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nicky

hello to everyone on this forum , i need some info, have anyone been to ableskills for some training ....
 
am thinking of useing these next year would be intrested to see what people think of them
 
Hi Nicky,

I dealt with them early this year and i would seriously avoid them!! They sound good with what they say etc. and i had a very nice phone call were they offered to send someone round for a chat to help me understand what the course is about etc. but what they sent was a very pushy sales women who wanted ÂŁ100 deposit there and then, and then put a contract in front of me. She managed to get me credit for the couse which would be cheap monthly repayments but then i asked how it works? she then told me a very long and convincing story.... what basically ment i would get some txt books and a dvd software with a virtual house to work on using my laptop etc. and once every couple of months a qualified gas engineer etc would come and see me to see how things are going then i would recieve tests through post and thats how i would become qualified. The only pratical would be one day in a training centre (not theres).

I have now found this place called brookhouse training in cleakheaton which you should defo look at (there not sales lol) still do research tho as i have not actually started with them yet but i have been to opening days etc and it seems fantastic, i will be doing c&g 6132 and acs assesment.
 
[DLMURL="http://www.cityandguilds.com/45912.html?search_term=6132"]Certificates in Domestic Natural Gas Installation and Maintenance & Gas Emergency Services Operations | Gas installation and maintenance | Heating and ventilation | City & Guilds[/DLMURL] CHECK LINK OUT... THIS QUAL IS WHAT ALL STARTERS WITH LIL OR NO EXP IN THE INDUSTRY WITHOUT THE ACS THO YOU CANT ACTUALLY WORK ALONE.
 
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HAVE JUST LOOKED, DID YOU NOTICE THE LAST REGISTRATION DATE? 31.12.2010

so this qual finishes in a month, what then, did you ask em that?
 
Thats the same date for all courses i have looked at... i believe thats because sometimes they change in the way there done etc. but the actual qual will still exist next yr. so in jan it will say last reg 31.12.2011
 
Thats the same date for all courses i have looked at... i believe thats because sometimes they change in the way there done etc. but the actual qual will still exist next yr. so in jan it will say last reg 31.12.2011

sorry mate thats not the case. every new qual is agreed for 5 years, that is their life span. sometimes when the new qual isnt ready they extend the current one, the plumbing 6129 tech cert is now 7 years old!!! so has already been extended and therefore summitskills are under pressure to get it out there v soon
 
hmmm.. will have to look into that one then... what does it mean if i start it now and then dont finish it before it ends??
Thanks for letting me know tho!!
 
you have 3 years from registration to complete, by then all new entrants will be getting the new qual, which leaves you a bit old hat im afraid
 
Hi Nicky,

I recently done my acs and all my gas modules with able skills and I would highly recommend them. Ian and Roy that run the gas courses are brilliant tutors and really know their stuff. I would have nothing bad to say about them or the centre itself at all, its a real top place where all the tutors I met and had experience with were all very professional. Of course they want your money its a business, but a very good business with highly trained staff and top class facilities. I might sound like I'm hyping them right up, but from my experience their top class and would recommend them to anyone. Good luck if you go ahead with them.

Regards Phil
 
I think my acs and modules was about ÂŁ800 if I remember rightly
 
i have to agree with royal flush, i am currently doing my 6129 level 2 with able skills of wich i will be finished in feb and have only experienced good things, helpfull and knowledgeable tutors top class facilities and made some good friendships too, i didn't find them pushy at all and when i originally phoned them they said come down anytime and have a look around and see what u think, at no time did i get the hard sell, yes it is expensive but if u wanna do it cheap and take upto three years to receive the exact same qualification then do a day release and get paid 5grand a year to be a apprentice for 3 years, personally i cant afford to do that.......
 
i paid ÂŁ1,100 when i first did it in 2000, my reassessment with 5 elements was ÂŁ880 with 4 days training, i think it was money well paid as the training was very thorough
 
I recently done my acs and all my gas modules with able skills and I would highly recommend them. Ian and Roy that run the gas courses are brilliant tutors and really know their stuff. I would have nothing bad to say about them or the centre itself at all, its a real top place where all the tutors I met and had experience with were all very professional. Of course they want your money its a business, but a very good business with highly trained staff and top class facilities. I might sound like I'm hyping them right up, but from my experience their top class and would recommend them to anyone. Good luck if you go ahead with them.

