Unbelieveable plumbing flaw!!

Widelats

I just found out that i can train for plumbing and get the city & guilds qualification, HOWEVER, i will not be a qualified plumber intil i get NVQ's, and to get the NVQ's i must be already employed in the plumbing industry.

So from what i understand - I MUST ALREADY BE EMPLOYED TO GET NVQ'S, i cant just train in plumbing and go for jobs - this is freakin' stupid.

Any way around this dumb rule which prevents people getting a job??

dmg24

You need hands on experience to be a plumber, and you cannot get that in the classroom.

How old are you? Would an apprenticeship be an option?

Widelats

Too old for an apprenticeship i am 36.

How would i get the hands on experience then? Volunteer somewhere?

sequence

Its the same for most of the trades, joinery, sparky plumber etc etc. The city and guilds qualification gives false hope to so many, young and old. It's very hard to get an employer to take you on as a trainee there is a lot of competition.

dmg24

My Dad trained my Uncle, so you may be able to do it on a voluntary basis, however I think you would only get someone to take you on like this if they already knew you.

I do know of an apprentice in his thirties, but I don't know how he landed the role. I have a feeling that he is not treated as an apprentice in the strict sense of the word.

Do you know anybody with a small plumbing business who may be able to guide you?

Zazen999

Widelats wrote: »

I just found out that i can train for plumbing and get the city & guilds qualification, HOWEVER, i will not be a qualified plumber intil i get NVQ's, and to get the NVQ's i must be already employed in the plumbing industry.

So from what i understand - I MUST ALREADY BE EMPLOYED TO GET NVQ'S, i cant just train in plumbing and go for jobs - this is freakin' stupid.

Any way around this dumb rule which prevents people getting a job??

It is the same for ALL construction trades; they were designed like this because we had employers whining for years that people would come out of college and not know anything about the realities of the trades in which they were supposedly qualified.

Are you dead set on this; with the recession it appears that even plumbers are finding it hard to get work [I found a plumber a week or so ago; they answered the call, and were round to do the job the next day - at 9m on Bank Holiday Friday before Easter.....unprecedented in my 1/4 of a century in the Construction Industry].

If so, have you tried the Adult Apprenticeship route; it won't be the full answer but the colleges should be encouraging this and construction employers can get a CITB grant for it.

Widelats

I don't know about this Adult Apprenticeship it might be worth a go.
Does anyone have a link for it?