Despite the call to phase out gas supplies in the coming years, the overwhelming prediction is that the need for gas engineers is going nowhere. According to Gas Safe, the shortage of gas engineers has already arrived. This shortage is made worse by the fact that half of the current engineers in the industry are already over the age of 55 and steadily approaching retirement.
A newly qualified gas engineer can expect a starting salary of up to £35,000 and many engineers go on to become successfully self-employed but how long does it take before you’re ready to apply?
There are many options available to an aspiring gas engineer here in the UK. The push for apprenticeships in previous years, although successful in introducing many young people to the industry, has spread the narrative that full qualification takes years. Often forgotten is the private training industry, a more costly upfront investment but providing rewards much faster in the form of employment and career progression.
Access Training is the UK’s number one Trades Training provider, with courses across the trades which can get you fully qualified and into work in just a matter of months. These courses also offer a level of flexibility that traditional colleges and apprenticeships can’t match, scheduling the training to accommodate the needs of the student.
If you wish to become a Gas Safe engineer as soon as possible, we recommend the Professional Gas Engineer Course from Access Training. This is a flexible gas training course that's open to everyone - no prior heating or plumbing experience is required to enrol.
This intensive gas course is specifically designed to earn you the qualifications needed to become a professional gas engineer, getting you ready for work within the shortest possible time frame. All the basics (including gas safety legislation and standards) are covered in online classes; after that, you will attend our fully-equipped training centre for the practical portion of your course. Our expert tutors will make sure you can do everything that's expected of a gas engineer - such as pipework, tightness tests, and repairing a variety of gas appliances.
Our Professional Gas Engineer Course closes with the ACS gas assessment, which tests students on everything they've learned. If you pass this assessment, you will receive the ACS Certificate - this enables you to join the Gas Safe Register, a legal requirement for gas engineers in the UK.
We also offer a Premier Gas Engineer Course, which includes everything mentioned above plus the Level 2 Diploma in Plumbing. Completion of this course allows you to conduct plumbing as well as gas work, which is a useful advantage for a professional gas engineer to have.
Once you are qualified, Access Training's Career Support Team is on hand to get you working in the industry with companies across the UK.
Enquire below today to secure your future as a fully qualified Gas Engineer with Access Training
Learn your trade. Get qualified. Make it happen.
Gas boilers are without a doubt the most tried, tested, and trusted means of warming up UK homes. Introduced to households on a widespread scale in the 1950s, gas boilers quickly became a popular option for home heating. Nowadays, a whopping 87% of UK households use gas to heat their homes, with just the remaining 13% using alternatives like electricity and oil.
However, with modern science making us more and more aware of the adverse effects that gas can have on the environment, money is being poured into finding a plausible alternative.
Enter heat pumps.
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Gas-fuelled appliances can be very dangerous if they're not installed correctly. Because of this, gas appliances should ONLY be installed and serviced by competent, qualified gas engineers.
Here in the UK, gas fitters are legally required to join the Gas Safe Register before carrying out any gas work. The Gas Safe Register website makes it easy to...
- Check whether your gas engineer is registered
- Report illegal gas work
Gas Safe Register replaced CORGI in 2009, and since then, it has been the sole official gas registration body for the United Kingdom (as well as the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey).
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Let's be clear about the answer to this; No, they are not and here’s why:
Firstly, let's be clear about what this means; right now registered gas engineers can still install and replace a gas boiler with a combi gas boiler. These boilers must, however, be of Boiler Plus Standard in England (in Wales the rules vary due to property type). This covers the vast majority of housing stock in the UK and will remain so for decades to come so there will be no shortage of boiler work for installers for the foreseeable future.
So why the confusion about new builds you may ask? Well it has come about from the erroneous inclusion of a comment in the government's latest Ten Point Plan that the Prime Minister announced days ago, for a Green Industrial Revolution that gave a promise to outlaw gas boilers in new homes by 2023. The plan gave a pledge to implement the Future Home Standard in a shorter space of time, followed by many within the industry asking questions about this bold line. It turns out that it was included in error and was hastily retracted. But confusion still reigns, with questions such as, ‘are we going to stop installing gas boilers in homes?’ as a typical example.
The rules only affect new builds. It's an inevitability that the installation of gas central heating appliances in new build properties will be banned, alternative means of heating including heat pumps or hydrogen boilers or electric boilers will have to be specified by developers. However, these technologies are far from being installed in great numbers as yet with further technological developments needed before they are both widely available and able to deliver reliable heating results.
For more background on this we need to look at The Future Home Standard which is due to come to fruition from 2025. The government is now extending the Green Homes Grant for another year according to the aims set out the Heat and Buildings Strategy for 2021 and the government’s Ten Point Plan also supports the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive which says that all new developments in the UK are required to be nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEB) before 2021. Hence why everyone is confused; the timeline is short and becoming condensed. Kevin Wellman, CEO of CIPHE was quoted in PHAM News on this subject:
“The infrastructure will not be in place by 2023 to abolish gas boilers. The Hydrogen network is not due to be trialled at scale (in limited areas) until 2023 and heat pump production will need to increase significantly to reach demand.”
The bottom line is that existing properties will not be affected by the legislation and are expected to be able to use gas boilers for the foreseeable future. The government has a commitment to Net Zero by 2050, so it’s true that natural gas fired boilers are time limited and technology will inevitably change, but not for another 30 years.
Overall, the industry will take many, many years to adapt and gas boilers will exist in millions of properties for many years to come. They will all need servicing and maintaining and replacing and there still remains the problem that there are not enough Gas Engineers to carry out this work at present.
Whether you want a new career as a Gas Engineer, expand your existing services or need to renew your gas certificates we are here to help you get there through our bespoke gas training courses.
Talk to us about our gas training courses now!
Learn your trade. Get qualified. Make it happen.
A gas engineer in St Columb will be sentenced after carrying out dozens of jobs in people’s homes without the relevant qualifications.
Darren Masters had apparently serviced and installed boilers, as well as fitting gas hobs and gas fires, leaving numerous homes in danger.
Rogue Trader Full of Hot Air
The 33-year-old pleaded guilty to 11 charges of breaching safety regulations, carrying out the work without being on the Gas Safety Register.
Despite not being a registered gas engineer, Mr Masters falsely claimed to be a fully-fledged member of the Gas Safety Register in order to secure work.
After pleading guilty at the Truro Magistrates’ Court on December 16th, the case was adjourned to the seriousness of the crime and sent to the Truro Crown Court for sentencing in the New Year.
Dangers of Poorly Fitted Gas Fixtures
Gas fittings and fixtures that have been improperly installed carry with them a wide variety of potentially life-threatening hazards.
A faulty installation can release poisonous carbon monoxide which can be fatal, as a result. Meanwhile, a gas leak can also lead to significant fire hazards and even cause an explosion.
The incident once again highlights how vital appropriate training really is when it comes to gas safety. By-passing such qualifications can have serious consequences on both the fitter and the customer, with potentially devastating results all-round.
If you are thinking of exploring a career as a gas engineer, Access Training UK can help you do it right. We have a variety of gas courses available to ensure you enter the trade fully capable of carrying out gas work safely, efficiently and correctly.
Check out our relevant courses below to find out what we can offer you in terms of gas training options:
For more information on the gas training courses available at Access Training UK, why not drop us a line today? Call now on 0800 345 7492 or get in touch online by clicking the button below.
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