Regards Phil

me too

Ian is a top tutor, and Able are a lot better than BTSC who i did a 6129 with,
the only thing i would say is when you submit your gas portfolio they seem to be a lot stricter than other colleges
 
thanks to all the replies hav agood xmas and merry new year hope 2011 is more prosperous...cheers
 
i just completed 6129 and doing unvented, regs , efficiency in a couple of weeks time...they were fantastic. no sales or hard sell, good instructors and work area. go and take a look
 
im still in the army at the moment and cant commit the time until after xmas. i have been asking local contractors if i can work at weekends and evenings even putting annual leave in for bigger jobs and a full time 3 month resettlement period all for free with no obligation , but its likely that i will have to pay a company for work to complete my nvq, i intend to become fully qualified and work for an employer. its pretty tough getting my foot in the door, but ill keep going as i want to be a plumber and nothing less.
 
well good luck mate, you havnt chosen an eay road but i wish you all the best if its your dream
 
I'm the same, I'm based in Larkhill although currently in Afghanistan and all i want to do is be self employed, Starting off as a plumber with gas safe and progressing onto Renewable energy.

I am a fast learner and am looking to do one of these crash courses. The main two i have looked at is able skills and the plumbing academy in Kent.

Now if i am going to commit hard earned money that i have earned from being in this **** tip then i want to know which one i'm going to benefit from the most! Because i'm not the type of person to get ripped off , so if i did one of these courses and found it to be a waste of money and time then i assure you no matter how big the boss is, i will be getting a refund!

But hopefully these companies are good companies with good people.

Good luck to you Billy
 
from the start of my plumbing course able skills made it crystal clear that i would not leave as a qualified plumber but the 6129 was a technical certificate and a step towards NVQ. i would advise anyone who is thinking of a course not to take one which has a specific sales team who try to sell you a course or run a mock aptitude test which everyone miraculously passes. insist on visiting their training establishment and see what is really on offer and ask questions to the students... be prepared to have to pay hard cash to work for a plumbing firm to attain your nvq, it is likely that a company will not touch you without your nvq being achieved. i have not walked into plumbing blind and i am prepared to have to stump up my cash to get qualified. however im in for the long haul and its not going to be easy.
 
Able skills is a very impressive company, I came across them in 2007 completing a short plumbing course. The course was informative and structured. At the time I worked Full Time in a different career. I must say though I learnt a lot more through experience but was able to use the learning at able skills to help me get into the trade. In 2009 I returned to Able Skills to complete a Domestic Installers Part P package, this I can tell you a totally different story. Jim was good but the centre had a dispute at the time and one of the tutors left, I passed just like 100% of all the other candidates which I was happy about, I only wanted the cert so I am able to work safely but thinking back I and worried how someone can leave on the Friday and get registered the following week. My experience tells me it is best getting a qualification via a traditional college with experience in the real working environment. Able skills are good enough to get DIY skills but not for the real trade. If you are good and get through the qualification try getting a job, most well paid and professional companies will just laugh and tell you to come back in two years, in that time you might as well got through a college. I am now training in Electrcial Engineering but through a college, the business will never take on quick course tradesmen as a rule due to this experience. I hope this is useful so you can make up your own mind.
 
cheers Boston, i am glad that doing a course like that helped you get into the trade, i am hoping for the same chance. i agree completely that experience counts for everything and hopefully someone will see past my lack of experience and see that i am grafter, trustworthy and grateful for employment. willing to start right at the bottom and work an apprenticeship. my career in the army is coming to a close and i now need to focus on working for someone else for the next 20 years. i am sure an employer could benefit from investing a little time in me, for the loyal service i give in return.
 
