Quickest route to ACS

D

dextrous

Not sure whether to put this here or on trade talk.

However, being a lowly qualified plumber, I was asked today for info about what is the quickest route to getting gas qualifications. Does one have to go through C&G6129 - NVQ2 then NVQ3 then gas afterwards, or can one just go straight to gas without any plumbing qualifications. Somehow I would have thought that knowing some basic skills such as those gleaned from NVQ2 and 3 would be necessary as an absolute minimum requirement, and advised the questioner accordingly.

Or am I wrong and there is a way of fast tracking?
 
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where i work we run a 26 week full time course, which is an NPA in plumbing and full domestic ACS ( if you complete enough of a portfolio you are allowed to sit ACS, you pass or you fail) 10 weeks of this is full time placement with a contractor, these people are cat 3 with no previous relevant experience,
i remember something from a previous like about people doing OFTEC courses so that they were then cat 2 and able to sit ACS after providing a portfolio, but i have to be honest my gut reaction of this was that some portfolios could have been dodgy
 
With CORGI you could just take ACS and then be immediately added as an operative to an existing business. Then usually after two years they would agree to an individual registration.

Apparently gas safe expect a new applicant to have an NVQ II.

Tony
 
interesting question. the apprentices we've got have to do nvq 3 with 35 gas jobs to sit acs at our local collage.even then there still a long way from experienced.
 
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With CORGI you could just take ACS and then be immediately added as an operative to an existing business. Then usually after two years they would agree to an individual registration.

Apparently gas safe expect a new applicant to have an NVQ II.

Tony

if gas safe expect a new applicant to have NVQ2 then how can the guys on our courses get registered as a gas operative, which they will be allowed to do if they pass their ACS?
 
Thanks for the responses. Since this is my post, I can't hijack it, even though the following question is a bit more, er, controversial.

The builders who are currently doing work at my house have several logos on their hoardings (NICEIC approved, Corgi( :rolleyes: ), Fensa Registered being three), which is in breach of the trades description act as they aren't registered with any. However, with regard to Fensa and NICEIC they do work with LABC involvement and under the supervision of a qualified electrician (who designs and tests the circuits) respectively, so on these I'm not overly concerned as to the quality of the work they do since it is externally verified, and I have eyes.

However, for the purpose and relevance of this forum, they today told me that they had installed a combi gas boiler at one of their customer's houses (not mine I stress :!: :!: ), done a mano pressure test and used whatever detector you boys use to test whatever it is you test :confused: (I've forgotten the instrument, but you know what I mean). Their subsequent problem came when one of the workforce did something (like remove the cover for some reason) which has resulted in what sounds like shorting out the board.

But that's not the main issue. The main issue is that none of them are qualified plumbers at all (and I mean qualified to even the lowly CG6129), yet alone gas registered. Apart from the benchmark not being able to be completed since noone can sign this off, nor the installation being registered, and indeed house insurance and warranty being void, this is potentially dangerous and certainly illegal - "gas work for profit" etc etc etc. They have also installed an unvented system in another house, again without any qualifications for pipe bending, yet alone G3. Indeed the main man had no idea why an external pressure vessel was needed, but put one in since the MI said so, but was wondering whether he ought to use a footpump to boost up the pressure on it :confused:

So my problem is, do I shop them or not? They have done nothing untoward in my house (you can bet your bottom dollar that I kept an eye on this!!), but are clearly ....,er, I think you can fill your own description here.

What would you do?
 
With CORGI you could just take ACS and then be immediately added as an operative to an existing business. Then usually after two years they would agree to an individual registration.

Apparently gas safe expect a new applicant to have an NVQ II.

Tony

if gas safe expect a new applicant to have NVQ2 then how can the guys on our courses get registered as a gas operative, which they will be allowed to do if they pass their ACS?
I'm clearly guessing and am out of my depth here, but would a 26 week course and a portfolio not build up enough evidence for NVQ2 to have been achieved en route, since this length of time and experience would clearly be far greater than 6129?
 
With CORGI you could just take ACS and then be immediately added as an operative to an existing business. Then usually after two years they would agree to an individual registration.

Apparently gas safe expect a new applicant to have an NVQ II.

