Where are they now?

[fuzzy]

Dontknowitall gave me this idea. Cheers mate

It's a real benefit to possible new entrants to see the full picture of training to be a plumber or tradesman on the whole. If I could ask each of you to post a list of fellow trainees from your course (as you know of) and tell us what they are doing now if you can.
I started training on a traditional 4 year H&V apprenticeship over 20 years ago but the ones I can remember I will post.

Total 15

1 - (me) Manager of arond 20 staff as part of a large Building company (services section)
2 - Left for Spain to get away from his dodgy dealings. Lives through crime apparently and worth alot more than me!
3 - Dropped out after 1 year
4 - Still on the tools but doing well at a large company
5 - At same firm as a manager
6 - working for himself last time I saw him
7 - presume he is still at his Dads company if not running it!
8-15 - Dont know

Added the new plumbing quals 5/6 years ago with a small group of 8 adults

1 - me - as before
2 - working for the same firm but very low wages - paid as a mate
3 - gone back to own job
4 - back on dole
5 - back to old job
6 - back to old job
7 - didnt finish
8 - last i heard had not finished

Gas Acops 1995 - 6 students, not sure

ACS 2001 - 6 students - 1 dropped out(or didnt return after 5 years) as pre planed due to age

ACS 2006 - 6 students - as far as i am aware all still working

Does this tell you anything? I think it tells us two things, one the differene between old apprenticeships 20 years ago and the now flooded (parden the pun) labour market now. And two, an insight into how many make it after paying big bucks!

Please let me know your experiences, thanks Fuzzy

 

[johnmcginty]

Course of 22


Me Self employed ,
Mate , also on here self employed
3 Self employed
4 Self employed
5 Gone Back to old job
6 Australia don't know if plumbing
7 Old job
8 Old job
9 Old job
10 Old job
11 Old job
12 Old job
13 Old job
14 Old job
15 Old job
16 Old job
17 Old job
18 Old job
19 Old job
20 Old job
21 Old job

 

[oldplumber]

Started trining 5/6 yrs back at ripe old age of 45. Started at college with 3 classes of 15 in each, day release and full time, yr 2 2 classes of 15( tech 2/nvq2) yr 3 1 class only of 10 for tech 3/nvq 3 and final yr 9 students completing acs assessments one of whom failed initially, now of the final 9 one joined the army, one lost his employed job and has struck out on his own, one in Oz (plumbing), me working on own on gas, rest ? (2/3 probably working 2 prob not working, never did on course anyhow) best idea only 7 out of around 45 still in trade on gas work , some may be plumbing only

 

[fuzzy]

are we looking at about 20% of learners becoming plumbers?

 

[Blackcatgas]

Started Nvq 2 in 1997 30 started, 13 completd level 2, then out of those 13, 8 did level 3, I know 5 are still plumbing ,dont know about the other 3, 3 of those 5 are self employed inc me.

 

[shaky]

Did you do your NVQ at Basford hall i did mine in 1997 and im still in the trade.

 

[fuzzy]

Started Nvq 2 in 1997 30 started, 13 completd level 2, then out of those 13, 8 did level 3, I know 5 are still plumbing ,dont know about the other 3, 3 of those 5 are self employed inc me.

So 2 out of the original 30 have employed jobs!!!

 

[Puddle]

Well from my personal experiance and observation only

Think there were about 12 in my class ,many years ago
There was me still in the trade after a few detours when younger


One used his natural talents of lying and deceit and moved to a career of fraud and dishonesty and as far as I know is standing again at the next general election


On became a fire man ,got made redundant and decided to become self employed, utilising the skills he learnt in the Brigade, while fighting fires and saving trapped people and became is a pole dancer


One could not keep up in class with all the skills required to become a plumber and decided to do semi skilled work and became an electrician


