New Canadian Pipefitter....

[CanadianBacon]

Hi guys

Just joining your forum. I've recently moved to London from Canada and I'm trying to get into plumbing. I'm a certified pipefitter in Canada and trying to find a way to make a living in the UK...

I've been looking at different ways to complete the City and Guilds tests as well as the NVQs. I requested info from one training center and they sent a guy to my house this morning for an 'interview'... I'm not sure if was a scam or what but the man was saying that they do training online to help you pass the C&G and get your NVQ. The school also owns it's own contracting business, but I couldn't find anything about either the school or the business online. Do you guys think this is real?

Anyways, appreciate any feedback, and if anyone has any advice on where to get started, please let me know! I'd be happy to meet anyone for a beer as well if they'd let me pick their brain.

 

[stani]

Welcome, can you put a link to the training centre?

 

[CanadianBacon]

I think it was these guys

Electricians, Gas Engineers, Plumbers, Renewable energy engineers - Train4Jobs UK

 

[stani]

Hopefully someone from that end of the country will be along soon and be able to give you some advice.

 

[CanadianBacon]

Yeah, I actually found some reviews about it, nothing strongly negative or positive. I don't think it's worth the £7k though for training. If I'm already certified in Canada, a first world, commonwealth country, there should be an easier way to get accredited in the UK.

 

[stani]

I totally agree, and yes 7000 is a lot of money.

 

[rpm]

Little search box in top right hand corner will hopefully lead you to old posts on this company, just don`t spend too long looking for a good feedback is all I`ll say.

PS, Welcome to the UK and our forums.

 

[Lou]

Welcome! Where in Canada are you from?

 

[CanadianBacon]

I was living in Edmonton before I came here, did the majority of my pipefitting work in Nisku, just south of the city...

 

[Dan]

Welcome to the forum! That's a fair life change that. You've got balls.

Personally I don't think I'd put my career on the line for a website, that costs 7k to join!

Have a look for an actual course that's offline. And travel a bit if you need to.

Have a word with www.AbleSkills.Co.uk and others like them.

 

[CanadianBacon]

Thanks, there is some good information there. I was hoping that there would be a way I could study at home and just challenge the C&G exams, but it doesn't quite seem possible. The home study option on AbleSkills.co.uk is still £2500, yikes!!

 

[oz-plumber]

Is there not some regulatory authority that you can speak to regarding your existing licence and what you would have to do to have your credentials transferred?

 

[CanadianBacon]

Yeah, there is something called NARIC in the UK that does a statement of comparability. I'm just waiting to hear back from them. I submitted a copy of my certificate but they asked for a transcript as well. So when I get that submitted, hopefully they will approve me to get a plumber or pipefitter JIB card which should help my cause to get employed over here.

Do you know of any other resources for immigrating tradespeople?

 

[oz-plumber]

There must be some Governing Authority regarding Plumbing.

They must have some sort of cross referencing to match your existing skills with something comparable in the UK.

Your experience and qualifications must account for something.

Honestly, from what I understand, you can get a Plumbing Licence for doing a 6 week course over there.