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Chri5n3lson

After doing a bit research and speaking to a few gas engineer friends.

I am looking into a fast track course with a company in newcastle kier the cause last 15 weeks with a placement working with kier I believe. Then a guaranteed interview to fit smart meters.

The full programme to become a gas engineer lasts 15 Weeks.

The course is 4 weeks intensive academic and practical training to learn the basics of gas, with an assessment in the fifth week before you go out on work placement.

You then undertake your 8 week work placement. The areas we have available at present for work experience are:

You will get your CSCS test and UKATA Asbestos Awareness cert from us, making you site ready to work on Kier contracts. We arrange your placement where you will spend time alongside experienced gas engineers to gather evidence that you are able to do what is required against a list of portfolio requirements. Once your mentor and our assessor sign you off as ready, we put you through up to two weeks of written and practical assessment. We send your paperwork away to get your certificates and you apply to Gas safe for your cards. Once you have received these, you are qualified to work on gas.

During this time we will keep you posted with recruitment bulletins within Kier, as we are a major employer as well.

COURSE BREAKDOWN:
5 weeks intensive classroom based training in North Tyneside or Sheffield which covers the following:

Weeks 1 -4
· Gas Pipework and Fittings
· (Identification and installation methods)
· Gas Safety Legislation
· Characteristics of Combustion and Natural Gas
· Positioning of Emergency Control Valves and Emergency Procedures
· Standing and Operating Pressures, Gas Rates
· Tightness Testing and Purging
· Checking/Setting Meter Regulators
· Ventilation Requirements
· Flues
· Safe Isolation
· Carbon Monoxide in dwellings and combustion performance of gas fired appliances
· Gas Safety Devices and Controls
· Customer services
· Installations
· Unsafe Situations/Use of Emergency Notices and Warning Labels
· Re-establishing Gas Supplies and Re-lighting Appliances
· Appliances (Central Heating Boilers, Cookers, Fires, Water Heaters, and meters)

Week 5
· Courses Assessments
· CSCS Test
· Asbestos Awareness Course

now don't get me wrong don't believe for one minute I think I will be able to run before I can walk but anyone can give opinions or advice on the course content that would be great.

This will be a long learning curve and I am planning doing other course and labouring with engineer friend before I start the course to learn hands on.

any opinion or on further courses would be great?

Thanks
 
weeks 1-4..

i am trying to get my head around how thats possible from scratch, new entry?.
it is my understanding that you need 16 weeks before getting to this stage 1-4 as a cat 3 entry!!
 
As I say it's early days in my research with this training provider.

I believe it's 4 weeks in the classroom/ training centre then 8weeks out with a trained engineer building your portfolio towards BPEC Domestic Gas Foundation course accreditation.

A guaranteed 40-day work placement with Kier, opportunities nationwide, working alongside an experienced Gas Safe registered engineer completing:


- Six-week cycle in domestic gas servicing
- One-week cycle in domestic gas repairs
- One-week cycle in domestic gas
installations.


Kier is able to offer national work placements enabling you to train near home and minimise disruption to your family/personal life.


Accreditation
Practical experience supporting theory.


thats taking from website.

after the 8 weeks back to classroom to complete ACS assessments.

chris
 
Yeh brilliant! Bin them off . U will be useless. NGST at cramlington. Wow your guaranteed an interview! That's awesome. Crawl, walk, run - that's how it works £5k don't make u run its a bit of paper about running. MET 1 and -17th edition? Wow!
 
Yeh brilliant! Bin them off . U will be useless. NGST at cramlington. Wow your guaranteed an interview! That's awesome. Crawl, walk, run - that's how it works £5k don't make u run its a bit of paper about running. MET 1 and -17th edition? Wow!

6 weeks watching a half whit who can't be bothered doing services on boilers , one week on installs - so u will be a gofer and one week on repairs - wow u can identify water pishing out of a case and test a fuse.

When your "qualified" call me and then you can come and work for £100 a week for 2 years.
 
Thanks for reply.

This is my only option of getting a little toe in.

My plan is to hopefully get a job fitting the new smart meters which are being rolled out over next few years. After speaking to kier they believe that this is more likely the Case with g4s who they are working with at the moment and they will provide the extra training I will need for smart meters.

By the way bump the wage up £250 week you got a deal.

going to college with out a wage is not a option and at my age 29 it's very unlikely I would get a apprenticeship.
 
Thanks for reply.

going to college with out a wage is not a option and at my age 29 it's very unlikely I would get a apprenticeship.
Oh well thats OK then, if you had said that in the first place they wouldn't have been so harsh……

Cos everyone is entitled to "get a toe in" however & whenever they like, aren't they????
 
It's not easy chris and sadly there's no quick way to it , but if this is your best and only option then good luck too ya
 
In ideal world I would love to be a apprentice and go to college. I've lined up some labouring and hopefully build up my knowledge and in tens year I will hopefully be established gas engineer.
 
Thanks for reply.

This is my only option of getting a little toe in.

My plan is to hopefully get a job fitting the new smart meters which are being rolled out over next few years. After speaking to kier they believe that this is more likely the Case with g4s who they are working with at the moment and they will provide the extra training I will need for smart meters.

By the way bump the wage up £250 week you got a deal.

going to college with out a wage is not a option and at my age 29 it's very unlikely I would get a apprenticeship.

Well, we took on a bloke with wife and two kids last week. He can already do a tightness test. Got a mouth full of abuse when he fluxed fitting. Showed him that as the fitting tight fit 99% of flux ended up inside the pipe. But the nugget at collage showed him that was the way!
 
