The 6129 Mercenaries

[Kyle87]

I, like many others have done the 6129 tech cert. but am now on the Bpec gas foundation. After this there will be more training but not for a while. Will actually need to work as a plumber/gas engineer to afford more training.

Anyway that's me....

What I actually want to know is how many people have gone it alone with just the tech cert as their training.

I can't imagine how you would be anywhere near prepared for the real world. I'd like to know what the biggest problems they face are. For instance will you get insured as a plumber with just a tech cert.

I'm still a trainee, a very compitant trainee but none the less, a trainee.

I find it funny though that I have actually received more training than some of the plumbers out there doing it with only the 6129 or less

 

[Mike Jackson]

All this talk of tech certificates goes straight over my head. People come on saying that I'm doing this cert or that cert and I haven't got the faintest idea what they're on about. What happened to going to college to train to be a plumber? You need a flipping degree in which certificate you need before you start the course. It was so much easier when it was just a craft certificate followed by advanced craft.

 

[Kyle87]

Tech cert- pay a load of money and get half a qualification.

For me I wanted to progress on to the nvq but my college screwed us all over by offering the tech cert in the year they stopped offering the nvq as they've now crossed over to the diploma.

I'm just intrigued to hear from the people
who are out there working in people's homes with such little training.

 

[WaterTight]

Well that's just it isn't it - on it's own it is usually insufficient unless you're a competent DIY'er with a good grasp on common sense and you stick to mostly small maintenance or straightfoward bathrooms etc. In which case it's probably fine. Otherwise you should get more training - which need not be a qual. It could just be on the job shadowing. After the 6129 I spent a couple of years shadowing a couple of different plumbers until I felt I could start taking a punt on basic stuff and slowly extend my comfort zone. A 4 year apprenticeship shadowing tough sinewy northern plumbers in their late 80's with hands like cauliflowers would have given me a more solid grounding but meh....

 

[Kyle87]

Does it affect you getting insurance? Or at least affect the cost?