Plumbing Qualifications

[koran]

Hi,

My names Koran and im 17, new to this forum and very intereseted in becoming a plumber.

Im looking into different courses that will qualify my as a all rpund plumber. But there are many courses that offer different things. I am not totally sure of the qualifications i need to become a fully qualified plumber, can anyone point me in the right direction?

Also, the main course that has stuck out to me is the New Career Skills course and this gets me:

• Self certificate electrical work that falls under Part P of building regulations
• BPEC water supply regulations certificate
• BPEC unvented hot water systems
• City & Guilds 6128 level2 technical certificate in heating and ventiliation

Do these qualify me as a all round plumber?

Lastly, i hear that City & Guilds 6129 will be abolished of some sort next year by the government and 6128 will be the main qualification, is there any truth to this?

Thank You
Koran

 

[danielp]

do 6129 l2 technical cert and nvq 2 this is one course this like half qualifies you then after do 6129 l3 technical cert and nvq l3 this is qualified other stuff like unvented are add on day courses into what kind of stuff you work on most nvq l3 courses teach you gas then you have the option to do the assesments

 

[dontknowitall]

In my experience:

1. The self certificate Part P is not the same as it sounds. You'll receive the training to pass the exam but in order to self certify work, you'll need to subscribe to an electrical institution and pay a hefty fee to self certify. For example, OFTEC asks for around £200. And every five years, you need to take the exam again!

Also, you will need an expensive meter. I can't remember exactly what the costly part of it is, but it's something required to measure trip switch times. These measurements are required on the forms you send in. I think the meters cost from £400-£500 upwards. And, as I have recently found out, you have to get the meters calibrated each year (£100?) to show they are measuring correctly.

2. You'll receive the water regs training. But to self certify your work you have to join a scheme (either run by a water authority or WRAS). WRAS requires an NVQ which requires signed off experience!

3. The two remaining parts do not really help you find a job, unfortunately! Employers are only interested in NVQs from what I can make out.

B U T !!!

If you want to go self employed and no "not a lot" about plumbing they are good courses and will give you the confidence to make a success.

Having said that, at your age employers will be much more interested than someone like me who is 40+ years old!! You'll be more attractive to an employer if you have shown the initiative to get some training first as it keeps their costs down.

Those qualifications will not make you an all round plumber.

Again, in my experience, in these courses there is very little training on diagnosing problems such as the effects of high water pressure or why a radiator is not warm when all the others are or why the hot water works but the central heating doesn't.

Don't lose heart though, despite me sounding negative. It takes time to learn plumbing and it's a great industry to be in - loads of friendly people and many helping each other out from time to time.

Imagine becoming a personal assistant/secretary. You don't qualify by taking a word processing exam as there's much more to the job, e.g. organising diaries, spreadsheet work, IT helper when the boss's computer goes wrong, etc, etc. Plumbing is the same. Lots to learn!

Good luck!!