Fast track course yes or no

[stevenb]

Hi guys

im thinking about doing a fast track course and gettin my 6129 and then working as a mate and study for nvq.....

Iv been trying to get adult apprenticeship but had no luck and colleges wont take me on unless employed by company..

Has anyone done these courses??? Or is it a total waste of money??

All advice apppreciated guys

 

[dontknowitall]

It's hard work and demoralising but I think most people here will advise you to secure an apprenticeship with an employer. If you're willing to pay for the course you'll be more attractive ... in the employable sense of the word!

 

[stevenb]

thanks, dont know it all....

iv tried every company in glasgow near enough and had no luck securing adult apprenticeship and colleges only take you on if you'v got employer

do you know any1 whos done these courses and do they find work?? i dont mind startinf off with basic wage until if got my nvq and expereince..

are these course worthwhile

thanks again

 

[dontknowitall]

That's what I meant by hard work and demoralising. It's a real catch 22 that I wouldn't like to be in. Trouble is there are hardly any apprenticeships around and not many plumbers looking to take people on either. One day it will change but I can't see it changing for the next 2-3 years at least.

I reckon the course is only worthwhile if you can get a job afterwards.

 

[helpsy]

I passed 6129 level 2 in July 2009. I bought a van with redundancy (made redundant the week I passed my course), and was buying a new tool each week to gradually build up and spread the cost.I have quite a van full of materials(effectively dead money)as I do sub contract call out work also, so most places shut after hours. I don't regret doing the course one bit, I learnt an awful lot. Since finishing the course and going out into the REAL world I've gained a whole lot more knowledge/experience and contacts.
I think at the moment you have to realistically be planning to set up on your own and take it step by step and find things out the hard way. So you have to be prepared for all the set up/running costs and also be prepared for very quiet periods.
Maybe get some flyers done and walk door to door and advertise in local post office(if there are any left!!!)newsagents and maybe local parish magazine.
Above all you need to be keen, patient, honest, respectfull of the persons property and turn up when you say your going to.
Good Luck.

 

[stevenb]

thanks alot helpsy

good advice, so did you learn alot of the stuff u would be doing on a day to day basis?? ov the more you do it the more you learn and stuff but would u say its defo worth while?? so many diff views on these fast track courses!!

id idealy like to the course and work for sumone while i do the nvq and i could work for myself for myself at wkends for more experince

cheers

 

[Phil]

Any time served plumber will ridicule the fast track plumber until his face turns bright purple, and I can sort of see their point. There are thousands of poorly trained new plumbers doing a hell of a lot of damage at the moment to peoples houses.

I did a 10 week course and it was worth doing but it only accounts for about 10% of the knowledge I have now after neary three years self employed. You need to go self employed as you will NOT get a job, you will even struggle to work for free, thats the result of so many of us 6129'ers.

This has been my best year though and I'm currently talking work for March.

 

[stevenb]

cheers phil

im looking for any advice i can get good and bad, im taking it all on board,

yes im sure all time served plumbers are saying that, i can see their point.

so am i best trying to speak to companies and telling them al pay for the course if they take me on while i do the nvq?? As for the apprenticeships no one is taking people on...

why want i get a job with 6129???

thanks again

 

[johnmcginty]

I agree with phil. Fasttrack is for people who want to go self employed doing leaks , simple jobs and bathrooms. If you want more do college, saying that I know a fast tracker who I did a course with and now he works for british gas so it was a foot in the right direction for him.

 

[stevenb]

Cheers john, must be abit of scottish in you mate?? Ha.

No college in glasgow is willing to take you on unless your emploed by a company and they send you!!

Does everyone go self employed after fast track?? Well aprt from your pal.

I dnt mind startin off at the bottom just a pain due to climate
I was thing of doing 6129 then moving onto nvq but i can't get people to take me on at the min.
Cheers

 

[johnmcginty]

Hi mate , actually most dont go self employed the vast majority go back to their old jobs. But don't let it put you off just make informed decisions, based on realistic expectations of your skill level after ten weeks fasttrack. You will have to have a big bank balance and even bigger testicles.

 

[dontknowitall]

I was on a course of 8. One found a job about 3 hours away from his home so I don't know if he's still there. All the others returned to their previous jobs. I have yet to make a profit. In my third year and hopefully I will this year. But this is partly because I have a brilliant accountant who keeps thinking of things to knock off for income tax purposes!!

If you really want to go for it no one here will stop you. However, you'll need MASSIVE determination to find a job or deep pockets as has been suggested if you're going self employed. When you start, some weeks you can have only one tiny job (e.g. change a tap washer). To get the larger jobs (e.g. renew central heating) takes much longer.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

 

[helpsy]

I think about 85% of the people I saw on the course with me aren't in the plumbing industry.It's a big gamble.If you can't or don't want to stick it out why pay thousands for a piece of paper you may end up putting in a draw and never making use of.
Best of Luck in whatever you decide.

 

[stevenb]

cheers guys,

i understand wat yous are saying, it is a gamble but im a winner and im in this for the long hall not a quick fix..

i know its not going to be easy and takes alot of hard work time and patience john, 1 thing iv got mate is a good set of balls mate, i understand wat your sayin..

i appreciate all your views,

many thanks

 

[tamz]

Balls won't pay the rent but i admire your spirit.

