Just qualified, looking for advice

[Joe_The_Plumber]

Hey all, this is my first post here.

I have recently achieved my City & Guilds level 2 diploma with distinctions across the board but now I'm in a dilemma on how to proceed from here.

I could apply to my local college and start working towards the level 3 diploma but I don't feel comfortable paying the £1,937 my college are asking for considering myself and many others barely scraped through this year because of poor teaching standards.

Part of me wants to just get out there and start making a living so I can lift the financial burden on my family but I know nobody in the trade which makes things considerably harder for me. I have been looking online and there are jobs out there but many of them require years of experience.

I have noticed a lot of vacancies are also asking for an NVQ. Would I be able to work towards my level 2 and 3 NVQ if I used my level 2 diploma as a stepping stone to finding work?

Thanks for your time!

 

[SimonG]

So you have only passed the theory?

 

[Millsy 82]

Unfortunately you are stuck in a hard place at the moment. Not many companies will look at your qualifications as actual qualifications. To get your NVQ you need onsite assesments (So I have been told by my brother) so you need to get a job but unfortunately most companies advertising will have several people apply. In your position I would approach as many companies as possible try local merchants and speak to people offer to work for free for a couple of weeks to prove you are a hard worker and willing to learn then expect to be on low wages for quite a while but eventually you may get there.

It is possible to get into a trade with your qualifications but it is hard. I have a friend that gave up on trying as he couldnt find anywhere and my brother got a job within 6 months of looking (purely by accident he was talking to someone at a darts game and got invited in for an interview)

 

[Joe_The_Plumber]

So you have only passed the theory?

Yeah

Unfortunately you are stuck in a hard place at the moment. Not many companies will look at your qualifications as actual qualifications. To get your NVQ you need onsite assesments (So I have been told by my brother) so you need to get a job but unfortunately most companies advertising will have several people apply. In your position I would approach as many companies as possible try local merchants and speak to people offer to work for free for a couple of weeks to prove you are a hard worker and willing to learn then expect to be on low wages for quite a while but eventually you may get there.

It is possible to get into a trade with your qualifications but it is hard. I have a friend that gave up on trying as he couldnt find anywhere and my brother got a job within 6 months of looking (purely by accident he was talking to someone at a darts game and got invited in for an interview)

That's what I'm trying to do. It's annoying because I want to get out there and start working but employers don't want to give us youngsters a chance to prove ourselves. I did a months work experience (aka free labour) in the past for an insurance company with the promise of a job afterwards but I got tossed aside after my time was up so I'm really not keen on the idea.

 

[andyplumber2009]

Hey all, this is my first post here.

I have recently achieved my City & Guilds level 2 diploma with distinctions across the board but now I'm in a dilemma on how to proceed from here.

I could apply to my local college and start working towards the level 3 diploma but I don't feel comfortable paying the £1,937 my college are asking for considering myself and many others barely scraped through this year because of poor teaching standards.

Part of me wants to just get out there and start making a living so I can lift the financial burden on my family but I know nobody in the trade which makes things considerably harder for me. I have been looking online and there are jobs out there but many of them require years of experience.

I have noticed a lot of vacancies are also asking for an NVQ. Would I be able to work towards my level 2 and 3 NVQ if I used my level 2 diploma as a stepping stone to finding work?

Thanks for your time!

Hi, i know of 2 routes, both assume that you are competent and persausive:
1. Work with a Gas Safe as a self employed, he employs you. You pick up any additional work as and when. You get on the job training from him (or her)
2. Get work with a larger company doing 1st fix etc on building sites. You will have to do everything from guttering to drains but you are paid piece work so you will get quicker BUT no one will spend the time to teach you. You may (i don't know) have to on site as a labourer CSCS card(?)
Andy

Note: I have the same qual but yet started to look. This info is based on what others have done.

 

[PlumbersMate]

If you scraped through on level 2 you're gonna struggle. And blaming teachers is waffle, you can learn level 2 on your own reading at home

 

[wetdrip]

When you start work with a plumber/gas engineer your starting from scratch.
My nipper's in the same position, and he knows, he knows nothing.Only when working, everyday, with a good gas engineer will you start to learn the trade, and a steep but interesting, and satisfiying journey it may be too.

