just don't reply. I've seen this time and time again, going back to 1984, when I joined the Army, training isn't what it used to be etc...

As for work, well, in my short time, I've come across appalling work, "time served" or "fast track" plumber there's good and bad out here. I worry how good/bad, neat/untidy, satisfied/unsatisfied my own work/customer is. I do the best I can, if I don't know, I ask

IF a newly qualified fast track plumber thinks they know it all then they're foolish and will come unstuck very quickly. I lack experience, the will to learn is still here.

 

[ian4147]

some interesting responses here. i agree that we dont hear much about other peoples experiences after fast track courses i have been thinking of doing 1 for about 5 years and think im finally going to do a renewable energy engineer course,have previously been self employed for 2 years doing property maintenance/handy man before relocating.my work was always fairly charged and never had any complaints with many returning customers,so im hoping this course will guide me in the right direction atleast.the course including

• Full NVQ 2 in Plumbing (6129 & 6089 level 2)
• Bpec Renewable Energy Awareness certificate
• Bpec Solar Hot Water Installer
• Bpec Ground Source Heat Pumps Installer
• Bpec Part P Electrical Defined Scope
• Bpec Part L Energy Efficiency certificate
• Bpec Water Regulations certificate
• Bpec Unvented Hot Water certificate
• PPL Domestic loft Insulation certificate
• Comprehensive free tool kit
• Optional renewable work placement* (2 weeks)

is priced at just short of 7000 at ppl york and takes around 12 weeks(or longer at no charge if needed)
if i cant find work im prepared to go self employed again.
anyone done this course or have any views.
it says full nvq2 but u do need the onsite assesments aswell, i already know of two people wanting bathrooms at some point in the future who are happy for me to do so thought they could at least be used for assesments.
and build on from there

 

[woodbine]

Yes, some interesting posts about people's experiences so far. Hopefully, the info will also be useful to anyone thinking of starting a course or entering the industry.

To Ian4147
Is it really possible to study all of those varied subjects in 12 weeks? Seems a lot to take in in such a short space of time. Think my head would be spinning with all that info being cammed in so quickly, but I was always a dunce at school!

 

[ian4147]

i do wrry about the ammount to take in but the course is set out as roughly 3.5 days aweek practical 1.5 theory so im hoping with it being very hands on i will pick it up.if im shown something it usually goes in very well as apose to written work which will be a struggle but not impossible,ive always fancied plumbing and defenatly need a trade for future.

 

[david williams]

there are of course good and bad plumbers,fast track ,time served,but you actualy do not need any qualifications to set your self up as a plumber,the bad work you have seen who did it? fast track ,time served ,diy, who knows,i have no problem with fast track or any one who calls themselves a plumber as long as they can do the job.but a competant plumber in most peoples minds is one who is able to carry out all aspects of the plumbers trade,from lead work,drains,design and instalation of hot and cold water services,heating systems,soil and rainwater systems and no one can learn this in 12 weeks ,perhaps every one is now more inteligent than us old people.but to gripe about how easy the youger lads have it is human nature you will do it when you have been a plumber for 40 years and some robot has taken your job

 

[Gary P]

I took voluntary redundancy at the end of last year after having worked 10 years for a company in East London. This was due to a 60 mile relocation of the business and to the other side of London. After spending several unsuccessful months trying to find work in difficult times and in a very specialised field I had to have a rethink and consider doing something different. I have always been very hands on and practical and enjoy solving problems and understanding how things work. I saw an ad for one of the fast track plumbing training courses and decided to find out some more and arranged an interview. The whole course worked out to be around £12,000 which is a lot of money. I decided that the sensible thing would be to complete the first half up to C&G tech cert level 2 and then I would have the option of the rest if I found I was doing well and enjoying it? This took about 2 and half months to complete with a 2 week break in the middle and time taken to book up and do the Gola exam at the end. I passed everything with no problems at all and really enjoyed the whole course. However after discovering and reading opinions about fast track courses on this forum I was then reluctant to do the next part in the same way. I have therefore decided to continue and do the C&G level 3 the more industry recognised route at my local college. This will be part time and for one day per week (also saving me around £7000! as well)

I am under no illusion to start calling myself a plumber yet with so far just a tech cert and some classroom experience. Neither do I now expect to earn £35000 a year as seen in all the adverts. I left a job that was paying almost £30000 and do not expect to earn anywhere near that for many years to come. I appreciate that at the moment I know only the very basics and that the real learning is gained from experience and working with guys that have been in the trade for a long time.

Right now I am trying to find work as a plumber's mate to fit in around my college course and provide an opportunity to do the NVQ's. So far I have had no luck at all due to my lack of experience, CSCS card and the fact that I have done a fast track course. I am hoping that once I get chatting to the other guys on the course who are already in the industry I might be able to secure a few days here and there with them?

I am sure that I have made the right decision and that plumbing is what I want to get my teeth stuck into now. However the timing of my decision with the recession was definitely wrong and the talk of 30,000 new plumbers needed every year seems to be completely inaccurate.

My fingers are crossed that something comes good in the next month or so otherwise I might be flipping burgers at the local McDonald's, except for Wednesdays when I'll be at college!

 

[flat pack]

don't work for itv ?

if you want info pay for it , i had too
something your not telling

 

[Gary P]

I'm really not sure what you mean?