Plumber/Improver

[r69bp]

Hi guys

I am in need of some advise or pointing in the right direction I am completely at a loss now having retrained into the industry four years ago spending £2200 on a course I found out was worthless C&G 6189 and not 6089 which we were lead to beleive we were doing at the time with that college,however I managed to get experience with a qualified heating engineer and well served plumber across the last 4 years and have learnt alot more than you even can on these pathetic courses which are nothing but Health and safety or " common sense" to most people.

Now more recently I sank another £2100 on the ACS and still need to sit the exams but that costs another 900 plus the card liscense fee of £500 I have to admit again this ACS so called Guild of gas fitters what a load of :nono:,nothing is taught regarding boiler breakdowns as a guideline (I know there are too many boilers to cover),nothing how can they justify these prices it is nothing but a red tape money making machine and to add insult to injury you still cannot get a job with employers.
So please can does anybody know someone who would like to give someone a chance to get working and show what they actually can do,I know there will be thousands like me looking for jobs,but I do not want to work for someone who just want free labour constantly or lies about helping out when really they do not want too,and finally age should never be used as a get out clause as some people have done already it is out of order you do not even know the persons ability I thought you needed to work with tools not with your age?

For all the people who will reply thank you for your time and I hope there are positive replies than negative selfish ones.

Thanks again guys r69bp

 

[Masood]

My honest advice, seriously, is delete this thread and start again.

Lose the rant. We all know courses are expensive and don't lead to a job but reading your thread made you seem so angry and resentful that I'm not sure you'd be too pleasant to talk to or work with in real life. Not suggesting you are, but that's how it came across.

Maybe say a bit about your background, the training you've done, the positives you've gained out of it (rather than saying "I haven't learned anything" which is what your post implies ). Tell us where you are. You never know, someone might be looking for an extra pair of hands.

As for working for free - you may well have to do that in the short term. Do a quick search on the forum to see how many people want the same thing you're asking for and are offering to work free of charge. If you're any good, you'll get taken on and paid. But until you've shown you're good, you have to give something as well - it's a big risk for a tradesman to take someone on on spec.

Hope that helps, and good luck!

 

[AlexGas]

I have to admit again this ACS so called Guild of gas fitters what a load of :nono:,nothing is taught regarding boiler breakdowns as a guideline

You'll find that's called the core gas safety. For some engineers there’s no need to know the fault finding at all.

 

[goz666]

You should've made yourself jobless pal, the lad I have training with me at the moment is a plumber with no Gas experience and aged 35, he went to the job centre last year and when they asked him what they could do to assist in getting him a job, he said pay the £2500 that it will take to get me on the Gas Trainee Scheme at the local college, and they did. And he's currently filling his portfolio !!!

 

[lame plumber]

the gas training is to make you safe, the apprenticeship teaches you how to do the job and repair boilers etc, doesnt help you but thats the way it is.

 

[r69bp]

Thank you all for your advise and tips will try to take it on board and try something else I did not want to come across horrible to work with just fed up with closed doors and judgements made before anyone has got to actually meet you and show them what you can actually do on the job.
As for the Unemployment thing sadly that does not work as you are told they cannot help and seek private funding or get a silly job which does not even get you to work before you have run out of money crazy stuff.
Nevermind I will try to post a more constructive post and hope to convince someone that taking a chance is not always detrimental.

 

[jaydebruyne]

Mate, I did a C£G course and normally I'm the biggest activist against them.. BUT I did learn a lot from it.. Technically mind you, but a lot none the less. It gave me a foot in the right direction, I just needed to apply myself and get out there. After I finished my extortionately priced (£6000 C&G 6035 level 2 and part p) course, I approached local companies until one allowed me to shadow/work for free with their chief engineer. I did that for 2-3 months before I asked for a job. I was given a few jobs a week and then a few weeks later I was taken on full time. At the end of the day, even though I paid way over the odds for what they gave me, I'm so glad I did because I'm now working full time as a plumber. I'm still wet behind the ears and have a LOT to learn, but I learn every day and will continue to bombard these port folk with questions (some stupid, some not). So take what you have gained and use it to your advantage.

 

[TFGplumbing]

You should've made yourself jobless pal, the lad I have training with me at the moment is a plumber with no Gas experience and aged 35, he went to the job centre last year and when they asked him what they could do to assist in getting him a job, he said pay the £2500 that it will take to get me on the Gas Trainee Scheme at the local college, and they did. And he's currently filling his portfolio !!!

True story I got made redundant when the firm I worked for went bust, job center hooked me up with a grant & it paid for my gas safe course & books

 

[r69bp]

Hi tfgplumbing I tried that here but was swiftly told we cannot help you instead was dumped onto a work program for 2 years no help santioned and no funding towrads anything and tried to get me a job a a smart meter reader despite the Centrica telling me they were not interested in hiring due to lck of experiece but still got sanctioned and lost a months worth of dole money and could not get to interviews or food that the help I got and I am guessing I was not alone,so there you have it and apprenticeships do not exist unless you are 16 - 24 yrs old outside of that it seems so far you are no good to employ.
I have to admit I have had enough today and not getting anywhere and seriously wondering about this so called career,no way are there all these jobs being advertised everywhere and nothing comes of it I have seen jobs i have applied for over 2 months ago.
What do you think?

 

[Whyme]

Unfortunately there are a lot of small firms struggling at the moment, i know a few out of work plumber/gas fitters..

 

[TFGplumbing]

Hi tfgplumbing I tried that here but was swiftly told we cannot help you instead was dumped onto a work program for 2 years no help santioned and no funding towrads anything and tried to get me a job a a smart meter reader despite the Centrica telling me they were not interested in hiring due to lck of experiece but still got sanctioned and lost a months worth of dole money and could not get to interviews or food that the help I got and I am guessing I was not alone,so there you have it and apprenticeships do not exist unless you are 16 - 24 yrs old outside of that it seems so far you are no good to employ.
I have to admit I have had enough today and not getting anywhere and seriously wondering about this so called career,no way are there all these jobs being advertised everywhere and nothing comes of it I have seen jobs i have applied for over 2 months ago.
What do you think?

The Scheme I had it under was called ''React'' it was for redundant people, it may have been specific to wales not sure.

The so called ''shortage of plumbers'' was cobblers years ago, I myself really struggled to get into the industry and spent at least 2 years looking for an apprenticeship after completing a 4 year long course; and I was a reasonable apprentice that could get stuck in with minimal supervision.

If you stick at it you find someone that will give you more experience, but its often a case of slogging away at it for crap money; its got to be something you really want to pursue and not just for the money which is often poor when you first start out.

Part of the problem is the are so many gas safe engineers these days the volume of which drives wages and job opportunities down.

The reason I stuck with it was that I couldn't bare the though of chucking 4 years worth of college down the drain, that and I like installing pipes & enjoy the general technical side of things.

Nothing worth doing is ever easy. Good luck

 

[IDCHAPPY]

I'd give my right nut for a decent plumbing/heating/gas engineer the now.