 

[Joe_The_Plumber]

If you scraped through on level 2 you're gonna struggle. And blaming teachers is waffle, you can learn level 2 on your own reading at home

Well my course required me to be in college to do practical assessments and build a portfolio. It was not just classrooms and exams. My college did not have the right parts/enough of them ordered which is why many of us struggled to complete the work on time. I think only half the class actually passed this year.

When you start work with a plumber/gas engineer your starting from scratch.
My nipper's in the same position, and he knows, he knows nothing.Only when working, everyday, with a good gas engineer will you start to learn the trade, and a steep but interesting, and satisfiying journey it may be too.

Yep I understand I'm going to have to work my way up. I actually just got off the phone with a recruiter who will hopefully land me a plumbers mate/assistant interview.

 

[stratplus]

Hi, i know of 2 routes, both assume that you are competent and persausive:
1. Work with a Gas Safe as a self employed, he employs you. You pick up any additional work as and when. You get on the job training from him (or her)
2. Get work with a larger company doing 1st fix etc on building sites. You will have to do everything from guttering to drains but you are paid piece work so you will get quicker BUT no one will spend the time to teach you. You may (i don't know) have to on site as a labourer CSCS card(?)
Andy

Note: I have the same qual but yet started to look. This info is based on what others have done.

No-one in the right mind will let you first fix on site at that stage. You need to prove yourself on second fix first.

 

[kris]

Hi there Joe and welcome to the forum , now please dont take this the wrong way as its only a bit of advice , but please try and get your level 3 b4 you start attempting jobs unless simple ones because there is a massive difference in knowing how to fit something but not understanding the principals on how it functions and the regulations that need to be adhered to aswell, its great youve started learning and i wish you every success but i know i wouldnt have been any good when id just done my level 2 as its right at the start and also you really need the practical experience with a journey man as you need experiences on houses and buildings and to know how and where to run pipes , but this of course is only my opinion and like i said i hope u do well,

 

[Centralheatking]

Another often missed qualification is a driving licence and own transport You will
so much more usefull and flexible to a company. Centralheatking

 

[PlumbersMate]

Well my course required me to be in college to do practical assessments and build a portfolio. It was not just classrooms and exams. My college did not have the right parts/enough of them ordered which is why many of us struggled to complete the work on time. I think only half the class actually passed this year.



Yep I understand I'm going to have to work my way up. I actually just got off the phone with a recruiter who will hopefully land me a plumbers mate/assistant interview.

Got ya. That's different then, thought you meant you struggled on the theory my bad

 

[teabreak]

Hi Joe,
My advice to you is, forget the 6035 Level III. Its a waste of time, as nothing in it can be APL'ed to the proper 6189. From an industry perspective, a Level III (or Level II for that matter) without any workplace experience is frankly a joke!
However, you have shown commitment and an ability to succeed. So your next immediate goal, should be achieving your full Level II NVQ.
This can be completed through either formal employment or via working casually with a qualified plumber (maybe a friend or relative).
You will of course have to enrol and pay (£1,000 approx.) with your local FE College or Training Centre. This can be easily achieved within three months, thus you gain experience and a qualification.
Then seek employment through a Plumbing/Heating Company and be prepared to start on a low wage, then make your own decision as to where and what to do.

 

[lame plumber]

these threads always make me wonder if people realise why you go to college nowadays as they all slag off the theoretical side and say you need experience on site to get work.. Cmon peeps you need both, you need go to college and get your technical certificates and go on and carry out the practical work onsite and get your nvq tickets. Additionally you need to get the level 2 and 3 quals to be any good at the job and as no one normally can take it all in at once the courses are tiered so you learn the basics and then improve your knowledge. Having done all that you can take the various tickets that allow you to go out the and practice your trade ie gas safe/oftec that the public hopefully recognize. So isnt it time to stop saying tech tickets are a waste of time when they are an essential part of the whole learning process. rant complete

 

