FAST TRACK PLUMBER
TRAINING – BEWARE
26th October 2006
Research by the Plumbing & Heating Industry
Alliance has proved that Plumbing industry organisations
are receiving an increasing number of complaints from people who
have paid large sums of money for ‘fast track’ training to become
plumbers only to discover that the training is inadequate, the
advertised qualifications are not fully achieved and/or the promise
of lucrative work is non-existent. Examples include:
- organisations advertising themselves, quite legally, as City
& Guilds registered, but they are not registered to deliver the
specific plumbing qualification so the learner cannot be
certified
- organisations delivering only the technical elements of
training with no work experience, so learners cannot prove the
competences required for the N/SVQ
- people investing in a franchise arrangement offering training
and a promise of work opportunities once qualified, only to find
out that they are charged for set up costs and a van amounting to
thousands of pounds, and the promised work opportunities do not
materialise.
The industry is working to find a solution to this problem,
but it is complex as these training providers are operating within
the law. In the meantime the key messages for people interested in
a career in plumbing are:
- The skill shortages publicised a few years ago are no longer as
acute and wage rates have now settled in line with other
trades
- The industry recognised standard for plumbing is N/SVQ Level
3
- Any complaints about poor training in the plumbing sector
should be referred to SummitSkills (Sector Skills Council for the
Building Services Sector) – contact details can be found on their
website www.summitskills.org.uk
Map and plan your career path
Many local colleges offer plumbing courses, but make sure you
plan out your training path beforehand by utilsing the links above.
By mapping out your career path with bona
fide industry approved training you can then progress to
registration and grading in the industry and enshrine this in your
Plumbing JIB card or the HVCA SKILLcard for Heating & Domestic
Engineers.
Visit the PMES and HVAC sections of these Amicus construction
pages for more information.
Details of the industry standards required to work in
the Plumbing Mechanical Engineering Services (PMES)
industry can be viewed at the Plumbing JIB-PMES and sector
skills council websites at:
www.jib-pmes.org.uk - Joint
Industry Board for Plumbing Mechanical Engineering Services
www.summitskills.org.uk -
SummitSkills Building Services Engineering sector skills
council
For the SNIJIB (Scottish & Northern Ireland Joint Industry
Board for the Plumbing Industry) JIB card scheme contact
www.snipef.org.uk
For details on industry training in England & Wales
visit:
www.bpec.org.uk - British Plumbing
Employers Council
www.jtltraining.com - JTL
(Joint Training Limited)
For details on industry training in Scotland & Northern
Ireland visit:
www.becomeaplumber.org -
SNIPEF Training (Scottish & Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers
Federation)
For Heating & Domestic Engineering nationally visit:
www.best-ltd.co.uk - BEST
(Building Engineering Services Training)
www.hvca.org.uk - Heating &
Ventilating Contractors' Association
Don't get ripped off by rogue trainers. If you are considering a
career as a plumber do your homework on what the industry requires
of you, both in terms of qualifications and on site experience.
Otherwise you risk losing your hard earned money and wasting your
time undertaking worthless training courses.
ROGUE TRAINERS – A WARNING FROM THE
PHIA
The PHIA are campaigning on behalf of the plumbing industry
against rogue trainers.
At a Working Group meeting held earlier this year sponsored by
DfES with the support of Skills Minister Phil Hope MP, a number of
action items were agreed in order to raise the awareness of the
increasing problem of fast track training courses for plumbers
which do not lead to the achievement of recognised industry
qualifications.
The Plumbing and Heating Industry Alliance (PHIA) believes
that those who attend such courses and spend large self sponsored
sums will rarely (if ever) achieve the minimum skills or N/SVQ
qualifications expected by the industry and most will certainly
lack any site experience. Indeed their lack of experience could be
potentially dangerous as their expectation could lead them to
undertake work for which they are not competent.
Some organisations are allegedly charging as much as £9000 for
just two weeks so called ‘instruction’.
The PHIA believes that these courses can only add to the
element of “Rogue Traders” and the effect they will have on an
unsuspecting public.
This will further penalise the legitimate sector firms that
are endeavouring to maintain standards in the public
interest.
Chairman of the Working Group and the PHIA Chris Sneath
said:
“It takes some years for legitimate trainees and
apprentices to obtain accredited standards of competence as well as
gaining invaluable experience on site.
Whilst there may be nothing illegal in offering
such training, we are of the view that the practice is questionable
and in a sense immoral, as the individuals will rarely achieve the
minimum skills or qualifications expected by
industry.
We have a duty to warn others of the dangers of
these Rogue Training courses by whatever means.
I urge the industry to broadcast this warning to
the widest possible audience. We owe it to the legitimate future
trainees and apprentices so they have adequate
protection.
We are currently waiting to hear what help and
support the Government can also give us”
A further meeting of the Working Group will be held in the
Autumn.
Visit the Plumbing and
Heating Industry Alliance website at:
Amicus Notes:
Amicus, as the Plumbing Trades Union and the union for people
working in Building Services Engineering is a signatory
organisation to the Plumbing and Heating Industry Alliance
(PHIA).
The Alliance represents a diverse cross section of
organisations in the plumbing industry. The PHIA works to secure
the future of an important sector that has a direct relationship to
public health and safety. On issues of mutual concern, the PHIA
represents a powerful and single voice to Government on issues
important to the industry.
