buster

Hi, Don't waste your money! If you do not have an NVQ 2 already the government will pay for you to get one at your local college and you will only have to pay the cost of materials used, about £350 per year. It will take about 2 years to complete but you can choose how you take the course i.e. Day release, Block release or evening courses. You will have to find employment in your second year or you will only be able to complete a level 2 certificate in plumbing and mechanical engineering. If you can't find work, you will have to get your work signed off when you do find work in the trade, and then you can go on to take your level 3. but you can take your gas (corgi) and oil (oftec) with just a NVQ level 2. What people don't seem to understand is that qualification's do NOT turn you in to a good plumber and that hard work, study, sacrifice and learning by your mistakes and other mistakes that people tell you about is the only way to learn. These courses will give you a bit of paper for a lot of money that most good plumbing company's will not consider and see it as you have just tried to buy a qualification. I am a supervisor for a plumbing company and the first thing I look for is what college you attended! If its one of these courses your C.V. goes straight in the bin along with quite a few others that have attended the same courses. Its a shame because quite a few of these guys would make a good plumbers and I've seen some plumbers that have been through college courses and I wouldn't let them change a tap washer! But it's the same in all type's of career and some of the people that have been on these courses will have great success stories. But I would bet that in most cases there not working as plumbers unless its for them selfs or sub contracting. In my experience it's best to start with a good foundation and build up rather than try to cut corners as it will always come back to bit you in the end.
Buster