Advice for Self Employed NVQ please

[Britsplit]

Hi there everyone. I could really use some advice if anybody has the time please. I have been working in Italy for the last 8 years renovating properties including installing plumbing and heating systems and I have really enjoyed this work. I intend to return to the UK this year and want to continue with this trade. I have heard that no qualification is 'needed' but I really think I would benefit from training officially and to ensure that I have the basic skills I think I do. However I am 48 years old with a family to support so I do not think an apprenticeship would be the right way forward and I have no employer lined up so the college day release route seems like a no go to which leads me to the condensed courses and my problem. As I understand I can gain a City and Guilds qualification but I really want to work my way up so would need the NVQ2 as well. If I were to go self employed off of the back of the City and Guilds qualification can I do the NVQ2 by being assessed on my own jobs? I have a few contacts here who would let me do plumbing work for them but none are plumbers.

Thanks anybody who can give me a bit of help with this.

 

[chris watkins]

So your contacts & there customers will allow you to practice your British plumbing skills & then you will be assessed !!! All the while you of course will be expecting to be paid for your troubles I guess?

How will you know that you are up to the required skills & knowledge then?

Do not expect to, as you say, "get work off the back of a C&G qualification". Without the NVQ part you have no proof that you can work as a plumber only that you have passed to two bit plumbing course in a classroom.

Do you know anything about the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 ? No, well you will fit right in then, as neither do half the people working as plumber here at the moment. LOL