I am looking at training with Able skills and was wondering if anyone had anymore comments before I part with cash.
 
Hi all i'm currently doing my 6129. i'm doing a practical assessment task from my portfolio low carbon steel sp-1. there asking for me to do a summary of the task without waffaling on what would be the best way to tackle this i don't want to write a full story..lolol
 
Hi Nicky,

I dealt with them early this year and i would seriously avoid them!! They sound good with what they say etc. and i had a very nice phone call were they offered to send someone round for a chat to help me understand what the course is about etc. but what they sent was a very pushy sales women who wanted ÂŁ100 deposit there and then, and then put a contract in front of me. She managed to get me credit for the couse which would be cheap monthly repayments but then i asked how it works? she then told me a very long and convincing story.... what basically ment i would get some txt books and a dvd software with a virtual house to work on using my laptop etc. and once every couple of months a qualified gas engineer etc would come and see me to see how things are going then i would recieve tests through post and thats how i would become qualified. The only pratical would be one day in a training centre (not theres).

Hi Dan, this is AbleSkills here. I know that your post relates to comments made in 2010 however I am currently spending some time in the forums addressing incorrect statements or mistaken identity issues. I can assure you at no time in the 12 years of Able Skills history, have we ever employed a hard sell sales team that offers to attend your home address to sell a course.

Maybe you had a shop around and in fact it was another provider that contacted you. It clearly states on our website to avoid this type of selling technique. We are proud of our training facility and have always said before you pay any deposits on any course, come down and have a look around with a promise of no pressure from staff, after all our centre sells it's self.
 
im still in the army at the moment and cant commit the time until after xmas. i have been asking local contractors if i can work at weekends and evenings even putting annual leave in for bigger jobs and a full time 3 month resettlement period all for free with no obligation , but its likely that i will have to pay a company for work to complete my nvq, i intend to become fully qualified and work for an employer. its pretty tough getting my foot in the door, but ill keep going as i want to be a plumber and nothing less.

Hi Billtbob, It's AbleSkills, we note that you attended our course back in 2010/11. How are you getting on? are you in the industry now full time? Please get in touch we want to hear from candidates around that time to share success stories. Call the office and ask for Chris thanks.
 
Hi Dan, this is AbleSkills here. I know that your post relates to comments made in 2010 however I am currently spending some time in the forums addressing incorrect statements or mistaken identity issues. I can assure you at no time in the 12 years of Able Skills history, have we ever employed a hard sell sales team that offers to attend your home address to sell a course.

Maybe you had a shop around and in fact it was another provider that contacted you. It clearly states on our website to avoid this type of selling technique. We are proud of our training facility and have always said before you pay any deposits on any course, come down and have a look around with a promise of no pressure from staff, after all our centre sells it's self.

Hi Billtbob, It's AbleSkills, we note that you attended our course back in 2010/11. How are you getting on? are you in the industry now full time? Please get in touch we want to hear from candidates around that time to share success stories. Call the office and ask for Chris thanks.

First of all this thread is fairly old, the members you questioned haven't posted in some considerable time and are highly unlikely to answer.

Secondly, while I support the notion of the right of reply I'm also mindful of the fact that your main business is the selling and advertising of your training establishment.

The rules of this forum prohibit you from doing this unless you are a forum sponsor.

If this is a path you wish to explore please click here - Contact Us - Plumbing Forum | Plumbing Advice | Plumbers Forums | A forum for plumbers advice in the UK
 
hi there, just a quick question
i have done my city and guilds level 2 6129, it has been very hard to find an apprenticeship, i am thinking to do the gas safe course with able skills and not do the nvq, is this worth doing.
 
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