help with portfolio

[pknight]

Hi there I am qualified plumber to level 2 with 12 years experience and i am very keen to add the gas safe certificate to my skills. I will be seld funding the course but I am struggling to set up work experience/supervised work time to complete the portfolio. Any help or suggestions. I am self employed working on new build sites mainly. I appreciate I will have to take thia time potentially unpaid. I live in the essex area.

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

As has been said many times before on here, and I asked the same question as well, you will find it difficult unless you are proactive in the matter.
There are a lot of companies around, especially down south, that will help you for a fee but either way it's going to cost you. If you don't pay a company to help you complete the portfolio then you are likely to be giving free labour to some and that costs as well because you're not earning.
At the moment I'm just about to start my portfolio for my ACS (Hopefully) but one of the guys that was on my course just asked a gas fitter that he saw at a job, had a chat and demonstrated competence through the chat then the fitter asked him if he wanted to just complete the portfolio or if he wanted a job out of it. He said both and the fitter has taken him on.
Try asking, you just don't know what the response will be.
Oh - and good luck

 

[Killy Bing]

Robert you're a class 1 applicant you dont need one do you?

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

Robert you're a class 1 applicant you dont need one do you?

I know it, you know it, but OLCI won't accept it so I have to complete the portfolio stage before I can take the ACS. They did say that I would have to work on gas related jobs for at least 6 months but I have (Successfully) argued that I don't need that long as I already work in the heating industry - still I'm not too worried about it. It'll be done in a couple of weeks. I reckon I can get all the requirements of the portfolio covered in about 5 jobs, and they don't need me to do a full install either.
Off to the pub now as I have got the day of tomorrow

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

So much for the day off - I got two calls within an hour and spent the majority of the day working.