Hi Guys,
Plumbing never changes! Since the Greeks and Romans invented plumbing some four thousand years ago, water is still going downhill. You still need a pump to make it go up, and water and sewerage flow through pipes according to these principles just have they have always done.
So, is the Learnatrade Plumbing Level 2 Revision out of date?
Of course not!
The principles of plumbing remain the same today, and will stay the same as long as the principles of fluid mechanics and gravity keep doing what they've been doing since we settled down after the big bang.
What does change, however, is technology. We plumbers no longer have to simply think about water supply, and waste disposal. We also have to think about environmental issues. We have to be able to deal with electricity, electronics, and so on. To reflect these changes, this year has been one of change - not with plumbing - but change with the Certification body, the City & Guilds.
They have decided that the exams have to be more difficult. And to do this, they have added questions to the exams which plumbing students have to take throughout the year. Some of these questions are relevant, and reflect the new technology we have to deal with, and some of them are totally irrelevant to a first year plumbing trainee, and in the opinion of most colleges should not be there.
The problem for students and teachers alike, is that until the exam appears, nobody except the C&G knows what the new questions are. This means that if there is a question about the chemical composition of Asbestos (oh yes there is such a question!) you will not know the answer, because your teacher didn't know that you needed the information!
So.. To get back to your question "Is Learnatrade out of date" The answer is No. The information in the revision pack still covers at least 90% of the questions you will get in the exams.
And think of this.
The plumbing level 2 revision is not the only thing you need to get you through the exam! You go to college to learn the theory of plumbing. You have a lot to learn - plumbing is a very complex trade.
Our level 2 revision programme is designed to remind you of the things you have been taught at college. You would never become a plumber if the only source of information was our software.
And one final bit of information for you.
Since taking over the exams last year, the City and Guilds seem to have forgotton that they are dealing with inexperienced plumbing trainees, and are writing the questions in such a way that it would be difficult for an experienced plumber to understand. What you have to do is read the question carefully. Cut out all the nonsense with which they have surrounded the actual question, and be sure that you understand what they are asking before you answer the question.
Finally.. Has the Learnatrade Plumbing Level 2 Revision software been updated to cover all the new questions?
Of course not!! We can only update it if we know what the questions are. And until these questions appear in a test, how can we possible know what they will be? If I had the ability to see into the future like that, I'd be in Barbados now, living off the proceeds of betting on the winner of the Grand national.
Sadly, the 2008/2009 intake of plumbing students are the guinee pigs of the new C&G experiment..
Good luck.
