New Career Skills - Feedback - Plumbing Forum | Plumbers Forums

jimmy16v · 22-03-2008

hello lads,i done a new career skills course,paid £3500,and was ripped off.
so now doing a proper college course.just out of interest are you quallified up to nvq3 or you have got your nvq3 paperwork

**ProffesorPlumb** · 31-03-2008

What is the name of the centre and location? Sorry to hear you were ripped off mate..... A story I hear far to often unfortunately.....

jimmy16v · 06-04-2008

i done my course with new career skills,the training was ok,but iwas told i would be nvq2 qualified.the qualification i ended up with was worthless as no one reconised it,they said i pay an extra £1500 and get my 6129 then pay extra again to get my nvq2,the thing is when i first signed up none of this was mentioned and not only that they never even did the 6129 training when i signed up so how could i ever become qualified in the first place?

**ProffesorPlumb** · 10-04-2008

Its always a dissapointing story to hear of things like this.

Keep us informed of your progress at your new training centre

jimmy16v · 18-04-2008

update.i'm doing a part time evening course at local college(in bristol)to gain my 6129 then go on to my nvq2.so far so good just love learing and can wait to get there,just learn a whole lot more at college and having a tutor a all times to answer any questions.its costing a £1000 less than the new career course just wished i took this route in the first place.

james

**ProffesorPlumb** · 18-04-2008

Thats great news James - stay ambitious and motivated and you will get there.

Keep us posted and please feel free to answer questions on here with your new knowledge - you are going to be the most up to date in here I reckon!! lol

fuzzy · 19-04-2008

is this common for private trainers to be called rip offs by new students?

oldplumbers · 22-04-2008

Hi fuzzy,I,ve had a look around various forums and there are an awful lot of training providers out there offering all sorts of courses-tiling,plastering,plumbing etc.Some are established and offer various genuine qualifications-ICA/C&G,some not so genuine!!
problem is, there's a lot of money to be made by setting up training schools,just look at some of the addresses-usually industrial units which I bet are just rented,knock-up a few pre-fab walls,call them training bays and offer tiling in some,plastering in another and plumbing in some more.Have about 10 student per course-all paying about 500 a week,soon adds up and all this for only teaching the basics in some cases,better than having to go out and having too build up a client base in order to get any business,if you want to be self employed.
Just an opinion.
oldplumbers.

fuzzy · 01-05-2008

I am trying to gauge public opinion about private trainers and also if the impressin is generally poor, is it because they are all bad or most, half, or a few?
Are there any who are genuinne? Thats to say, are they there to improve standards of training and to provide local business with skilled people?

I dont know if they provide a better solution to training new skills than colleges because they have less restrictions or whether they are just after making money and providing a good enought to get through course

Caj · 02-05-2008

I think all these fast track centres are interested in is the steady procession of people coming through their doors paying the £5-6K.
Sure they get you to a point where you get the 6129 etc but that is all they are after, they don't really care if you aren't brilliant at it. They know what standard is required to get to C&G standard and that's all they are bothered about.

Plumbing at the moment is not as regulated as others so you don't have to be at a set standard, sure you get assessed but I don't think they are that strict.
I've just completed my course and am hoping that what I have got will get me through a door that wouldn't have opened had I not invested the money in myself.
I've paid my money and I'm taking a chance, like all of us that haven't got a job lined up when we start the course.

Sure I could go self employed but 9 weeks of training has not given me much practical knowledge - I've only plumbed 2 bathrooms and 2 sets of radiators and a few more things in simulated situations. They don't get you to fix toilets, taps, install showers etc because C&G don't ask you too. I'm sure that this isn't just at the centre I went too and I guess you wouldn't do it at college- though I'd be happy to be proved wrong!
This is where the centres fall down on training plumbers, they are not bothered what else you can do, so long as the basic minimum is covered.

You hear that the govt is looking at regulating plumbing like other trades and hope that having worked towards the NVQ I will be ok, but they may not! I've taken the risk that if it does happened then I will be better placed then some.

These courses know there is a shortgage of places at colleges, it's all about supply/demand - there seems to be more of a move towards fast track electrics now and gas, so has the plumbing market become saturated in places - you never know.

You have to do your research, know what qualifications get you what, don't trust the salesman they will tell you what you want to hear. I joined 3 courses and then cancelled within a week of signing up because I wasn't happy at what they actually offered.

Happy researching!!