Learning a trade

pigpen

missbiggles1 wrote: »

When I last worked in FE, full time courses were 2.5 days a week, based on a 9 - 4 day.

I know DS's course is classed as FT.. but he only does 2.5 days.. and that is why they top up the under 19's so the parents can still get tax credits and child benefit..

OH only does 14 though .. mon 9-4 and tues. 8:30-2.. minus breaks and lunch..

crazy isnt it.. 19 hours of paid work is not classed as full time..

Jacko_amz

Thanks everyone, going to contact the local college next week and enquire

tesuhoha

Sorry to put a dampener on this but I just asked my husband who is in the trade how your husband could get into plumbing. He said it is extremely difficult and only about 2 out of 100 of people who try will actually make it. He said an apprenticeship is just cheap labour and they get paid less than the minimum wage. He said that he would need some experience of the building trade to stand any chance at all but a company would not take on an apprentice of 35 who would want to be paid while training when there are 18 year olds in competition with him.

Even if he went the college route he said that plumbing nowadays is all about money, you have to be fast and no company would take on someone fresh out of college who they would have to train when there are 50 people out there who can already do the job. He would be up against people from the EU who have all the relevant experience. He said when he came out of college he knew nothing and had to learn it all from working. Even if he knew someone who might take him on as an odd job person that person would probably rather take on a fit 18 year old with plenty of energy.

He said that the only other thing to do is train himself, get a van and tools and do people's odd plumbing jobs and maybe in 10 years or so time he will be good enough to work on site. He would need to take out public liability insurance and would not be able to touch gas. That is how my husband started in the 80s after his course and he did chimney sweeping to supplement the income. He made more money out of the chimney sweeping. However, this is a very stressful way of doing it and he was the only one on the course who got into the trade eventually, even then and he did it through sheer determination.. He kept in touch with the others. However, it was much easier in those days to obtain a gas qualificaiton.

Also, unless you are working it is very difficult to obtain Gas Safe qualifications because you have to be working and build up a portfolio with photographs of your work etc. The assessment people come out and check your work on site. You have to be employed by someone who is willing to take responsibility for your gas work otherwise he is not even allowed to take the cover off a boiler.

He said it will probably find it easier to become an electrician than a plumber. If he pays for an electricians course himself (as my husband did for Part P) and got the qualification though still not easy he could possibly get a job as an electricians mate. He said that it would be better to pay for a full time course as there are no free college courses anymore and a part time college course would mean he would have to find something to do the rest of the week. He said people in the trade laugh at those kind of courses. He needs to get an electrical qualification as soon as possible and be prepared to take anything. You don't need to build a portfolio for electrical work so he said it would be a bit easier to become an electrician.

He said that if he wants to take on a trade then the best thing would be to try to train as an HGV driver. We know a couple of people who have done that and managed to get a job by starting at the bottom.

He said he is not saying it is impossible but in the last 10 years the trade has been in huge demand and now there are more plumbers than jobs. It is a very difficult trade to get into. He said your husband might be lucky if he knows someone who will help him out but where he works they are always getting letters from people offering to work for nothing just to get some experience.

I am telling you this so that your husband knows the reality of it and will not think it is going to be easy.

Jagraf

Jacko_amz wrote: »

Thanks everyone, going to contact the local college next week and enquire

Best of luck - where there's a will there's a way. I'm sure he will be brilliant. The more competition in the marketplace the better.

pigpen

tesuhoha.. My OH didn't have to pay for his course so you can sometimes still do them with fees paid. It depends on personal circumstances.

Jacko.. check the college website ours has very good information on it, you can apply online or make further enquiries.. yours might be as good.

tesuhoha

pigpen wrote: »

tesuhoha.. My OH didn't have to pay for his course so you can sometimes still do them with fees paid. It depends on personal circumstances.

Jacko.. check the college website ours has very good information on it, you can apply online or make further enquiries.. yours might be as good.

Well, I don't profess to know all the ins and outs but I do wish your husband well. I would hope that joinery would be more in demand.

pigpen

tesuhoha wrote: »

Well, I don't profess to know all the ins and outs but I do wish your husband well. I would hope that joinery would be more in demand.

His tutor said most have a job by the end of the level 2 so I'm REALLY hoping this is the case!!

I think a lot is a regional thing.. most tradespersons are in short supply here.. but unemployment is very high so it's always good to show willing and learn something new and give yourself new opportunities.. he may well end up doing electrics after this.. haha.

Jacko_amz

tesuhoha Thank you for your input and for taking the time to ask hubby, he hasn't got his heart set on plumbing its just an idea it's all still very much an idea! He just wants to better himself

DanStan

IT! No qualifications needed.