Career Change

[bikeman01]

At 50 and several years fruitfully looking for work i am thinking of a career change. Obviously I realise that self employment is probably my only option.

I am pretty handy; I was a BT engineer in my early career and have an HND in telecoms/electronics, I have worked as an electricians mate on commercial and domestic rewires, as a decorators mate, I diy and have quite a lot of experience over the years fixing mine (and frioend's) central heating systems (not the gas stuff just diagnosing problems, changing 3 way valves, expansion vessels, pcbs, sensors etc).

I am bewildered by the multitude of qualifications on offer and which I should consider. From what I have read the C&G/EAL route to qualifications is set up for apprentices; it's almost as though the only way into this career is via an apprenticeship. if you're not employed as an apprentice then you cant do the nvp part of the c&g and so cant get qualified. They are also only offered as parttime courses and take forever to get. Independent training seems a better option since the courses can be done fulltime but it seems that many who have done the 6129 seem to have wasted their money.

I initially just want to get gas safe registered so I can start out self employed, get a bit of work (initially boiler servicing, safety certificates for landlords, central heating repairs, that sort of thing), and then add more add training/skills as I identify more work. Selective I know.

What qualifications do I need to achieve my objective?

 

[BikerBen]

First off - good luck!

Secondly you have learnt similar things to me, ie that the whole system is basically geared up for 16-19yr olds doing apprenticeships. Employer pays them £95 per week and then they get the apprentices training costs paid by the government.

If I was you I'd be looking around for a suitable friend who can offer you some work experience, or dare I say it is willing to sign jobs off for you 😉

I'm possibly in a similar but not exactly same situation to you. I've been accepted onto a course which will take a year to complete of 2 nights a week with additional tasks to complete away from college - trouble is the course/s costs £1300 or so in total and will result in gas safe registration at the end. Thing is what are my chances of employement going to be? Qualified yes, but experienced a definate no no.

 

[bikeman01]

Thanks for the reply. My present situation is that I am already self-employed as a graphic designer (again a very ageist industry but that's another story), so I can do all the customer facing/business sfuff already. I know an electrician and a decorator and work with them when work is short. I'm not in full time employment and I don't have a mortgage any more so I can subsidise any training I need to do.

It seems to me that at the end of your course you will be registered and can operate self employed. So perhaps you dont need to find an employer? Ok you will lack experience but self-employemnt will allow you to selectively take on the work that you feel confident with. In time you'll get experience.

I feel that is the way for me to go; if I subsidise a course such as yours for £1300 (what course is it?) , get gas safe registered then i can operate on my own - job done.

Tell me more about the course and the job sign off you mentioned.

 

[PDPH]

There's a little more than just passing exams involved.. You'd do well to get very friendly with a GasSafe registered engineer! Basic arrangement is: Gas Training > 140 days documented practical experience with qualified engineer > ACS exams > GasSafe Register.

Hope that helps!

 

[fuzzy]

apprenticeships have been the route to qualified tradesmen for 100s of years, why do you think now you can do it in a centre only?
there is no age limit to being an apprentice

 

[BikerBen]

How I am looking at getting qualified (I understand that this will be the bare minimum).

1 year at Derby College 2 nights per week on BPEC Gas foundation course
5 day CCN1 gas course wich if sucessful enables Gas Safe registration
Find job

I will have little or no real world experience but a mortgage to pay so I will not be looking to go self employed - I need the security of working for an employer, preferably a larger one. When and if I start work I will need time alongside someone experienced to get into the job properly - wonder how many employers can or would allow me to do this?

 

[fuzzy]

you cannot do acs CCN! without experince so you need the job before hand

you only get a foundation course which is not listed as a full qualification and your acs which only lasts for 5 years and is a safety course

 

[bikeman01]

apprenticeships have been the route to qualified tradesmen for 100s of years, why do you think now you can do it in a centre only?
there is no age limit to being an apprentice

It's the 2 years and £95 a week that puts me off.

As someone who started out their career on a 3 year BT apprenticeship, I know very well that C&G courses are geared up for the short attention span and arseing about that 16-19 year olds get up to, so yes at 50 I thought I'd be able to fast track.

Also the issue here as we all know is there are more people on these courses than employers need and many small firms wont take on people to train up for fear that they will soon set up in competition.

When I was an apprentice at 16 I got a wage which was above the minimum wage. It was the start to a proper career these days the term apprenticeship seems ot be a byword for exploitation and facilitating the selling of expensive, worthless training to the gullable.

The govt bangs on about the need for those in middle age to retrain and to accept that there is no longer a job for life but does little to remove the barriers to entry to these trades.

I am willing, able, have related experience and just want some guidance to become a qualified, self employed tradesman but if the only entry is 2 years and £95 a week then its not an option.

ACS - another new one on me... the qualifications/courses available are just bewildering, it seems a mess.

C&G and course providers give the impression that you do the course and then its easy to get the nvq bit by helping out a local trade - but its not is it.

 

[bikeman01]

Ok rant over..

I think I am right in saving that to operate as a plumber you dont actually need any qualifications anyway?

My mate is a qualified part p electrician and he said that he only did a short course and paid elecsa to sign off a couple of jobs to get his part p.

So what's the minimum requirement for Gas Safe registration?

 

[PDPH]

You're right, it's really not that straight forward! Why not give a few training providers a ring and have a chat (with your new found sceptism!) about their options? You'd learn loads about the appropriate route for you..

GasSafe registration is particularly difficult if you're not employed as such though you'll appreciate that it's intended to stop unqualified/inexperienced workers from touting themselves as registered engineers.

