Gas Training

[jase158]

Hi I am looking into doing the gas training,

I want to know....

Which courses do I need to be gas safe registered and what experience I need

Is it just ACS, 10 days

or Nvq 6012, 6034 and 6132

Please only leave comments on facts, not opinions.

NO COMMENTS ON YOUR OPINIONS OF FAST TRACK COURSES.

I am going to work with somebody for as long as possible before I start doing gas on my own.

Also does the acs have to be renewed every year, if so, how long is the re-training each year?

But I want to be gas safe registered before i start working on gas, although i believe that i need a minimum amount of experience before i can do the training, i.e.

Please feel free to leave comments on your experiences with gas safe.

Also, I have heard of MPower in Waltham Abbey, has anybody had experience with them, are they a training centre or a college? are they city and guilds certified and is 16 weeks normal time for ACS training or is it longer?

 

[fuzzy]

to be gas safe you need you acs - simple as that

 

[andyg0507]

and be competent fuzzy, ive nearly done my gas course now and will soon be doing my acs, some of the lads on my course havn't got a clue and it scraes the living daylights out of me.

 

[fuzzy]

to be competent? well that would be a different question, but to be gas safe you need to have a current acs qualification

 

[andyg0507]

yes sorry fuzzy forgot to mention that, its what you do after i suppose.

 

[jase158]

Sorry, but am I to understand that to be gas safe registered, any tom, richard or harry can just go to a training centre, do a 10 day course and then apply to gas safe to become gas registered.

This seems to make a mockery of the whole Gas Safe registration to me.

Is there no clear experience needed, I have spoken to several colleges/ training centres about this and they vary, from 140 days experience, written proof, to absolutely no experience, this seems crazy to me. Also some say you need NVQ2 Some say NVQ3, Some Say Technical Certificate level 2 and some say no previous plumbing experience what so ever?

I know it is only one pipe for the gas to boilers, cookers, i.e. but I would not like somebody who has only done 10 days at college to install my gas pipe or to even service my boiler.
God only knows what the damage would be if they had to change a part inside the boiler.

 

[quality]

Your best bet is to call the center where you plan on doing the assessments they will put you straight, there are certain categories which your ability and qualifications will determine what training etc will need.
For example I have certain qualifications which are not plumbers qualification and all I did was assessments as a cat 2 candidate 3 days long done and dusted

 

[fuzzy]

the question was what do you need to become gas safe, the answer is acs qualified.

if the question is what do you need to become acs qualified then yes it does change depending on your catagory
cat 1 - already gas qualified, ie nvq 3 in GAS or old ACOPS
CAT 2 - trade related qual such as nvq2 or 3 in plumbing or H&V with 140 days proven gas experience
cat 3 - no related quals but extensive gas experience of minimum 240 days


ok with this?

 

[a.h]

thats very clear, thx fuzzy.

 

[fuzzy]

cat 1 , no expirience needs to be proven
cat 2, tech certs do not apply as they are now full quals, only nvqs. so somebody with a nvq2 is cat 2, someone with a tech cert 3 is a cat 3

 

[jase158]

ok cheers guys,

so what acs is it that i need to do?

cen1
ccn1,
i.e.

I am looking to install and service boilers.
also i want to be able to install all gas appliances, cookers, fires i.e.

I am Cat 2 plumber

 

[fuzzy]

you have an nvq in a related trade?
ccn1 is the core
cen 1 boilers
cpa1 analysers

 

[jase158]

i have tried calling them, but they all vary in their answers, I am not the sort of person who will pay stupid money to get a certificate that is useless, i like to do my research.

 

[jase158]

you have an nvq in a related trade?

yes NVQ3 in plumbing

 

[fuzzy]

you have an nvq in a related trade?

yes NVQ3 in plumbing

then why dont you have your ACS, its part of the NVQ3? did you not choose the gas option? did you do solid fuel or oil?

 

[themyth3]

Guidance note 8 says 140 days for Cat 3s. Where did you get 240 days from?

 

[fuzzy]

whats guideance note 8?

 

[themyth3]

They are the guidance notes outlined by the ACS Executive Committee. Combined off and on the job training duration for a Cat 3 entrant to be eligible to sit their training and assessments for central heating is 140 days.

whats guideance note 8?

 

[fuzzy]

training for central heating?

im on about ccn1, i am sure they ask for 240days on and off job training, 140 days for cat 2

 

[themyth3]

training for central heating?

im on about ccn1, i am sure they ask for 240days on and off job training, 140 days for cat 2

You obviously need a portfolio of evidence of time spent with an engineer consisting of installations, services and repairs. If you want to come in after the placement and sit your CCN1, CENWAT1 and CPA1, guidance note 8 states you need to provide 140 days (70 days for CAT2) worth of evidence consisting of in-centre training and work based evidence. If you want to come in initially to sit your HTR1, it states that you need to provide 100 days (only 50 days for a CAT2).

When I was researching training, some companies told me that I only needed to provide about 3 weeks worth of evidence and then they were going to get me through core plus 5 appliances?! I have absolutely no idea how some of these companies are allowed to operate.

 

[fuzzy]

You obviously need a portfolio of evidence of time spent with an engineer consisting of installations, services and repairs. If you want to come in after the placement and sit your CCN1, CENWAT1 and CPA1, guidance note 8 states you need to provide 140 days (70 days for CAT2) worth of evidence consisting of in-centre training and work based evidence. If you want to come in initially to sit your HTR1, it states that you need to provide 100 days (only 50 days for a CAT2).

When I was researching training, some companies told me that I only needed to provide about 3 weeks worth of evidence and then they were going to get me through core plus 5 appliances?! I have absolutely no idea how some of these companies are allowed to operate.

never heard of an acs centre needing a port folio of evidence mate. im on about the document stating all the work done that constitutes a total of 240 days signed by a GSR for a cat 3. as the ccn1 has a range of gas elements anyway the work must be from a range

 

[themyth3]

I'm pretty sure that all training centres need to see a portfolio of evidence from a CAT3 before the candidate can sit their CCN1 & appliances. The only instance where you wouldn't be required to is if you were doing a course that is ACS aligned such as an NVQ3 or a City & Guilds 6012 or other like courses.

 

[fuzzy]

signwed written evidence that can be audited is all thats required. the gsr signature is the authenticity

 

[REDSAW]

i have nvq2 in h&v and a nvq2 in gas pipe installations,
i am cat2 and my acs examiner requires 240 pre-days plus a 50 job portfolio.

10 miles away they want 3 months and 24 jobs.?

 

[fuzzy]

• what awarding body?