Tony

if gas safe expect a new applicant to have NVQ2 then how can the guys on our courses get registered as a gas operative, which they will be allowed to do if they pass their ACS?
I'm clearly guessing and am out of my depth here, but would a 26 week course and a portfolio not build up enough evidence for NVQ2 to have been achieved en route, since this length of time and experience would clearly be far greater than 6129?

perhaps it is deemed equivelant and that is why it is ok, not sure of the politics of it all, or why NVQ2 is not issued if it is surpassed, perhaps it is down to course criteria or content by the certification body,
 
With CORGI you could just take ACS and then be immediately added as an operative to an existing business. Then usually after two years they would agree to an individual registration.

Apparently gas safe expect a new applicant to have an NVQ II.

Tony

if gas safe expect a new applicant to have NVQ2 then how can the guys on our courses get registered as a gas operative, which they will be allowed to do if they pass their ACS?
I'm clearly guessing and am out of my depth here, but would a 26 week course and a portfolio not build up enough evidence for NVQ2 to have been achieved en route, since this length of time and experience would clearly be far greater than 6129?

perhaps it is deemed equivelant and that is why it is ok, not sure of the politics of it all, or why NVQ2 is not issued if it is surpassed, perhaps it is down to course criteria or content by the certification body,
Trust you'll look into it at work tomorrow and would be interested in feedback. One of the reasons why I posted this was in relation to the other dilemma I've cited above, and feel that they need to get qualified ASAP to at least a vaguely legal and safe level to do what they're doing. I know it's not really my concern, but I like the blokes on the one hand, and on the other I feel morally bound to protect my fellow man (their other customers)
 
As far as shopping them goes, you have a moral obligation to do so. The problem is, as you are not a party, chances are nobody will take any notice. Too much bureaucracy, and too much pc nonsense.
If you do feel obliged to expose the cowboy practice, the most effective way is to explain in detail the problems the unsuspecting party could face, and provide them with names and telephone numbers to take action.
The use of GSR logo and falsely claiming to be registered is a trading standards thing, the actual illegal gaswork is a GSR/HSE issue, and the unqualified unvented installing is LBA. At least as far as I understand.
If you can demonstrate that cowboy work at another address creates an unsafe situation for you, it may be taken up by building control if you speak to the right guy.
 
As far as shopping them goes, you have a moral obligation to do so. The problem is, as you are not a party, chances are nobody will take any notice. Too much bureaucracy, and too much pc nonsense.
If you do feel obliged to expose the cowboy practice, the most effective way is to explain in detail the problems the unsuspecting party could face, and provide them with names and telephone numbers to take action.
The use of GSR logo and falsely claiming to be registered is a trading standards thing, the actual illegal gaswork is a GSR/HSE issue, and the unqualified unvented installing is LBA. At least as far as I understand.
If you can demonstrate that cowboy work at another address creates an unsafe situation for you, it may be taken up by building control if you speak to the right guy.
I have no dealings with any of their other customers, and none of them live adjacent to my own house so it's not really making my own life unsafe. As for the logo, this is a Corgi badge, but no claim of registration nor number. It would be acceptable (IMO) if they used the badge with wording along the lines "We only use...(gassafe)..registered fitters". But they don't.

Think I'll sleep on it :confused:
 
Corgi badge could actually be legit. As long as you pay the fee, you can now be "corgi registered" without being a heating engineer; you become a plumber registered with corgi, to "prove" that you are a quality plumber.
If I remember correctly, the last version of the corgi logo in the days when they were still the body, did not have to include a number.
 
Trouble is, none of them are plumbers. They love talking about speedfit a lot and were in awe of a bit of basic piping I did at my own house (bends and a couple of partial passovers - also the use of a double check valve and a drainoff point for an outside tap confused them entirely :rolleyes: ).

I'm wondering if they piped up to the gas boilers in plastic :confused:
 
do I shop them or not? They have done nothing untoward in my house (you can bet your bottom dollar that I kept an eye on this!!), but are clearly ....,er, I think you can fill your own description here.

What would you do?
Sack them instantly, and tell them that on principle I don't engage people (a) who lie about their professional qualifications or status or (b) who tell me about crimes they've committed in other people's houses and expect me to keep their secret.

I'd also have a tape recorder secretly running so that any threats they issue are captured.
 

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