Any advice as to what is the best route now

[vaughan]

Its ok Teaching a trade like plumbing at college and being able to gain basic understanding of plumbing systems, but the problem I have come across is that with-out being able to get an employer in the trade, how can I further my-self with the practical skills needed to fully qualify as a fully trained and skilled plumber if there are no jobs out there?
The thing I hear all the time is that with a trade like plumbing there is always work out there and most good decent plumbers are busy even in this tuff climate, but where is there a need for a trainee ?
Surely there is a massive benefit to an employer for taking on trainees, ie tax benefits and cheap labour and providing the trainee can show that he/she is a fast learner and dedicated then thats good for business all round.?
Yes colleges can teach the underpinning knowledge in plumbing but you can't really learn to plumb until your working in the trade getting that hands on experience.

 

[fuzzy]

vaughan you are spot on, that is why they are removing the 6129 tech cert, to stop people wasting money and centres praying on the vunrable getting their money off them and sending them away without experience or full qualifications.

 

[WHPES]

Trouble is that many plumbers (myself included) may be OK for work at the moment but things could go very lean again so

a, I would rather work up to a 60 hour week at the moment and keep the cash and save it in case things go lean later than take on a trainee

b, If things go lean I would have to let the trainee go.

c, I'm sure some tradesmen may be a little worried about a trainee setting up in competition to them in future where work is scarce.

If times were good, I would certainly consider taking someone on. It's just that things are so uncertain at the moment.

 

[vaughan]

i totaly understand what your saying and see your point, i personaly have offered to work unpaid so that i can gain my qualifications but would not want to set up on my own for at least five years, to gain experience in the trade before working for myself and that would still only give me the basic knowledge.
but im sure there is enough work to go around, government are saying that there is a shotfall in trades like plumbing and that they want to increase the number of people in the trade but yet i dont see any evidence of them doing any thing to improve this.

 

[fuzzy]

there is NO shortage, there is a shortage of apprentices for school leavers, very much different. they want to encourage school leavers so they get a skill, adults retraining isnt an issue for the goverment, in fact it further drins resources unless they pay for theirselves. if it was such an issue dont you think the gov would pay? like they did 10 years ago?

 

[vaughan]

It really shouldn't depend on what age someone is to learn a trade, I know when I was 16 if I had gone to college to learn a trade I would of probably not finished the course because I was not in the right mind set about getting a qualification that was going to set me up for life, and didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life at that age. Now armed with a few more life skills and more mature I know I have to work hard to get what I want out of life.
At the age of 16 I was more interested in chasing skirt and going out on the beers with the lads.
Now 29 I am more focused on Water Regulations, Boilers, Renewable energy and Bs6700.
10 years ago I could of got my education for free but now have to pay my own way, so what difference does it make to educate 16-19 year olds for free and not older people that want to retrain? Still going to get the same end result Qualified trades people.

 

[vaughan]

There is funding out there for people that want to re-train so its not all bad, ie Train to Gain but again this falls back on the employer being able to offer a job in the first place.
Where are all the jobs????
Rant over now about the government. Feel much better now, Can get on with my revision knowing I have got that of my chest. haha.
The morel of the story is when you leave school buckle down and get educated. And just hope there are jobs out there for you when you qualify.

 

[fuzzy]

There is funding out there for people that want to re-train so its not all bad, ie Train to Gain but again this falls back on the employer being able to offer a job in the first place.
Where are all the jobs????
Rant over now about the government. Feel much better now, Can get on with my revision knowing I have got that of my chest. haha.
The morel of the story is when you leave school buckle down and get educated. And just hope there are jobs out there for you when you qualify.

TRAIN 2 GAIN has been finished, there is no more funding left for new t2g's.

It no longer exsists as such

T2G was for the employer not the student

 

[vaughan]

Its still available as I am going through the process of applying for it at the min I think it finishes in March but there will be something replacing it but the details of which I am not sure.

 

[fuzzy]

the availability is very minimal, depends on centres not reeaching their limits so your lucky if you get it

the replacement wont be as easy, nothing is, the details arnt even available yet