Gas Qualification

[jayyid76]

Hi,I need some advice,i am looking into doing a gas course and the one that sounds the best is from OLCI,they say you will do a BPEC gas foundation course(30 days) and get a "highly respected certificate" then you have to do your portfolio of evidence with a gas safe registered engineer or company (they say this takes on average 9-12 months)then you do your ACS gas workshop and assesments(5 days) and then you can register as gas safe,can anyone tell me if this all sounds right as the course costs £4000 and cant afford to throw that sort of money away, i have been a plumber for 7 years so have experience in that field but want to be a gas engineer now,many thanks Jay.

 

[GrahamM]

Re: Gas course

30 days sound a bit on low side to me.
There is a lot of information to take in in that time.
Are you from a plumbing background?

 

[Bartdude]

Re: Gas course

How much"evidence" is needed for the portfolio?Could that be obtained quickly? If so does that mean that you could walk in off the street and be working in peoples homes in 2 months? I don't know too much about these courses but if that's the case then that's a bit scary.

 

[jayyid76]

Re: Gas course

Yeah have been a qualified plumber for about 7 years and they reckon about 9-12 months on average for the portfolio,wot do you think?

 

[andyg0507]

Re: Gas course

i am currently doing a gas foundation course and have been for just under a year now so 30 days seems crazy, throughout this time i have been building my portfolio and needed a minimum of 23 on the jobs, and minimum 23 off the job.

i say minimum because the tutor wants to see more like 35-40 jobs.

there is a hell of a lot to learn and personally i dont think 30 days will do much.

i was working with a gas engineer well before i started my gas so had a bit of a heads up.

have a look on bpecs website and there is a section to see which centres offer a gas foundation course in your area which is alot better and cheaper than olci.

good luck.

 

[thomas donovan]

i'm not too wise in the training side of things, but you having been a plumber for 7 yrs indicates an underlying knowledge. the 30 day foundation course is just that, a foundation course for those with pretty much no knowledge. i was in the same boat and had to do a 10 day course and then the portfolio of work and then the assessment. i'd be careful with this lot because they're already trying to do " a sales job" in putting you in at foundation level. try blue flame certification

 

[plumberdarren]

Do you have any qualifications i.e c&g or nvq's ? The reason i ask is that it would be quiker for you to go straight to evening college and do acs which will be about £1500.

 

[fagsanbooz]

I think your doing the right course but some centres offer it in slightly different formats. Best contact BPEC via phone or web, get some other centres details, ring or email and get alternative offers/prices/advice etc. £4000 is definately tooooo much!! Most are £2-2,500 I think!

 

[kirkgas]

i work in a training centre which does the bpec gas foundation course, it is 28 weeks full time, 14 weeks theory training in the centre, 12 weeks full time placement (to complete portfolio) then 2 weeks back in training centre to complete ACS assessments (hopefully to pass), not sure what the highly respected certificate is, although i do know bpec send you a gas foundation cert when you have finished your theory and pass a foundation exam, as i work for a training centre which is bpec certified i will leave it to otheres to comment whether the foundation cert is "highly respected" , ach no, i will say, it means he-haw but is a cert to say you have simply passed gas training to foundation level, (but it wont let you do any gas work at all, it means you are deemed competent to sit gas final training and take assessment

 

[tackleburger]

Feeling I am getting locally judging by the odd call I get from guys looking for placements is they have to have that (placement) lined up before they get on the course.

Had one bloke who had passed the acs but called me to give him a hand with a combi install. I asked him why he needed a hand he told me he didn't know how to deal with the cylinder or the tank. So that isn't taught by this local centre only the gas bit of a joke really.

 

[kirkgas]

Feeling I am getting locally judging by the odd call I get from guys looking for placements is they have to have that (placement) lined up before they get on the course.

Had one bloke who had passed the acs but called me to give him a hand with a combi install. I asked him why he needed a hand he told me he didn't know how to deal with the cylinder or the tank. So that isn't taught by this local centre only the gas bit of a joke really.

to be fair it is a gas course, not a plumbing course so iff the guy is out his depth he should pass the job on to someone, or as he has done get a hand. remember the "good old days" that everyone says we need to get back to when the gas board had gas engineers and plumbers who couldnt do each others job, and i remember 20 odd yrs ago not being allowed to wire an immersor, in fact (it was direct labour in social housing) if an immersor was faulty and was behind a screwed panel under the cylinder a joiner went first to remove the panel, the spark went and disconnected the immersor, i went and fitted the new immersor, then the spark went back then the joiner, so the good old days wernt that good if you were paying the bill

 

[jayyid76]

Hi kirkgas,what training center do you work at and how much does that foundation course cost.

