C&G 6129, Gas Safe ACS & NVQ 6089 Level 2

[Blumper]

Hello boys and girls, was hoping some of the oldest, wisest, shrewdest, most sceptical and experienced amongst you might impart a little advice................constructive of course...

Now, I have read many a thread here and I am only too aware of the disdain that many have towards 'fast track' training, but in brief, I've a good few years 'on the job' plumbing experience (albeit basic bathroom plumbing etc, whilst I lived in Ireland) and as this now counts for nothing when finding employment, I have recently done my 6129 at Able Skills (as I needed it in order to do the NVQ 6089, (either that or provide references for past five years and as I was self employed that would be sticky) and am about to embark on a Gas Safe course in order to register. Then, when that is complete, if I can't get employment (which as you all know, is the most likely outcome) I will go out on my own and register with C&G for the NVQ 6089 Level 2. (I'm lucky, I've saved a good few bob and am doing the courses whilst a. I have the money, & b. have the time as I am not yet 'gainfully' employed in the trade. I'm not a complete newbie, I just know I need the quals if I want to work back in the UK. Anyway, after all that, I've had a scan of the NVQ 6089 documents and as you who are qualified will know, a lot of the work can be/ has to be signed off by a workplace recorder in addition to the external assessor visits. If I end up self employed, how is that overcome, as obviously I'll be lookin over my own shoulder ? I know self employed people have obtained the 6089, but is there a requirement then for extra assessor visits or something else instead ? I know I could ring a few of the training centres to find out, but its Saturday and the question is burning a hole in my otherwise all conquering plumber masterplan : )


Thanks in advance to any of you who can advise, cheers

 

[fuzzy]

how come youve got to do a 'gas safe course' to sign up for the 6089 -2? and whats a gas safe course?

you can do it self employed but the college assessor must sign everything, therefore more visits

 

[Blumper]

Cheers fuzzy, I knew you'd have an idea and would probably post...thanks..I also knew I'd probably not explain myself proper like...

what I said was I did my 6129 Technical Certificate in order to enrol for the NVQ 6089 level 2, (it is a requirement to have either the 6129 Tech Cert OR at least 5 years verifiable Plumbing experience in order to enrol for the NVQ 6089 Level 2), the Gas is unconnected to either, I'm just doing a Domestic Gas 'Engineer' course, I have a work placement sorted for the portfolio evidence building after the course with a Gase Safe registered engineer and when ready will return and sit the Core Gas Safety CCN1 & CPA1 and hopefully CENWAT & CKR1.


And thats a bummer, enrolment and 3/4 assessor visits is going to cost around £1500 minimum, if I do the self employed route then that means probably around 9/10 visits @ £250 a pop.........!!!! gonna be seriously expensive that way then......strewth, it's either impossible or explosively costly..........and who said the 'fasttrack' route was too easy for newbies......

 

[jase158]

9/10 visits?

I did the NVQ through the training centre as could not find employer, It is 3/4 visits.
provided you can get it all done in these visits,

your main issue is finding 2 bathrooms to do, 1. hot and cold installation, 2. hot and cold installation plus decommision.

the other parts are safety, maintenance, i.e.

The centre i used (btsc) charge £1200 (aprrox) for the 6089 level 2. included in this price is 6 visits, within 20 miles. any further then 20 miles you pay £1 per mile each way, so for instance if it is 100 miles you pay £160.

Also be careful as some centres charge extra if you do not complete within a certain amount of visits.

If you do the NVQ through the college (as you said you have somebody who will take you on) then you can enrol a lot cheaper and the employer has to fill out parts and the assessor from college has to complete parts. so more visits, although you are not being charged per visit.

Just out of curiosity, if you have somebody who is willing to help you out, why do you not bung him £2,000 and do it through the college, you will be much more employeable and respected a lot more in the trade and you will still save yourself a bundle.

The main thing if you are going through the college is that the employer has employers liability Insurance.

The biggest problem I had with the training centre was a 4 week wait for NVQ visits, now you know what customers are like they either want it done tommorow or they ask hundred questions for 3 months and then ask if you can start tommorow.

to wait a month for an NVQ visit and work around tilers, electricians i.e. is very difficult.

 

[Blumper]

Thanks a lot for the info jase, I have a Gas Safe registered domestic Gas engineer who I can work with for the Gas Safe registration portfolio section of my own Domestic Gas course, but not for the plumbing NVQ 6089, his work doesn't encompass plumbing bathrooms etc which as you said I need for the NVQ 6089, so I'm going to have to do that either on my own as a self employed plumber unless I can get a job with a plumbing company with whom I could work and do the 6089. I'll check out BTSC though, sounds cheaper than the places I've looked at. Out of interest, with all the waiting for visits etc, how long did it take you to complete the 6089 portfolio ? (and was it hard.....!!!) Cheers again, really appreciate all the info.

 

[jase158]

well It took me around 9 months, but this was because I didnt get any bathrooms in. The other option is you could always do a friends/family bathroom. You offer to pay for all the new stuff, i.e. you could have it done in a couple weeks to be honest.

The assessments are easy as long as you have everything set up as they say you should, for instance the pipes must be taken out of the bathroom, this means that if you are doing a 1st floor bathroom then the floorboards/ plywood must be taken up.

If you are doing ground level then you need the pipes to be surface/ wall mounted, if they come out of the floor, you just cut them 1" from the floor.

the other tasks are really easy, they just take photos, Don't know why they call it an assessment as they aint assessing you its more like a stage, you have everything ready, they take photos.

also if you have some really good mates, you can just take the bathroom suite out and put back in (if pipes are surfaced mounted) no need for re-tiling, new bathroom suite i.e. they are only assessing the pipework, not the bathroom.

so only need to replace pipe work.

finnaly you need all your safety gear, a ladder, a site light, a saw, a chisel and hammer, a drill, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, a health and safety sign for on the door, i.e.
all for safety and preperation tasks.

 

[Blumper]

cheers again jase, I suppose where there's a will there's a way, it would certainly make the process easier to do a mates our your own bathroom. That was my biggest concern, "what if I can't get a full re-fit to do", etc, ...simples now And I know the health & safety aspect is one that the assessors and everyone else is really hot on, so all that covered too. Thanks again, much appreciated unk: