train 4 trade

[whitedog]

hello all

I have just had a train 4 trade leaflet come through my door,my question is has anybody heard of them. www.t4ts.com

its basically a company that train you to be a plumber or a gas fitter,from home with the aid of computers then u have to do practical work at the end.
is a plumber not the same as a gas fitter?

i dont mean to sound a bit dim but can someone clarify this for me?

im intrested in doing some kind of plumbing course,if anyone has any advice it would be very much appreciated?

thank you all for your time

Regards jon

 

[dextrous]

no a plumber isn't the same as a gasfitter

The course that you'll pay for will be the city and guilds 6129 one.
At the end of it, assuming that you've passed, you will be "skilled" enough to go and "get" an NVQ level 2, which is basically a portfolio of evidence of a variety of skills which require certain competencies. This will take you a year or 2 after the C&G6129 (which in itself will take any length of time up to two years depending on when you can attend the workshops and practical assessments)

After this, you then work towards NVQ3 which leads you towards the path of gas training.

It's quite expensive, quite time consuming, and there may not be much work at the end of it. Other contributors on here will testify one way or another regarding the validity of that statement.

 

[East Kent Coastal]

you can experiment your newly acquired knowledge in a safe, PC-based virtual reality setting, to practice again and again, until you get it right. Much cheaper, safer and more effective than repeatedly bending pipes or soldering joins in the workshop or on a customer’s premises, so that by the time you do get there, you’re likely to get it right, first time

That bit, in particular, made me laugh. The very idea that a 'virtual reality house' is a good or better substitute for hands on experience is hilarious. Aye, much better than actually bending and soldering. Learning a practical trade by non-practical methods. Nuts. Sure, having a good knowledge of the theory side of things is absolutely important but only when coupled with real life situations can it mean anything and fit together.

The best way to learn any trade is the old way. Being taken on and getting to work, with day release at college to boost understanding. Unfortunately the chances of getting taken on as a new starter at the mo are near to diddly squat.

 

[mikplumb]

hello all

I have just had a train 4 trade leaflet come through my door,my question is has anybody heard of them. www.t4ts.com

its basically a company that train you to be a plumber or a gas fitter,from home with the aid of computers then u have to do practical work at the end.
is a plumber not the same as a gas fitter?

i dont mean to sound a bit dim but can someone clarify this for me?

im intrested in doing some kind of plumbing course,if anyone has any advice it would be very much appreciated?

thank you all for your time
I was a cleaning manager until 2003 and needed a change in my working life. Put myself on a plumbing course for 3 month and had the p..s taken out of me for a long time after. Since got my gas safe, cpa, unvented,part p, and lots more. I can honestly say if you put your mind to something you want then go for it. Be prepared to make mistakes but lets face it everybody does. I went to viy i believe they now do gas also. by the way.i wish i had took up electrics! Theres some really good exprienced boiler engineers on here and i have learned a lot off them.
Regards jon

 

[Corgigrouch]

Saw a hand painted sign on a roundabout yesterday advertising garden taps fitted for peanuts....Guess that is a newly qualified plumber trying to pay back the cash he borrowed to become a millionaire plumber. Why is it that you British are determined that everyone else is doing better than you just because and slick adman tells you so..

 

[seco services]

advertising garden taps fitted for peanuts

this wasn't him by chance was it ?

 

[Corgigrouch]

Doh!.....

 

[East Kent Coastal]

Nah, I think it was this fella...

 

[seco services]

he's part of this mob isn't he ?

 

[East Kent Coastal]

Yeah, that's right. Changed careers, along with this chimp...

 

[mikplumb]

Saw a hand painted sign on a roundabout yesterday advertising garden taps fitted for peanuts....Guess that is a newly qualified plumber trying to pay back the cash he borrowed to become a millionaire plumber. Why is it that you British are determined that everyone else is doing better than you just because and slick adman tells you so..

I agree.who gave you the chance by way

 

[Corgigrouch]

Hand painted signs on traffic islands smack of desperation, on the same level as the "Earn extra cash" adverts that they stick to traffic lights.. I gave me my start.... Working hard a school, working at week ends and school holidays, being interested in a wide range of subjects, academic and practical but always preferring the practical, not because it promised big bucks, but because I enjoyed doing it. At 15 I helped the plumbers and electricians fitting out a couple of small manufacturing plants for free... Being a dogs body, making coffee and asking lots of dumb questions which they would explain... By the end of the Summer I was doing simple plumbing and electrical work and things grew from there... I have always taken time to learn things thoroughly by getting my hands dirty. as with most of they guys here, sitting exams for certification is simply an exercise in proving what they already know.

 

[dextrous]

I have always taken time to learn things thoroughly by getting my hands dirty. as with most of they guys here, sitting exams for certification is simply an exercise in proving what they already know.

Exactly If someone is really motivated, they don't need an exam to nudge them along.

The only thing that can be said in their favour is that they prove a person's claims of knowledge which in can protect some people from cowboys and gypos

 

[mikplumb]

Hand painted signs on traffic islands smack of desperation, on the same level as the "Earn extra cash" adverts that they stick to traffic lights.. I gave me my start.... Working hard a school, working at week ends and school holidays, being interested in a wide range of subjects, academic and practical but always preferring the practical, not because it promised big bucks, but because I enjoyed doing it. At 15 I helped the plumbers and electricians fitting out a couple of small manufacturing plants for free... Being a dogs body, making coffee and asking lots of dumb questions which they would explain... By the end of the Summer I was doing simple plumbing and electrical work and things grew from there... I have always taken time to learn things thoroughly by getting my hands dirty. as with most of they guys here, sitting exams for certification is simply an exercise in proving what they already know.

I guess i just skipped the dogs body part of your life although i do aggree you cant learn everything from the classroom thats why you also do practical hands on work. All this certification has gone to far but it does protect you. I think a lot of gas fitters on here seem to think for some reason its a highly skilled job.Well thats bull.... Anyone with half a brain can do it. I came through the ranks just like you but i was cleaning ****ty toilets in shipyards from 15 year old and building a family business. I chose this job because it interested me, not for the money.

 

[Corgigrouch]

I think a lot of gas fitters on here seem to think for some reason its a highly skilled job.Well thats bull.... Anyone with half a brain can do it.

I think that a lot of gas fitters on here meet plenty of folk who believe as you do and bill them to put things right.... Perhaps gas fitting isn't on the same level as neurosurgery, but it does require a certain skill and ability, some aspects of which can be learned in a class room but far more is learned working out on site. Problem is if you go straight from the classroom to a customers house with no one with experience to back you up when the going gets tough, then you can find yourself out of your depth very quickly