[teabreak]

Hi,
The original thread was seeking advise, which is what I gave. I'am sorry if you interoperated my post as 'slaging off' College courses, this most definitely was not my intention or indeed my opinion.
There are thousands upon thousands of 'full time students' who annually sign up on what is an incredibly condensed one year Plumbing course. It is unrealistic that they will remain interested let alone retain all the information once the exams are passed. Therefore, we have thousands of misguided young 'qualified' Plumbers seeking employment, in the real world, not the totally alien college environment.
To this end the Guilds now make all full time students sign a disclaimer that on completion of their course they are NOT qualified Plumbers.
I fully endorse proper College training, the current apprenticeship scheme is very good. Colleges on the whole do a very good and worthwhile job. My only criticism is we are training our young school leavers, who unfortunately cannot find suitable work for jobs that don't (at present) exist.
Finally, I do understand there must be provision for full time students like Joe, just that the current 'system' is abused to fulfil political/financial agendas, rather than real industry needs. My ran complete.

Regards

 

[Centralheatking]

Good rant - I totally agree - correct qualifications are now essential
when I started it was so much easier - ANYBODY could fit gas !!
Corgi was an option !!

Its all a paperwork excercise - but THEN you need to be practical
thats where you get employed.

I wonder if my Landrover is better then the one in North Devon !!

whe

these threads always make me wonder if people realise why you go to college nowadays as they all slag off the theoretical side and say you need experience on site to get work.. Cmon peeps you need both, you need go to college and get your technical certificates and go on and carry out the practical work onsite and get your nvq tickets. Additionally you need to get the level 2 and 3 quals to be any good at the job and as no one normally can take it all in at once the courses are tiered so you learn the basics and then improve your knowledge. Having done all that you can take the various tickets that allow you to go out the and practice your trade ie gas safe/oftec that the public hopefully recognize. So isnt it time to stop saying tech tickets are a waste of time when they are an essential part of the whole learning process. rant complete

 

[nicro3]

Just sign up with a few agencies and do the rounds, if you dont make the cut on your first job keep going. Goodluck:vanish:

 

[deandive]

love the fact that there are 100s of people out there who can theoretically fit a radiator................. I fitted 35 this week and ive never read about the method in a book or passed an exam paper on it lol ;-)

 

[wetdrip]

You've just got to read through most of the threads on here to understand what a minefield "hands-on" plumbing/gas can be.
College does not prepare you for 99.9999% of it.

 

[cr0ft]

I'm going to put my head above the parapet and say that I don't think the college courses are worth the time spent on them in my opinion. Most people (well certainly based on what my apprentice says) would learn so much more from an additional 1 day a week on the job.

He's through his first year and whilst he is keen, the college has taught him shockingly little to be honest. The only on the job assessment he has had so far is a health and safety assessment which is so much about common sense it is unreal.

I am not a big fan of the current setup and I would much rather see firms being paid the money that goes to colleges in order to directly provide set tuition to apprentices.

 

[Ermintrude]

That's not going to happen. Carillon spent millions fixing this.

 

[wetdrip]

Years ago, I contacted a plumber advertising in our local paper...bathroom fit.
When he came round I pointed out where the shower pipe run was to be.
He said he'd need to cut out a section of the bath to bring the pipe up on the outside of the wall.
"No, I said, chased in the wall."
Bottled it he did; I never saw him again.
He was straight from college.

 

[Ermintrude]

Years ago, I contacted a plumber advertising in our local paper...bathroom fit.
When he came round I pointed out where the shower pipe run was to be.
He said he'd need to cut out a section of the bath to bring the pipe up on the outside of the wall.
"No, I said, chased in the wall."
Bottled it he did; I never saw him again.
He was straight from college.

That was the hill fields car and electronics relocation city and guilds. Or perhaps he did the kenilworth collage arts and crafts.

 

[wetdrip]

That was the hill fields car and electronics relocation city and guilds. Or perhaps he did the kenilworth collage arts and crafts.

You do not know how close you are.

 

[PlumbersMate]

Cut bath out pmsl that's brilliant