OLCI Intensive plumbing course

[Beebop123]

Hi,

I was wondering if there is anyone out there who is considering an OLCI course as well?

Any advice on the course would also be welcome.

 

[robbo78]

hi there its robbo78 you were wondering if i had sold my course with olci, i havnt as of yet if you would like any information let me know.

 

[TC.]

if you think its gonna make you a fully qualified plumber think again - you may gain the 6129 but you will not be fully qualified without first obtaining the 6089 nvq - this requires on job experience! fast track courses are not worth the paper they are written on!

would you let a heart surgeon operate on you if he told you he had done a 8 week medical degree??

if you can go college - see if they are holding an evening course - far more structured and a better learning environment!

 

[fuzzy]

Hi everyone,

Alana here from OLCI Construction Training.

Thank you for your comments regarding OLCI Construction Training. I just wanted to give you all some information that I hope you will find helpful.

Our courses are suitable for you if you wish to become a qualified plumber. To become qualified, you need to achieve the City & Guilds 6089 Level 2 NVQ, which you can gain through the Become a Qualified Plumber course we provide.

The 8 week intensive course allows students to learn the technical skills in an intense period of study. You work on home-based theory units and then attend the practical workshops and assessments. On successful completion of the course material and practical sessions, you will gain the City & Guilds 6129 Level 2 Technical Certificate. This prepares you for working on areas such as Domestic Installations, Hot & Cold Water Storage, Steel Pipe work and Sheet Lead Weathering.

The next important step is to work towards the NVQ Level 2. This involves building a portfolio of your work and then on-site assessments, so you will need to get on-site experience. We can assist you with looking for on-site work, and while we cannot guarantee a place, we are happy to help. Once you have successfully completed the City & Guilds 6129 and 6089 qualifications including all the exams you will be a qualified plumber.

We also offer the advanced plumbing NVQ Level 3 course, through which you will learn to work with gas, unvented hot water storage systems and manage projects such as system design and planning.

It is worth noting that our courses lead to the same qualifications as you would get at a college. The difference is we are open for 51 weeks a year, compared to a college’s 34 weeks. We also provide more intense and detailed workshop time.

Our courses such as Plumbing, Gas and Electrical lead to nationally recognised qualifications and are by no means ‘fast track’ routes to becoming qualified.

We encourage you to contact us with any concerns.

I hope this information is of use to you.

Alana Fox

Hi Alana,

How would you know you offer more intense practical training than a College? I would think it is difficult for somebody to say this unless they have experience of every plumbing course every college does?

A College academic year is 36 weeks although many open all year round now.

Also, what do you aim to provide from April 2011 when the 2 qualifications you state are no longer available?

thanks, fuzzy

 

[themyth3]

As soon as any mention of home-based theory comes up, that should be the red light for anyone to even consider training with them. I've done a lot of research into this industry and have spoken to most of the companies to find out what type of company they are. On a phone call to Mark Nicol, an adviser (salesman) from OLCI, I started asking him all of the relevant questions to find out if he was even remotely interested in helping me. He started talking about distance learning and when I said I wasn't interested in that type of training, he asked why? Umm, because learning a trade like plumbing and gas from home is absolutely ridiculous. I said I'd rather do in-centre training, both theory and practical, because that's the only way to learn a trade like plumbing and gas. He said 'so you're going to go back to college with a bunch of kids then are you'? When I said I had no interest in doing distance learning he said and I quote 'so you don't think you're up to it then'? What a patronising guy! I'd rather train with a company who delivers in-centre training, whether it being full-time, evenings or weekends. How can they charge these sort of prices even though you're teaching yourself from home? There is absolutely no way that you can compare having a tutor in front of you to doing it in your bedroom or in the front room from a book, or from a "revolutionary" interactive DVD! For anyone who is even contemplating doing a distance learning course because they haven't got the time to do it, either do an evening or weekend course or work like nobodies business for the next year or 2 and do it full-time when you're in a position to do it.

If you have a guy who is 40 years old who wants to train to be a plumber/gas engineer, should he dictate the next 25 years of his working life by doing some crappy distance learning course? Or should he wait a year or 2 until he's in a position to do it PROPERLY and work for the next 23/24 years knowing that he's had the right training?

There have even been petitions on the Number 10 website to try to ban distance learning courses. I really do hope something comes of it. Why do companies do distance learning? Because they make more MONEY! That's all they care about. Anyone who thinks differently is an absolute idiot!

Anyone who wants to challenge what I've said, go for it.

 

[Dan]

Please keep discussion just that. And don't swear!

The more constructive you can be with your comments the better.

 

[themyth3]

All taken care of Danny boy.

 

[fuzzy]

have i missed something?