As a fast tracker you will not get employment with any plumbing firm especially the way things are now with so many unemployed time served guys to choose from. It won't happen.
As you are in Scotland, even if you did go for an NVQ (SVQ up here) you need a minimum of SVQ 3 to be employed. Level 2 is not a recognised qualification in Scotland.
Offering to pay for you training won't cut it as the employers get the collage fees paid anyway (through grants). Work for free........i don't think so.
90% of apprenticeships are taken by school leavers and they are taken on mainly around July, August to coincide with collage intakes. There are still some offered but they are thin on the ground and taken up quickly (mainly by the son of a friend of a friend and suchlike).

My advice for what it is worth, is think very carefully before spending any money on what may be an expensive lesson in life. Don't believe the hype. As said before, it is a very hard road and few succeed.

 

[kay-jay]

what your capabilities will be by the end of a course is dependent on which centre you attend!
there is a lot of negativity towards fast trackers in the industry.
i did a course with BTSC, who offer 2 streams one is a fasttrack 10 week course with all the course material and info needed for exams provided at the beginning of each module.
i opted to take the longer route, 2 years in total, the workbooks provided are much thinner as you are not spoonfed the info needed to pass the exams. and a hell of a lot of extra wider reading is required, as a result my knowledge is better than any of the 10wk fast trackers who can maybe give answers to questions but NOT understand why the answer is what it is.
aanother major advantage of a slower stream is that you can get to grips with your skills and to jobs for friends and family and therefore gain more skills and experiences by the time you pass the qual.

however i am still considered a fasttracker and the usual prejudices apply! i have little or no chance of finding employment. i have been self employed for 4 weeks and am getting about 3-4 jobs a week but they are pretty much all toilet faults or drips etc. there's no danger of me earning a decent living at it at the moment but compared to many i'm doin ok!
i have found a local company that is prepared to offer me some subby work once i can prove my work is up to standard, they won't pay much but i will get the opportunity to work alongside a time served engineer to gain the all important experience that we lose out on thru not having an apprenticeship. they are also prepared to send an engineer out to any jobs i get thru my adverts that i'm not confident enough to undertake alone, again this experience will be invaluable to me as a sole trader.

this post is not meant to be either a yay or nay for fast track courses it simply represents my experiences of trying to get a foothold in the plumbing industry.

good luck whatever you decide!

KJ

 

[Toddyplumb]

In my opinion Fast track should be BANNED. Before you all start , I do employ apprentices, in fact our latest one started on Tuesday and he is 25 !!
Employers should be given more incentives to employ rather than fast track centres charging silly money for 10 weeks or even 2 years .
We still do 4 years !!
I have nothing against people wanting to be tradesmen and women but it needs to be done properly , and at the minute it aint !
Dont take offense at this as I have said before its the system thats wrong not the trainees

 

[fuzzy]

if you want the 6129 you have 2 months to get on a course, then its gone

 

[stevenb]

i understand wat yous are all sayin guys cheers

i want as much info good and bad to weight it all up before i decide thats why i came on this forum.
As iv said id love to get adult apprenticship but with the climate its tough....

whats going to taking over the 6129 course???

does companys not bother with 6129 certs then is it only the nvq/ svqs that a company woukd even look at you

cheers

 

[fuzzy]

there are plenty of threads on it mate, the 6189 takes over and you got to be employed.
hard to get work with 6129 only most want nvq6089 as well, good luck

 

[stevenb]

i was thinking about doing 6129 then get a job as a MATE while i study for nvq then i would b fully cert...

while working as a mate i could still do work for myself... get more confident and learn more.

would the 6129 be a gd start to get into the trade???

is a fast track course a gd idea??

 

[moony]

simple answer no its not a good idea - the companies have wised up to it - i can guarentee you wont be confident enough to tackle anything bigger than a bathroom and you'll struggle at that - not being nasty or owt matey - but the 6129 is a tech cert - an exam on whats learnt from a book - its not recognized by anyone wanting to employ anyone and its only a part of the qualifications you gain in the first tear or two of an apprenticeship. the portfolio of evidence for the nvq is what gets you the job and the level 3 is the one thats looked for.

so your looking to do a level 2 tech certs 6129 - you will still need your level 2 portfoilio - along with key skills, employments rights and responsibilities and health and safety etc to gain just a level 2 nvq - which is hard work when not in college and full time employment - almost unachievable - then you will need to do that all over in more depth for your level 3 along with gas work etc etc - just to be in an employable position - and then they would require 5 years post apprenticeship experience.

i am totally against people going self - employed after just passing there city and guilds tech certs - its devalueing the trade and saturating jobs thats why we're in the current prediciment in the plumbing and heating industry - the recession is only a minor problem in my eyes - the amount of fast trackers is whats ruined the trade.

but on a positive note - its not me who judges people and there actions and im a firm believer in you do what you have to do to survive and i dont hate the player i hate the game - these fast track course providers have mis sold info for long enough - for anyone to believe there hype.

good luck with your decision pal.