Able Skills

Hello all,

As some of you may know I am trying my hardest to get some volunteer hours with plumbers to up my chances of getting into plumbing as a career, either through an apprenticeship or just buiding up enough experience.

Anyway, all plumbers i have spoke to have said that i should just try and gain as much experience as possible and that will help me, well im thinking of taking a short course to help me become more employable as a volunteer if that makes sense.

Now, this course is not a fast track 6129 and I will not do it and expect a plumber to send me out on his behalf to fit a bathroom nor will i think that i have suddenly become a plumbing machine that can tackle any problem thrown at me.

BUT

Able skills do an intensive basic plumbing and advanced DIY plumbing 5 day course. There is theory involved but they teach a lot of practical skills to make you competent in DIY plumbing such as fitting a bathroom, replacing radiators or fitting trv's etc, pipe bending, soldering and the usual everyday things. Im hoping that if I can at least get to a level where i am confident doing DIY it will show effort to learn and that i am serious, it will also give me a foundation to build on as a volunteer.

Have any of you been on any able skills course and what are they like ?

sorry to dampen your great spirit but I'm not convinced a 5 day course will help you get into the industry. its great that you strive to be a plumber but be careful not to spend a fortune on things that wont help

Originally Posted by fuzzy

sorry to dampen your great spirit but I'm not convinced a 5 day course will help you get into the industry. its great that you strive to be a plumber but be careful not to spend a fortune on things that wont help

I dont think that it will get me into the industry straight away, more that if i have a basic knowledge its a little more knowledge than most trying to get in if that makes sense ? and as i said i would look to volunteer too. just so hard to get in the industry at the moment i am willing to explore all avenues !!! to be fair its £400 so well worth paying in my opinion.

I know that some people will argue that plumbing industry isnt worth getting into at the minute but i disagree. Eventually when it does pick up and when it does I hope to be in training so i will be ahead of the rest in that respect, and it will pick up !! i read somewhere that by 2016 all new builds will have to have some form of renewable energy !! I dont expect wages of 50k just something mid 20's but that is fine, i am actually interested in plumbing and heating systems !!

Originally Posted by jono1987

I dont think that it will get me into the industry straight away, more that if i have a basic knowledge its a little more knowledge than most trying to get in if that makes sense ? and as i said i would look to volunteer too. just so hard to get in the industry at the moment i am willing to explore all avenues !!! to be fair its £400 so well worth paying in my opinion.

I know that some people will argue that plumbing industry isnt worth getting into at the minute but i disagree. Eventually when it does pick up and when it does I hope to be in training so i will be ahead of the rest in that respect, and it will pick up !! i read somewhere that by 2016 all new builds will have to have some form of renewable energy !! I dont expect wages of 50k just something mid 20's but that is fine, i am actually interested in plumbing and heating systems !!

i wish you well. Just consider how many new people have entered the industry and therefore pretty much in the same boat as you. 48,000 have done the 6129 of which 8,000 have done the 6089 NVQ. In other words around 20% at best who have trained are working as plumbers. If you know these stats and still wish to enter than i hope it works out for you

Hi fuzzy where are the stats from ? many thanks

Originally Posted by fuzzy

i wish you well. Just consider how many new people have entered the industry and therefore pretty much in the same boat as you. 48,000 have done the 6129 of which 8,000 have done the 6089 NVQ. In other words around 20% at best who have trained are working as plumbers. If you know these stats and still wish to enter than i hope it works out for you

The stats dont put me off to be honest, they are just figures on a piece of paper and stats are there to be changed. Im confident hardwork will get me places.

I also think those stats are not to be taken to serious in respect of considering why they read as they do e.g you have to take into consideration that some may have taken the 6129 for DIY reasons only, some may have been forced to do some study as part of unemploymnet, there will be others who have done it simply because they couldnt find anything better to do. Some may have read the stories of 50k per year and gave up when they didnt make a large earning instantly, poor teaching from fast courses that promised the world but give nothing. and then, of course there are people that think plumbing is for them and it turns out not to be their bag. When all things considered i dont think there is too much to that statistic although it is still very interesting.

Originally Posted by northstar

Hi fuzzy where are the stats from ? many thanks

tbh i dont recal, i was shown them or saw them, ill try to find a link and post it here

http://www.ukplumbersforums.co.uk/pl...side-info.html (2010 - Diplomas replacing NVQs -inside info)