Fast-track Plumbing Training

Wet_Feet

I am looking at retraining in plumbing and was also concerned about the hard sell and the complete lack of interest to talk about the sylabus over the phone. I have not paid but it appears those that have done the course have had problems. See this blog sit for another side to BTSC

http://www.blagger.com/db4/company_id/5917/companyname/Btsc.html

Wet_Feet

I've found a few more links.

The first is not directly related to btsc but search the page for btsc it will take you an interesting entry at the bottom.

http://www.certforums.co.uk/forums/archive/index.php?t-3494.html

Plumbing skills shortage article. I'm not sure the validity of the article but with a search.
http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=161844

Plumbing as a career
http://www.iphe.org.uk/career/career_future.html

I for one am going off the hype offered by fast track training schemes without on site experience.

Wet_Feet

Following my acceptance onto the course and subsequently following some of the reports I read on the web about BTSC I sent them an email asking them straight,"please send me a detailed course description with number of days required at the facilities, any additional charges following the initial payment, duration of time to finish the course and an emailed copy of the contact that I would be expected to sign in 7 days time"

They did not reply by email but I did get a nice phone call from my interviewer saying that everything would be gone through on my day of enrollment, where I would hand in my "contribution" of £5000 (they don't even call them course fees as they appear to be the start of the "contributions" you make to them)

Basically they have refused to let me see the contract or a detailed course plan.

Before signing up for the course I've been asking myself, "Would I buy a car without first being offered a test drive?"

£5K is a lot of money to hand over without any detail. I think I will take the advise of other people here and find a real plumber to work with and learn the real tricks of the trade whilst attending college and give BTSC a miss!

Wet_Feet

www.OLCI.info

This is another company that does a fast track course but when I previously spoke with them they were upfront about the course content, very approachable and and had payment plans in place so you could make monthly payments. Well worth a call if you want an alternative approach to BTSC.

peter999

Wet_Feet wrote: »

Following my acceptance onto the course and subsequently following some of the reports I read on the web about BTSC I sent them an email asking them straight,"please send me a detailed course description with number of days required at the facilities, any additional charges following the initial payment, duration of time to finish the course and an emailed copy of the contact that I would be expected to sign in 7 days time"

They did not reply by email but I did get a nice phone call from my interviewer saying that everything would be gone through on my day of enrollment, where I would hand in my "contribution" of £5000 (they don't even call them course fees as they appear to be the start of the "contributions" you make to them)

Basically they have refused to let me see the contract or a detailed course plan.

Before signing up for the course I've been asking myself, "Would I buy a car without first being offered a test drive?"

£5K is a lot of money to hand over without any detail. I think I will take the advise of other people here and find a real plumber to work with and learn the real tricks of the trade whilst attending college and give BTSC a miss!

Doesn't sound good at all.

I do wonder how metalmickey got on with the course at BTSC (see post #18), he started there just over a year ago.

peter999

mrwatso

bradley107 wrote: »

i only just came accross this site today and it made me smile. I signed up for this course with BTSC back in July 2005 and i am now a very happy plumber working with a company they set me up with finishing my NVQ's. I do need to go back to complete my ACS gas part but i finished the whole course in about 2 years.

Hello, can you tell me was there any extra cost as I went for the interview and was told the full cost would be £4850, I'm already a plumber but not qualified and cannot do not have the time to do a 3 or 4 year course, would you recommend this course to people who already have experience and want to qualify quickly.

mc9916

HarriettPotter wrote: »

Hi all

Just wondered if anyone could offer any info or advice on the above. My boyf is quite unhappy in his work and is keen to get into something more practical, in particular, plumbing. His friends all work in 'trades' so to speak and his experience of this has led him to think he would really enjoy it. There is also, (as always) a money incentive too and he feels it would help us financially.

He has enquired about joining a part time course locally and continuing his current job until he is qualified enough to go out there and work. Unfortunately he was advised that places are so tight they are only offered to people who are already working in the field. Then he spotted an ad in the paper for this firm, I think they are called BTSC, who train people fast to become qualified plumbers. Basically there are 3 modules that you complete over a maximum of 18 months and the total cost, should you choose to do them all, comes in at around the £7k mark.

I have serious reservations about it as it would mean that we would borrow the money to fund it and clearly there is no guarantee of work at the end of it. I wondered if anyone else had any thoughts or knowledge on these kinds of schemes. I have been told that there was a radio programme on the other day that talked about it and it wasn't exactly favourable for the reasons I have mentioned above. Plus the qualifications apparently dont stand up to much?

Grateful for any comments.

H

Hiya
I am afraid its not just a case of spending vast quatities of dosh to learn a trade.
You dont learn an engineering trade of any kind on a fast track basis.
I am currently a lecturer in plumbing with 30 years field experience behind me.
It took me 6 years to get Advanced craft C&G and become registered with CORGI before I was confident to go into someones home and basically rip it apart and fit a heating or plumbing system...then put it back together again.
For those of thinking its easy...think again.
Think Also:
Corgi Registration
Gas Qualifications
Public Liability Insurance...working 4 mates...burn the house down, flood it of badly injure them and you could find yourself indebted to them 4 life...but not in the usual sense of the meaning.



Many of the 'Fast track' ads are just 'Pipedreams'...pun intended!!

Check out the City and Guilds website or visit your local Technical College for free impartial advice from someone who you know is not on commision for stitching you up....(ie Salesperson)

Come on...you must know the score....them £8000-00. You £Nil-00

Good Luck and Use Your Loaf
Mick the Plumber

see-u-Jimmy

In response to griff`s post, I took the C&G level 2 certificate at MET. UK in Rotherham in 2006, and rather enjoyed the experience. I`ve been fitting bathrooms for customers (tiling etc.), since and earning a nice living thank-you very much. At the end of September 2008, I go to BTSC in Chessington, (you know that place everyone seems to be slagging off). And start on the NVQ level 3, followed by the corgi installer qualification. All together I will have paid just under 7k, a lot of money yes, but I believe that you got to get off your !!!! and make things happen for YOU, cause as sure as hell no-one else is gonna do it for you.

Incidently griff your nearest BTSC is in Manchester, and is reputed to be the largest facility of it`s type in Europe. So no need to commute to London as someone else suggested. Good luck, and I personally am not going to listen to the doubting Thomases. At 52 this will be my 2nd carreer change!!!

VONBON

I was just wondering why you didnt take the whole course with met uk as their prices seem reasonable and if you liked it there why didnt you go back? Thanks

DGJsaver

Mrs_Optimist wrote: »

His new employer will now pay for his training so he can go on to become CORGI registered. He will service boilers privately in the winter months but that will be the only thing he does privately.

I was under the impression that to do PRIVATE Gas work you had to be CORGI registered in your OWN name rather than under your employers CORGI registration ?
(at least to be able to sign anything off , eg LL certs etc)

Forgive me if not