I have to add my 2c.
I went the college route over about 4 years. Intermingled with my full time job (aircraft engine internals) and fitting bathrooms and working with wet plumber etc.

When I did my ACS week the assesor wanted some pipe doing by an army 20 weeker in one of the bays.

It was simple pipework.
Now the army lad did it ok - dont get me wrong....
But it was one end feed coupling.
This guy was jumping for joy he sweated it up 1st time.


The moral of my ramblings...

He didnt fill me with confidence and did a short course.

Good luck with your choice.
 
So basically in short I will be blowing into the wind for good few years unless I can get someone to take under there wing to pass on valuable knowledge?

As I say at the beginning I am only hoping to get a job fitting meters and learning bits a pieces as I go more towards servicing side and basic house hold appliances etc

but I may need to think hard before parting with my cash.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have to add my 2c.
I went the college route over about 4 years. Intermingled with my full time job (aircraft engine internals) and fitting bathrooms and working with wet plumber etc.

When I did my ACS week the assesor wanted some pipe doing by an army 20 weeker in one of the bays.

It was simple pipework.
Now the army lad did it ok - dont get me wrong....
But it was one end feed coupling.
This guy was jumping for joy he sweated it up 1st time.


The moral of my ramblings...

He didnt fill me with confidence and did a short course.

Good luck with your choice.


Great to see you back Phil!
 
I did it the fast track way, I was in a similar position to you, in that I couldnt afford to go down the conventional route. The thing most fast trackers struggle with is the placement, but it seems that you have that covered. I do regret not doing the plumbing first and if i had my time again I would have done that first. That said you can make a living out of it ifyou are comitted and have your head screwed on the right way. The way they want to do your placement though seems a bit...... optemistic, I spent about two years in the end shadowing an engineer on my rest days to get the necessary knowledge, to sit my ACS. The whole get qualified in 5mins is an oversell and to be frank ballcocks that I just dont think is possible ......let alone safe
 
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Thanks for your input mate it's good to hear that someone's made a go of it coming from the fast track route.

Still got my doubts as you say doesn't seem right after 15 weeks can be qualified. I've got a meeting tomorrow with the manger/assessor hopefully I can tell wether it's sales patter or they do have these links and potential jobs with g4s fitting meters.

Do u regret going down the fast track route or did you come out and begin to do minor jobs at the beginning to keep the money coming in?
 
I don't regret it, I love my job, but it was a tough slog to get where I am now, there's still holes in my knowledge when it comes to plumbing and I think It would have been easier to get on had I done plumbing first. I remember the first time I had to fit an open vented system on my my own, I could have cried I didn't really know where to begin in the airing cupboard, the fast track course in my opinion doesn't furnish you with all the knowledge you need. If you then go on from that and seek out the skills you are missing you will be fine, and it is a great career once you get stuck in.
 
Great advice mate, totally agree I will only have a base to work from and will be tough long road before I will see any rewards. I know what yo mean but someone will have to do it why not me eh I've heard from a friend that BG maybe taking on trainees next year so hopefully a few options to look at.
 
Wish I'd seen this post before posting my thread, I do have been looking at the same course with Kier Chris what did you decide in the end? I'm ex forces but have been around the civi block for quite awhile now. I'm weary of fast courses as in my day the current fad was data comm's and that amounted to sod all…
I've read through the posts and some good replies some of the others that can only seem to pig and moan should go find another career.
Everyone seems to pig on about fast track courses yet don't offer an alternative other than apprenticeships…
Its sounds that to have a good solid foundation to become a gas heating engineer plumbing should be considered first. I'm guessing anyway maybe I'll look at that too…
Baby steps if you will lol.
Chris Pm me will you and let me know if you decided to go ahead with the course mate cheers…
 
Wish I'd seen this post before posting my thread, I do have been looking at the same course with Kier Chris what did you decide in the end? I'm ex forces but have been around the civi block for quite awhile now. I'm weary of fast courses as in my day the current fad was data comm's and that amounted to sod all…
I've read through the posts and some good replies some of the others that can only seem to pig and moan should go find another career.
Everyone seems to pig on about fast track courses yet don't offer an alternative other than apprenticeships…
Its sounds that to have a good solid foundation to become a gas heating engineer plumbing should be considered first. I'm guessing anyway maybe I'll look at that too…
Baby steps if you will lol.
Chris Pm me will you and let me know if you decided to go ahead with the course mate cheers…

I am booked on the course decided it's worth the gamble after speaking to few friends already in the game. I begin my course early next year. Good luck in what you decide mate.
 
I am booked on the course decided it's worth the gamble after speaking to few friends already in the game. I begin my course early next year. Good luck in what you decide mate.

which course date you booked on? March?? I'm looking at that one myself.. Just deciding between NGST and Kier.
 
Reply. Who did you go with ?

I have chosen to go with kier as it's local to me and they provide the work placement this for me is ideal to sort my portfolio. Wasn't a easy decision to make as it's a lot of money to payout could be a great decision could be my worst only time will tell but I know 5/7 years down it will be the best decision I ever made.
 
which course date you booked on? March?? I'm looking at that one myself.. Just deciding between NGST and Kier.

yeah starting March I just liked the sound of working with North tyneside council for placement.
 
I have chosen to go with kier as it's local to me and they provide the work placement this for me is ideal to sort my portfolio. Wasn't a easy decision to make as it's a lot of money to payout could be a great decision could be my worst only time will tell but I know 5/7 years down it will be the best decision I ever made.

Chris ill send you my email address as the stupid pm system on here only allows 3 msgs and even though inbox has been emptied and Ive an email confirming you have replied i have nothing in my inbox…. cheers
 
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