 

[kirkgas]

Hi kirkgas,what training center do you work at and how much does that foundation course cost.

GPE Training, Paisley, nr Glasgow Airport, if we supply placement it cost £5400, if candidate sorts their own placement it is £3400

 

[royston]

Yeah that's to much, I've been in plumbing about 15 yrs and just about finished my portfolio, all in all cost 2500.

 

[thomas donovan]

£2000 for a placement is scandalous logic only wanted a grand which i think is reasonable. no offence kirkgas

 

[Archer4180]

I am currently in the army and have signed off. I wish to be a gas engineer and have gathered that this is something that can take upto a yr to be fully qualified for. Is there no way of getting qualified asap with any of these trade centre's? I'v been told to qualify as a plumber firstly which i'v been told you are fully qualified after a trade centre course, iv then been told to work for a company that is gas safe and build a portfolio on the job. Can anyone give me any advice on the matter as I seem to get slightly different information from different sources. I need to be in employment asap as i have a mortgage and my wife to be is at uni. Thanks for any help anyone can give me.

 

[kirkgas]

I am currently in the army and have signed off. I wish to be a gas engineer and have gathered that this is something that can take upto a yr to be fully qualified for. Is there no way of getting qualified asap with any of these trade centre's? I'v been told to qualify as a plumber firstly which i'v been told you are fully qualified after a trade centre course, iv then been told to work for a company that is gas safe and build a portfolio on the job. Can anyone give me any advice on the matter as I seem to get slightly different information from different sources. I need to be in employment asap as i have a mortgage and my wife to be is at uni. Thanks for any help anyone can give me.

it depends who you work for, ie the type of work you can get through per week which will determine how quickly you complete a good portfolio, but be careful you arent too disrespectful to an honest hard working industry, you ask about getting qualified as a plumber, to be a good plumber takes a 3/4 yr apprenticeship and tons of hard work, are you good enough to learn everything that i know in a month or so? how quickly do you think it should take to learn my trade? if i joined the army how long do i need to wait to get my own tank?

 

[kirkgas]

£2000 for a placement is scandalous logic only wanted a grand which i think is reasonable. no offence kirkgas

so by your logic, "logic are half scandalous", no offence taken, my friend, i dont set the prices, i train the guys, we have plenty wanting to do the course and have the next 2 booked up already

 

[kirkgas]

I am currently in the army and have signed off. I wish to be a gas engineer and have gathered that this is something that can take upto a yr to be fully qualified for. Is there no way of getting qualified asap with any of these trade centre's? I'v been told to qualify as a plumber firstly which i'v been told you are fully qualified after a trade centre course, iv then been told to work for a company that is gas safe and build a portfolio on the job. Can anyone give me any advice on the matter as I seem to get slightly different information from different sources. I need to be in employment asap as i have a mortgage and my wife to be is at uni. Thanks for any help anyone can give me.

the guy who is our centre manager is ex-forces, im sure there is funding available for your good selves, but it still takes time to learn properly, as your background will have trained you, there is a forces magazine that we get in our place (cant remember its name, civvy street?, or i might have just made that up, but im sure you will know of it,) there is a lot of good info in it

 

[tamz]

if i joined the army how long do i need to wait to get my own tank?

When i joined the plumbing i got a tank all to myself within the first month............it was a septic one

 

[kirkgas]

When i joined the plumbing i got a tank all to myself within the first month............it was a septic one

i was thinking along those lines when i typed it, my first tank was a wizard 40/25 (with a lead lined one coming out, kerching)

 

[tamz]

Bet your journeyman gave you the change all to yourself with maybe a bag of chips.
Used to read the labels on the wizards and think "that can't be right" as i was melting a hole through it with a bit 28mm then slapping some boss white around the tank connector

 

[Archer4180]

In answer to you're question if you joined the army you could have you're own tank in less than 6 months, 2 handles and 2 pedals not as hard as you think to drive. Anyway thanks for you're input I'll look into it and ask around cheers.

 

[kirkgas]

In answer to you're question if you joined the army you could have you're own tank in less than 6 months, 2 handles and 2 pedals not as hard as you think to drive. Anyway thanks for you're input I'll look into it and ask around cheers.

cheers for that, well after 6 months you can get a plastic tank up a loft!!!!!

 

[psk]

OLCI...............big NO

I have been thorugh them and i would say try somewhere where they can place you with an engineer so you can et some practical knowledge and you will be amazed that a very few number of training centres offer that.

Do your research properly and you will find a centre where you will pay alot less than what olci have quoted you and get some real life training rather than just looking at the powerpoint presentation.
goodluck matey