One got a job at kallogs’s and turned out to be a cereal killer


One was caught trying lady customers cloths on, was sacked and now has a drag act touring around local pubs and clubs in bognor area,Lady uchy coochy or something like that.do'es a great version of ‘it should have been me’ and ‘walk out the door’,worth a butchers


One went under cover for the CIA,FBI and Interpol,so obviously do not know what he is doing, saw him down asda the other day, stacking shelves, so obviously they are keeping him busy

One is now a famous, international star after spending ½ hr on big brother, was not even a contestant, just replacing ball valve on w/c,now he gets invited to all the’ H’ class celebrity parties and acts in cheap tv shows were ‘H’ class celebrities have to pretend they a well known, get shoved in insect filled, rat boo areas and win some money for a over staffed ,badly run charity. His mum used to live in a council house but thanks to his success she has been evicted and now lives in a hostel, as he spent all her money on fake tans and second hand designer cloths

One is still a plumber,could not find work a few years back and was going to jack it in but instead,went over to Poland for a few years,gained polish nationality and learned the lauguage ,came back to Blity,now he has never had so much work

Do’nt know what happened to the others ,probably saw what happened to the rest and fled to Australia ,a kind of voluntary imprisonment

 

[fuzzy]

Well from my personal experiance and observation only

Think there were about 12 in my class ,many years ago
There was me still in the trade after a few detours when younger


One used his natural talents of lying and deceit and moved to a career of fraud and dishonesty and as far as I know is standing again at the next general election


On became a fire man ,got made redundant and decided to become self employed, utilising the skills he learnt in the Brigade, while fighting fires and saving trapped people and became is a pole dancer


One could not keep up in class with all the skills required to become a plumber and decided to do semi skilled work and became an electrician


One got a job a kallogs’s and turned out to be a cereal killer


One was caught trying lady customers cloths on, was sacked and now has a drag act touring around local pubs and clubs in bognor area,Lady uchy coochy or something like that.do'es a great version of ‘it should have been me’ and ‘walk out the door’,worth a butchers


One went under cover for the CIA,FBI and Interpol,so obviously do not know what he is doing, saw him down asda the other day, stacking shelves, so obviously they are keeping him busy

One is now a famous, international star after spending ½ hr on big brother, was not even a contestant, just replacing ball valve on w/c,now he gets invited to all the’ H’ class celebrity parties and acts in cheap tv shows were ‘H’ class celebrities have to pretend they a well known, get shoved in insect filled, rat boo areas and win some money for a over staffed ,badly run charity. His mum used to live in a council house but thanks to his success she has been evicted and now lives in a hostel, as he spend all her money on fake tans and second hand designer cloths

One is still a plumber,could not find work a few years back and was going to jack it in but instead,went over to Poland for a few years,gained polish nationality and learned lauguage ,came back to Blity,now he has never had so much work

Do’nt know what happened to the others ,probably saw what happened to the rest and fled to Australia ,a kind of voluntary imprisonment

fair point well made puddle. It may be more sccurate than you think!

 

[Blackcatgas]

Did you do your NVQ at Basford hall i did mine in 1997 and im still in the trade.

West Notts College Mansfield.

So 2 out of the original 30 have employed jobs!!!

Possibly 5, and I dont know how many of the 17 who droppoed out before completing level 2 carried on plumbing without going to college, if that makes sense!.

 

[Plouasne]

My lot from Willesden tech 1953 to 1960, either retired or dead

 

[fuzzy]

I get ya.

These are the accurate facts for anyone wanting to pay 10k for a course. The alternative it seems is that they do a non recognised plumbing training scheme on a fast track and go out buy a van and plumb anyway. Learning as they charge, and they wonder why we get a bad name or complaints!

 

[WHPES]

My lot (BEng in Pipeline) Of those still in contact,

2 working for oil companies abroad (1 in pipeline design, 1 in project management)

1 set up a classic car restoration business

1 quit the industry and taught himself web design and does that from home

1 with Yorkshire Water fixing and servicing pumping stations

 

[fuzzy]

My lot (BEng in Pipeline) Of those still in contact,

2 working for oil companies abroad (1 in pipeline design, 1 in project management)

1 set up a classic car restoration business

1 quit the industry and taught himself web design and does that from home

1 with Yorkshire Water fixing and servicing pumping stations

wots BEng in pipeline WHPES?

