GAS SAFE Engineers?? Not Fitters??

sukiduki

I was initially quite amused about the gas fitter that came to our house calling himself an engineer, as he was clearly not.

However, I have had a long calm think and decided that there are a great many people with an engineering intuition who do clever creative things and don't have degrees. And equally there are loads of degree qualified people who are clueless.

So apologies to all the gas safe people who are intuitive engineers. (I still think engineering technician would be better tho?)

stokegal

sukiduki wrote: »

"I hope any gas fitters (gas safe engineers) reading this don't think I'm belittling what they do. To do something well and with pride is great. But to call yourself something you're not is a sign that you are indeed suffering from 'job title insecurity'

I dont think that these people are suffering with Job Title Insecurity at all. It's a common term use within the gas industry - if you look on the British Gas website they advertise for Techincal Engineers, Electric field engineers etc. To most common folk like myself if you told me that you were an engineer i wouldn't have a clue what you did.

BTW I am half way through my my BTEC Gas Foundation Course and at the end of it I hope to become ACS qualified and eligible to register to the Gas Safety Register... if I do become sucessful just for you... I promise I wont call myself a Gas Engineer... Dr of Heat however...:rotfl::rotfl:

sukiduki

Fair enough! I think I got carried away becasue I've spent 8 years studying eng to call myself an engineer and some people who say they are engineers are clearly just not. But I agree that there are lots of different eng types and practical engineers are just as important as theroretical ones. But, companies like BT and BG muddle the term, instead of using engineering technician or technician they say engineer. So now, when I tell someone I'm an engineer, they wonder if I fix boilers...

Pitchshifter

I agree wholeheartedly with what you are saying OP, the term "Engineer" has become an umbrella term covering many levels of skill and even skills that don't require any engineering theory.
I feel Gas fitters should be engineers though, to a certain extent. In order to be a "Fitter" or "Technician", there should be a reasonably sound understanding of engineering and science theory, backed up with qualifications. I really don't want some-one working on my boiler who doesn't, it's quite frightening really.

Vader123

In my experience (and I contract Gas Safe "people" all the time) the only difference between a fitter, plumber, technicians (etc, etc) is the amount they want to charge.

What should be the issue is the job entailed, how much it costs, what level of compliance with the government is required, what level of skill is required and how much materials is needed.

Vader

piscokid

I am a registered Gas Installer, as CORGI used to call us. Though I would hesitate to call myself an engineer at my level, some of us design complex domestic and commercial systems, diagnose & repair boilers designed by others etc. The level and range of knowledge is as much a matter of experience as training.

sukiduki wrote: »

Hello,
I'm a mechanical engineer and I and others in this field are getting a bit fed up of the daft use of the term engineer for people who are (quite respectably) fitters, technicians, mechanics, plumbers, etc.

GAS SAFE have now compounded the problem by insisting on dumbing down the term engineer by labeling fitters and plumbers as engineers in stead of at best, technicians. This seems like a government body officially dumbing down engineering.

Mechanical engineers make moon landings possible, design replacement heart valves to keep people alive and will help save the planet with energy solutions helped by Civil, Electrical and other engineers who will also be doing amazing things of their own.

Lets get one thing straight, engineers design combi boilers, fitters and plumbers fit and repair them so please stop this silly and (in my opinion) fraudulent use of the term "engineer".

Regards, SD