Gas Safe Training with help available

[jrt]

Hi All

At 40 I am just in the process of being made redundant after 24 years in the water industry my last role being a project manager.

The good news is that i can pay my mortgage off with my redundancy and my wife works so no real pressure financially.

My background is full time served apprenticeship in Mechanical engineering with City and Guilds,ONC,BTEC,NVQ3 and HNC.
I understand these probably do not give me any advantage in getting qualifications in my future career but just thought they may help.

The reason i want to go down this route is getting out of the rat race and become self employed.

The real bonus i have is my father in law is ex british gas currently been self employed for last 20 years and gas safe registered.
Over the last 10 years on occasions to help out and for a change I have fitted numerous full systems as well as other plumbing work with my father in law so know it is hard work!

My father in law has a good customer base and made a good living and is thinking of retiring in 5 years time.
My plan is to get the right qualifications and go working with my father in law at the same time or after getting them.

Can you advise me of my best route knowing i have the added bonus of utilising a gas safe registered engineer full time.
It will be like starting an apprenticeship again and will be quite exciting!!

All help willbe greatly appreciated

 

[Plucky]

I dont think you need any advise you have everything you need. Good luck

 

[jrt]

Thanks for that I hope I do !

Really what I was after is the best training route college or training centre?
What qualifications do I need exactly?
I have seen you need to do a plumbing qualification then you can do gas safe training.

I am after the best way forward for my position using the help I have available.

Thanks

 

[willing2learn]

I'm going down the ACS route at my local college, then GSR once thats completed.

 

[Kip]

You dont need a plumbing quali, work with your father in law, gain a tonne of evidence over the years and then enter in.. Thats all you need i beleive. It does cost a few thousand though.

 

[oldplumber]

why not do a day release at a local college, you may be able to start and go into a level 3 6129 if you have experience already and the college is sympathetic. Also you could go for the nvq 3 at the same time ( a doddle if your working already with someone). Colleges also have access to funding for mature students via european funding etc which I had to pay for my NVQs, and ACS courses where charged at a reduced rate as I was on the tech certificate scheme with them.

In all it took longer to achieve the gri quals, but I was working self employed all along and I had access to a lot of knowledge over a 4 year period which helped. Also I saved a lot of money by doing it this way. My experience of meeting people who have tried the short course route is that they dont have any depth of knowledge and havee spent a lot of money to get that knowledge!!!

 

[Plucky]

why not do a day release at a local college, you may be able to start and go into a level 3 6129 if you have experience already and the college is sympathetic. Also you could go for the nvq 3 at the same time ( a doddle if your working already with someone). Colleges also have access to funding for mature students via european funding etc which I had to pay for my NVQs, and ACS courses where charged at a reduced rate as I was on the tech certificate scheme with them.

In all it took longer to achieve the gri quals, but I was working self employed all along and I had access to a lot of knowledge over a 4 year period which helped. Also I saved a lot of money by doing it this way. My experience of meeting people who have tried the short course route is that they dont have any depth of knowledge and havee spent a lot of money to get that knowledge!!!

Sound advice

 

[jrt]

Many thanks everyone I will go to my local college and see how the lands lies.
I will report back on what i decide to do.

Cheers

 

[moony]

hi mate im 30 doing the sppretnicship all paid for through local college - thast your best route because if it doesnt work out on your own at least you can go work for someone else with the time served route - a lot more likely to get a job with a proper nvq level 3.