 

[WHPES]

wots BEng in pipeline WHPES?

Batchelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering with Fluid and Pipeline Engineering

 

[Blackcatgas]

My lot (BEng in Pipeline) Of those still in contact,

2 working for oil companies abroad (1 in pipeline design, 1 in project management)

1 set up a classic car restoration business

1 quit the industry and taught himself web design and does that from home

1 with Yorkshire Water fixing and servicing pumping stations

My Ideal job esp if they gave me a 110 Defender with a winch and those roller shutter doors on the side.

 

[fuzzy]

Batchelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering with Fluid and Pipeline Engineering

once again eh? lol

Sounds impressive mate, so why you still fixing bogs

 

[WHPES]

I am still geared up to do it (welding gear, large stock of pipe and fittings, measurement and test equipment etc) and the company is an engineering company as well as plumbing. Not a lot of call now locally. Get about 2 jobs a year in pipeline. Fortunately nobody else round here can do it so I just about get anything going locally. I have a 4" pipeline from a private reservoir, and a pumping station to replace during the summer.

No long term work unless you are going to go to Azerbaijan or Iraq etc. In the UK only available if I do a few weeks here, a few weeks there, hang about in between, don't see my lass for long periods at a time, be always wondering if I can get a job to follow on from the last one and spend ages travelling about.

My company is a pipeline and plumbing company. Yes, I'm vastly overqualified for many plumbing tasks but I can charge £30 an hour doing work locally or charge £60+ an hour doing work elsewhere in the country and by the time I've paid for fuel and travelling, and taking into account non-productive time I would be worse off.

My friends doing the web design and the classic cars, like me, had too many gaps between contracts so pulled out and chose other work.

A few years ago I used to get loads of phone calls trying to get me to go out to Iraq, for silly money and all expenses paid.

 

[fuzzy]

I am still geared up to do it (welding gear, large stock of pipe and fittings, measurement and test equipment etc) and the company is an engineering company as well as plumbing. Not a lot of call now locally. Get about 2 jobs a year in pipeline. Fortunately nobody else round here can do it so I just about get anything going locally. I have a 4" pipeline from a private reservoir, and a pumping station to replace during the summer.

No long term work unless you are going to go to Azerbaijan or Iraq etc. In the UK only available if I do a few weeks here, a few weeks there, hang about in between, don't see my lass for long periods at a time, be always wondering if I can get a job to follow on from the last one and spend ages travelling about.

My company is a pipeline and plumbing company. Yes, I'm vastly overqualified for many plumbing tasks but I can charge £30 an hour doing work locally or charge £60+ an hour doing work elsewhere in the country and by the time I've paid for fuel and travelling, and taking into account non-productive time I would be worse off.

My friends doing the web design and the classic cars, like me, had too many gaps between contracts so pulled out and chose other work.

A few years ago I used to get loads of phone calls trying to get me to go out to Iraq, for silly money and all expenses paid.

Interesting mate, ive done alot of large bore steel, used to prefer it to domestic plumbing. dont know why people wanna crawl round lofts when they can run in long straight easy lenghts in commercial and get more money

 

[WHPES]

I prefer it to domestic plumbing anyday. Unfortunately there's not a lot of work with it around here.

 

[fuzzy]

i worked away for years doing plumb and heating in new build prisons etc. work was great, money was great but being away from home when u have young children isnt great

 

[fuzzy]

Spoke to a bloke who did a 6129 level 2 and 3 five years ago at a college. He said he qued up for 14hours to ensure a place!!!!!!!! He said he got a few days work but had to go back to his old job. He is still fitting windows with his mate. And he did it when it was so called very busy!