Paying for the training is the easy bit, getting a local engineer to help you is a whole different ball game..

 

[GQuigley67]

by the time I'm 50 I hope to be off the tools never mind starting them lol, this job isnt easy and is hard on the body

 

[bikeman01]

by the time I'm 50 I hope to be off the tools never mind starting them lol, this job isnt easy and is hard on the body

too true - that's why I'm fed up with electrical work.

Now if I could just get gas safe registered and spend my days issuing boiler safety certs... ahhhh

 

[PDPH]

There's no obligation for plumbers to be qualified but you'd have a very big problem explaining to your insurance company that you aren't qualified and haven't been employed as a plumber before when making a claim..

Minimum GasSafe would be 5 days intro, 140 days experience, 1 day exams. I believe that's the absolute minimum but you'd have no plumbing qualifications so you might not be able to fix the problem that you were called out to..

 

[bikeman01]

...you might not be able to fix the problem that you were called out to..

I'd do like the trades do and start swopping parts until I get lucky haha

Seriously though I intend to specialise in a limited range of work such as boiler safety checks.

Besides having no qualification I do actually know CH systems very well so I think I'll manage.

 

[PDPH]

Besides having no qualification I do actually know CH systems very well so I think I'll manage.

Wasn't judging! 🙂

 

[kay-jay]

you should definately learn plumbing first otherwise how will you know if a system fault lies in the boiler or another part of the system??

being gassafe through a private provider is just that 'safe with gas' without experience how will you know how to test which components are at fault and all the other aspects of boiler maintenance??

if you just go for boiler servicing you will be limiting the scope of available work and you will certainly struggle to earn a living wage just by servicing due to all the competition.

think long and hard before commiting to anything

 

[fuzzy]

It's the 2 years and £95 a week that puts me off.

As someone who started out their career on a 3 year BT apprenticeship, I know very well that C&G courses are geared up for the short attention span and arseing about that 16-19 year olds get up to, so yes at 50 I thought I'd be able to fast track.

Also the issue here as we all know is there are more people on these courses than employers need and many small firms wont take on people to train up for fear that they will soon set up in competition.

When I was an apprentice at 16 I got a wage which was above the minimum wage. It was the start to a proper career these days the term apprenticeship seems ot be a byword for exploitation and facilitating the selling of expensive, worthless training to the gullable.

The govt bangs on about the need for those in middle age to retrain and to accept that there is no longer a job for life but does little to remove the barriers to entry to these trades.

I am willing, able, have related experience and just want some guidance to become a qualified, self employed tradesman but if the only entry is 2 years and £95 a week then its not an option.

ACS - another new one on me... the qualifications/courses available are just bewildering, it seems a mess.

C&G and course providers give the impression that you do the course and then its easy to get the nvq bit by helping out a local trade - but its not is it.

C&G courses are designed to meet occupational standards which are identified by summitskills the sector skills council for building services engineering. C&G do not say what goes in the qual. Summitskills work with employers to set the standards and jobs required to be a plumber so there is a loop of needs, standards wrote to meet needs, newbies trained in said need.
Government do pay a lot to training needs, what they wont do is keep paying for people to do courses, if you in receipt of active benefit a full level 2 is free (excludes short rubbish quals) if you are not educated to l2 they will pay, if you have a qual they pay half. Why should everyone else pay for someone who wants to keep doing quals? often there are life students who just go from qual to qual never earning.

yes you dont need any qual to set up self employed. you wont get a jib card though without a full nvq2

ACS (CCN1 etc) is a gas safe qual, it only lasts for 5 years then you need to sit it again. It does not teach you to work on gas, only to work safe etc, so dont expect to do that course and know how to do a boiler etc. You cannot sit your ACS without prior quals and/or experience,, its an attempt to stop fast trackers entering a dangerous trade, a little knowledge can be more dangerous than none and i for one support correct training and assessment to ensure gas people meet the relevant standards.

The courses are not a mess, if you dont understand them i will help you with that, they are there for good reason

C&G providers, is that every C&G provider or private centres who are set to gain by letting you believe that getting the nvq is easy. It is not easy to gain, it is for the centre as they do very little, the candidate does all the work, again, this is for good reason

hope this helps

 

[quality]

C&G courses are designed to meet occupational standards which are identified by summitskills the sector skills council for building services engineering. C&G do not say what goes in the qual. Summitskills work with employers to set the standards and jobs required to be a plumber so there is a loop of needs, standards wrote to meet needs, newbies trained in said need.
Government do pay a lot to training needs, what they wont do is keep paying for people to do courses, if you in receipt of active benefit a full level 2 is free (excludes short rubbish quals) if you are not educated to l2 they will pay, if you have a qual they pay half. Why should everyone else pay for someone who wants to keep doing quals? often there are life students who just go from qual to qual never earning.

yes you dont need any qual to set up self employed. you wont get a jib card though without a full nvq2

ACS (CCN1 etc) is a gas safe qual, it only lasts for 5 years then you need to sit it again. It does not teach you to work on gas, only to work safe etc, so dont expect to do that course and know how to do a boiler etc. You cannot sit your ACS without prior quals and/or experience,, its an attempt to stop fast trackers entering a dangerous trade, a little knowledge can be more dangerous than none and i for one support correct training and assessment to ensure gas people meet the relevant standards.

The courses are not a mess, if you dont understand them i will help you with that, they are there for good reason

C&G providers, is that every C&G provider or private centres who are set to gain by letting you believe that getting the nvq is easy. It is not easy to gain, it is for the centre as they do very little, the candidate does all the work, again, this is for good reason

hope this helps

a very patient fuzzy provides then info yet again