Train 4 Trade Skills

[LUCIALIA]

Re: T4TS, Starting my practical tomorrow

did you enjoy it & learn much? when do you get your c&g results & was it multi choice?

 

[Bernie2]

Re: T4TS, Starting my practical tomorrow

Hmm!

I'm an old guy just nosing around! When I was an apprentice Plumber we got £1.15p for a 45 hour week. Working Saturday morning was part of your normal week.

In those days it was all "Don't matter how long you take, just do a good job!".

It changed in the eighties to "When will you be finished?" "That job is taking a long time!" "Its costing a fortune!"

Today probably by an employer you will be told "Your next job is!" and you haven't even started the first one you had.

The customer will usually say "How much?" "How long will it take?" and "Will you be long?" regardless of whether your re washering a tap or plumbing the whole house out.

So get accustomed to it boys its part of the job.

As to the work?

Well new house work on a building site is probably one of the easiest in a way.

You are usually given a set of drawings to follow with everything worked out for you. The thing is you have to keep to the exact measurements for everything, to make all the houses look the same. That can be a bit of a pain when you first start.

Then the next thing on site work is speed!

Its usually bonus work and you have got to be fast. The slowest gets the sack first. But your work has also got to look good. Don't forget the customer probably may not know the technical difference between a good and a bad job, but they can tell one which is symmetrical and pleasing to the eye. Load your end feeds out, with solder runs everywhere and dirty great oxidised over heat marks and you'll get few points even if your job is technically brilliant. And no doing foreigners, by selling all the charcoal where your torch has been burning half the floor away. And flush your systems, no saying 3 months later "These combi's are always going wrong!" when you haven't followed the correct flushing procedures.

No putting millions of elbows on your CH runs, requiring a super booster pump to push the water around.

Oh! and yes! Never say your not sure to the customer. Just say "I'll let you know!" or "I'll do some tests!" and then go and look it up or test it.

If you say your not sure, they can loose confidence in you. A bit like a doctor saying to you "I am not sure what is wrong with you!"

So give them, reasonable cost, beauty and technical excellence all done very fast and neat and you will be the sort of plumber people will call back and give another job too.

 

[aever34]

Re: T4TS, Starting my practical tomorrow

Hi
Did mine in february at ATL Southampton it was good fun the only thing i had problems with was the water reg test the time seem to go by so quick but if you don't get 80% the first time you get to try again (they will help you) as they want you to get a pass this is done on the first week so read up on the regs and also read the questions and do the ones you know first then go back to the rest you do get a hint as to were the answers are in the book and yes its a open book test all of the test you do on the first two weeks are
In the second week you get to fit a bathroom out this is fun when someone don't solder there jonts right and you get water everywhere
if you do go to ATL Southhampton the tutors are good the best one is Paul Brock
Anyway Good luck
Thanks

 

[Lead-Free]

Re: T4TS, Starting my practical tomorrow

did you enjoy it & learn much? when do you get your c&g results & was it multi choice?

yea, it was fun, C&G is written out, you do learn and if you have trouble then they will show you again and again and again. the funniest bit is that every second word they say is a swear word, so dont take it the wrong way, it`s just the way they talk.

 

[LUCIALIA]

Re: T4TS, Starting my practical tomorrow

sorry to be a pest, but what was the c&g exam about & did you receive your tool kit & if so whats it like?

 

[collier23]

Re: T4TS, Starting my practical tomorrow

sounds like prices have went up lol

Hmm!

I'm an old guy just nosing around! When I was an apprentice Plumber we got £1.15p for a 45 hour week. Working Saturday morning was part of your normal week.

In those days it was all "Don't matter how long you take, just do a good job!".

It changed in the eighties to "When will you be finished?" "That job is taking a long time!" "Its costing a fortune!"

Today probably by an employer you will be told "Your next job is!" and you haven't even started the first one you had.

The customer will usually say "How much?" "How long will it take?" and "Will you be long?" regardless of whether your re washering a tap or plumbing the whole house out.

So get accustomed to it boys its part of the job.

As to the work?

Well new house work on a building site is probably one of the easiest in a way.

You are usually given a set of drawings to follow with everything worked out for you. The thing is you have to keep to the exact measurements for everything, to make all the houses look the same. That can be a bit of a pain when you first start.

Then the next thing on site work is speed!

Its usually bonus work and you have got to be fast. The slowest gets the sack first. But your work has also got to look good. Don't forget the customer probably may not know the technical difference between a good and a bad job, but they can tell one which is symmetrical and pleasing to the eye. Load your end feeds out, with solder runs everywhere and dirty great oxidised over heat marks and you'll get few points even if your job is technically brilliant. And no doing foreigners, by selling all the charcoal where your torch has been burning half the floor away. And flush your systems, no saying 3 months later "These combi's are always going wrong!" when you haven't followed the correct flushing procedures.

No putting millions of elbows on your CH runs, requiring a super booster pump to push the water around.

Oh! and yes! Never say your not sure to the customer. Just say "I'll let you know!" or "I'll do some tests!" and then go and look it up or test it.

If you say your not sure, they can loose confidence in you. A bit like a doctor saying to you "I am not sure what is wrong with you!"

So give them, reasonable cost, beauty and technical excellence all done very fast and neat and you will be the sort of plumber people will call back and give another job too.

Thank you for the advice bernie, cracking post

 

[arif7]

Hi,

I would like to know if any one has had any problems with train 4 trade skills? I have completed the foundation but am pulling out of the intermediate and advanced stages as they have not fulfilled a number of promises made by the man that came to my house to sell me the course.

They also told me there was a training centre in luton when there isnt. Well they have apparently completed a centre there now but i completed my written part of intermediate back in nov 08 so have waited 6 months and had to chase them numerous times so i am now looking to get my money back for the intermediate and advanced.

Has anybody else tried to get money back, taken them to court etc?

Also how much are they selling the foundation part of the course for?

 

[arran123]

train 4 trade skills do nvq2 and nvq3 c&g 6129, part p, and others. what is foundation?
if u do the nvq3 there is 11 weeks of practical, + they can place u with a contractor to gain your on site evidence for nvq's
stop moaning and get on with it or stay in your current job.
if you think you can you can do it do it, if you think you cant you wont.

 

[arran123]

Re: T4TS, Starting my practical tomorrow

i have completed level 2 with t4t and so far its been good, the practicals are good and they have done what they said on the tin.
it is what it is, im 34 and to old for any other route into plumbing, like i have said before you have two choices 1: re skill, get on with, dont moan, stay posotive, or 2: dont re skill stay the same and die wondering

 

[arif7]

train 4 trade skills do nvq2 and nvq3 c&g 6129, part p, and others. what is foundation?
if u do the nvq3 there is 11 weeks of practical, + they can place u with a contractor to gain your on site evidence for nvq's
stop moaning and get on with it or stay in your current job.
if you think you can you can do it do it, if you think you cant you wont.

what you on about stop moaning? the nvq stuff must all be new because when i started it was just city and guilds foundation, intermediate and advanced. When you get ****ed about i think i got every right to moan along with thousands of other people about t4ts!