retraining

[sussansuze]

hi there to anybody that can give me some addvice .my husband had a accident last year and is unable to carry on with his previous job so he is wanting to go into plumbing and heating he is 45 years old and we have no idea of the best place to do the training needed.we have looked on various web sites and also looked at varios coments about these sites and they have me a bit worried particually this ocli .has any body heard of a place called lomax training in north shields.this is some thing he has always wanted to do and we just want to do it properly even if it takes years of traing constructive replyes please:santa3:

 

[Destroyer2813]

What sort of accident did your husband have, we see a lot of posts asking this sort of question what sort of course are you looking at?. What the training centres say is earn 60000 a year etc but pretty much everyone hear can tell you a different story. The industry is saturated at the minute thanks to these centres and we see loads of posts offering free labour for experiance.

Good luck to your husband if he really wants to do it

 

[PlumbBobBob]

plumbing is a very physical occupation so may not suit your husband if his injuries were that bad that he couldn't continue with his original job

 

[sussansuze]

hi he was a hgv driver and fell of his trailer and smashed all his arm up so he cant do that any more .we relise the market is flooded with people in this profesion but i supposse you could say every were is struggling at the moment.we dont want to get rich or any thing like that of this . my husband just wants to learn a trade and to be able to pay the bills .but we dont want to be ripped off doing it.the cource we have beening looking at was with this olci nvq level 3 and also wanting to look at the gas side as well .

 

[lame plumber]

You can do it in your 40s, I did but I had a background in property development before the banks pulled the plug on that. However your knees etc give up before youre ready to, so you need to specialise in appliance servicing/repairs. less lifting than installations. I qualified via local college but took 4 years day release to do so, but cheapest way to do it and colleges have support funds for those on incomes less than £15k I think, ie you dont part with a fortune but problems with works exp now, but you can work for yourself, start small and develop fm there and prepare yourself to do anything on the way.

 

[Irish]

I did my level 2 with olci in London purely for speed and nothing else, they didn't do any theory with us apart from an hour on hot water systems, I had 12 yrs experience before I did the course therefore wasn't that worried about the basic plumbing theory as I was only doing the course to get my level 3 then gas safe, if your husband has no experience then I strongly recommend go somewhere else as you need to have a basic knowledge in order to actually make a living its pointless having a cert if you don't actually know the basics, I couldn't believe how bad the "college" I went to was, it truly was amazing how lax the teaching was

 

[A1P]

I would definitely do the Local Technical College route.Keep away from quick courses which are expensive and you often finish up without acceptable qualifications.Whichever route you go ,one big problem is getting work experience to build your NVQ and Gas folders. ,I spent 4 years doing one day a week to get NVQ 3 Plumbing and Heating followed by my Gas Safe qualifications.I was 24 when I started and because it was impossible to get work with a company, I had to become self employed.I have worked from time to time with friends in plumbing and heating but to some extent I have had to learn on the job.I have worked within my limitations and have always been willing to seek help and have learned stacks on this forum.After 5 years I am now making a living but have lived at home and have no family commitments.I have reached the stage now where virtually all my work is from referrals and I have never advertised.I now feel I have a future but it has been hard.This has worked for me but probably not suitable for you.I would emphasise the physical nature of the work ,lugging bathroom suites,radiators and boilers around.I would also point out the vast amount of dry but vital regulations which have to be learnt for exams.Finally consider related trades.I made a conscious decision to learn tiling so that i could do complete bathrooms.Plastering also could be handy.I hope I have been realistic rather than negative.It is extremely cut throat out there and people are struggling and will be for a long time.I am negative about the economy and see cuts in self employed rates with increasing costs.Difficult time for everyone.I wish you well but you might find yourself doing various part-time jobs until you are qualified and established.

 

[sonray ltd]

If he's that bad with his arm and can't drive a lorry then he won't be able to do plumbing it's a dam site more lifting and manual work than driving.

 

[lame plumber]

Driving trucks is hard work, if you ever done it its one hell of a lot of lifting and shoving, as well but you need two fully functioning arms to do corners safetly. If you can avoid the site work, I hate it with a vengance and specialise over time on repairs/servicing cant see an issue, Ive just spent several weeks on crutches and worked, perk of being self employed and most of the customers were carrying the tools to and from the van for me. Probably carried a crutch around few a few days longer than I really needed!
remember its what the individual thinks they can do and not what we think they are capable of.

 

[sonray ltd]

Driving trucks is hard work, if you ever done it its one hell of a lot of lifting and shoving,

Yep 21 yrs i'm afraid and counting and it dam easier than plumbing on the right job it's just soul destroying.