Gas Engineer Courses...

[emanresu007]

I am weighting up whether the gas engineer courses are going to enable me to get easily find work afterwards.

I spoke to a OLCI rep;yesterday and he said you do 20 days workshop and then 15 'jobs' where you have to get a evidence of your work, photographs and signatures;ect, once you do that you can take your ACS exams which encludes all the necessary Q's to that a Gas Engineer needs (CCN1 Etc) .That would take on average about 4-6 months. and the cost is £3995.

And that companies like British gas, E ON, Could employ you afterwards. What is the reality of OLCI, I have heard that its hard to get gas engineers to take you on because its more hassle for them to take you on when you are doing on the job training why would they let you do jobs on there business??...

Any thoughts. I'm from the Wirral and heard that Hybrid are good?

 

[GQuigley67]

British Gas wouldnt touch you with those "qualifications" no one would the reality is you wont get any employement with these courses they just dont offer you the right experience and qualifications

 

[franz]

save your money....and dont sign anything you wont have a chance in hell getting a job with BG

 

[emanresu007]

Ok, why do you say this ??

apparently all you need is the ASC skills to be a fully qualified gas engineer, is that not true?

 

[fuzzy]

Ok, why do you say this ??

apparently all you need is the ASC skills to be a fully qualified gas engineer, is that not true?

ACS is a gas safety course. It does not train or assess your gas skills or teach you how to work with boilers etc. It is a gas safe course for people with relevamnt experience and or skills. It is taken every 5 years to ensure your still working safe and allows you to register to install gas appliances.

Therefore just having ACS is not proof for any employer of skills. Just that you can do the baics safely. no employer is looking for that, they want the skills and experience and then ideally the ACS. If the right employee/candidate didnt have a current ACS the firm would just put them through it

ACS is not to teach gas, the nvq is

 

[emanresu007]

Yeah thanks, after the olci course Fuzzy, you do the ACS assessment, right?!,

On the course you do 20 days training, and then you have to build up a portfolio of jobs, 15 in total with OLCI, after that you do the ACS assessment, The ACS is taken every 5 years and costs £1000, but each gas engineer needs this to be classed as a gas engineer.

The ACS tests cover CCN1,4 others from the five listed below:CEN1 central heating boilersCKR1 cookersHTR1 gas firesWAT1 water heatersCPA1 combustion performance analysis

So if I have a portfolio of work...!? and I pass the ACS test and I am a qualified gas engineer......

Is that not good enough????

Cheers Pal, thanks for your assist mate.

 

[Puddle]

You can not buy experience,call your self what you like,if you can not do the job,you can not do the job and getting a bit of paper so quickly will not change that,even if bg did employ you,you would soon be found out and then out on your ear,with £ 4000 less to cushion the blow

imho

 

[Blackcatgas]

Yeah thanks, after the olci course Fuzzy, you do the ACS assessment, right?!,

On the course you do 20 days training, and then you have to build up a portfolio of jobs, 15 in total with OLCI, after that you do the ACS assessment, The ACS is taken every 5 years and costs £1000, but each gas engineer needs this to be classed as a gas engineer.

The ACS tests cover CCN1,4 others from the five listed below:CEN1 central heating boilersCKR1 cookersHTR1 gas firesWAT1 water heatersCPA1 combustion performance analysis

So if I have a portfolio of work...!? and I pass the ACS test and I am a qualified gas engineer......

Is that not good enough????

Cheers Pal, thanks for your assist mate.

Yes you will be a fully qualified gas engineer, your phone will be ringing off the hook with job offers, make sure that you turn down anyone offering you less than 40k per annum, 80k is easily achievable.

 

[emanresu007]

You can not buy experience,call your self what you like,if you can not do the job,you can not do the job and getting a bit of paper so quickly will not change that,even if bg did employ you,you would soon be found out and then out on your ear,with £ 4000 less to cushion the blow

imho

I agree, that there are lots of boilers and fires and cookers, but surely the whole point of passing the ACS test, means that you CAN do the job? Right?

 

[emanresu007]

Yes you will be a fully qualified gas engineer, your phone will be ringing off the hook with job offers, make sure that you turn down anyone offering you less than 40k per annum, 80k is easily achievable.

Just don't know what to believe, I guess if BG and EON arent taking on newbies then you just have to go self employed...

 

[GQuigley67]

do you install a boiler in ACS ??? you dont do much in ACS to be able to walk out and claim to be a plumber/heating engineer unless you have already worked in the industry for a few years and know and understand heating systems. The whole point of this is we are trying to tell you the course isnt worth the money, you wont get a job, and you wont be good enough to go self employed. Read all the rest of the posts on this matter, take your tinted glasses off and wake up and smell the coffee we are in a recession construction trade is struggling, you have just missed BG's recruitment to be honest

 

[PlumbBobBob]

are you a plumber already?

 

[emanresu007]

im assuming you don't install a boiler..!!

im just trying to get all the facts,


im not a plumber, no.

 

[Puddle]

I agree, that there are lots of boilers and fires and cookers, but surely the whole point of passing the ACS test, means that you CAN do the job? Right?

No,it is designed to try to ensure that the works you are doing are done correctly and safely,making you aware of current standards and makes sure you are capable referencing relevant regulations relating to the works you may have to carry out

 

[PlumbBobBob]

you really need to know about pipework systems and basic plumbing at least before even considering training for gas work. otherwise how would you know if the system is working correctly before and after your work.