In an unpredictable Britain, vocational training could be your light at the end of the tunnel. Learning a highly sought-after skill through vocational training is a dependable way to ensure you maintain job stability in an ever-changing market.

As a society, we are so reliant on these basic necessities to get through the day, that the prospect of being without them is frightening! In fact, with a large percentage of UK workers spending 8 hours a day on a computer, when we lose our electricity supply - businesses grind to a halt. 

Who is it that maintains and safeguards the installation of these basic needs? The skilled trade workers among us, that's who. As the world of technology increases so does the demand for those skilled in the trades. This is why we believe vocational training is just as, if not more so, important than a university degree.

What is vocational training?

Vocational training courses are work-related qualifications that take a more hands-on approach to academic qualifications. Training courses are designed to set up learners for practical careers such as plumbing and building.

Types of vocational courses

• Construction
  
  
• Plumbing
  
  
• Electrical
  
  
• Gas
  
  
• Food Preparation
  
  
• Hairdressing

What are the advantages of vocational training?

1. No costly debt from University

Vocational training typically costs a mere fraction of university costs and it also provides more financial stability as trade skills are always in demand.

One of the main benefits of training to become a tradesperson is that you have no major debt looming over you once you finish your course. In fact, as soon as you receive your certificate, you can immediately start earning money from what you've learnt! 

Many people go to university nowadays because they're unsure what they want to do in the future. Sure, this may seem like a good idea at the time, but is it really worth the debt? If you're not dedicated to the path you've chosen, it's not worth spending 3 years learning about something you won't pursue in the future.

As said by entrepreneur, Joseph Valente, who set up his own very successful plumbing business ImpraGas, 'If you're motivated by the business, that's going to drive you every day'. Joseph believes you shouldn't 'waste three years doing something that your hearts not in' and we agree. 

Vocational courses ensure you're on the right path straight away and can easily make your trade your passion. 

Please share this with someone who is debating whether to go to University🎓 pic.twitter.com/wKSBGLS2N1

— Joseph Valente (@MrJosephValente) 23 January 2018

2. Job stability

There will always be a need for plumbers, electricians and builders.

As previously mentioned, it's difficult to imagine how we would live without these basic necessities provided for us. The skills learnt through a trade course will always be vital to a thriving society and will ensure you're in demand at all times.

After learning a skill that is needed in every part of the world, you'll find it even easier to pursue the right career for you. If you want to move abroad for work, go ahead! If you want to switch companies, there are ton's more which are desperate for your skill set. If you want to be your own boss - do it! 

The qualifications and skills gained from vocational courses provide you with the stability and freedom most people aspire to have. 

3. It takes far less time to become qualified

On average, training courses for vocational trades take months rather than years to complete.

This is the ideal way to train for anyone who is looking to switch careers and has a job alongside their training course. 

Of course, many people gain their vocational training through apprenticeships rather than vocational training courses. Apprenticeships are good if you're just coming out of school and can afford the low pay. Perseverance and patience is key to apprenticeships - but if you have commitments, it may not be possible to dedicate yourself to a job that cannot pay your bills. When you reach adulthood, money is a necessity and low pay for a couple years could put your livelihood at risk. 

Many training courses are flexible to fit around you and so you can easily maintain your job whilst training for a new trade profession. 

4. You can start working sooner

Learning a trade means you are skilled in this area as soon as you complete your course.

Another benefit of vocational training is that it provides you with all the experience you need to start working right away. Many graduates coming out of university find that this is not the case with their degree and they still need to gain that all-important experience.

 You can start working for a company, work freelance or even strive to set up your own company.

Anne Milton, the Minister of State for Skills and Apprenticeships, recently said that apprenticeships and courses are "on-the-job training. What's not to like?". She also believes that "the default should not be University. No matter how bright you are, there are other options out there."

5. Vocational trades are well paid

On average, Plumbers earn around £33,500 per year. Electricians earn around £36,000 and builders earn around £32,500.

Compared to the average starting salary for graduates hovering around £19,000-£22,000, it's fair to say that a vocational training course could work in your favour financially.

These wages can increase substantially in different areas and will progress over time. As with everything, it pays to have patience in an industry. However, if you embark on a vocational training course, rather than a university course, you will start your career in the industry sooner and progress in the salary department quicker. 

If you're interested in pursuing a hands-on career, Access Training Academies are the largest provider of vocational training courses in the UK. Take a look and find the right course for you today.

In Britain alone, on average 3.8 people out of every 1,000 employees are made redundant. This includes those who have taken voluntary redundancy because they found their job role was no longer significant. Therefore, throughout your training career, you’re very likely to find yourself retraining someone who has recently lost their job.

Redundancy is often likened to the grieving process or bereavement as it is an incredibly difficult time in someone’s life. Especially if someone has been in their job for a number of decades, losing that responsibility can leave a person feeling completely lost and displaced.

Retraining someone who has been made redundant requires a different training approach to the usual student. Here are our main training tips to consider when retraining the recently redundant.

1) Assess the needs of your students

Before you start your training plan, it is important to fully grasp what they want to achieve through the training course. Do they want to go back into their old line of work? Do they want to develop skills in a new field?

If you’re in a class full of people who have recently been made redundant but want to improve their skills in their past industry, you should structure your training plan around them. It would be a wasted effort to go over information your students already know.

2) Ensure you provide office hours

Those who have recently been made redundant will appreciate the opportunity to talk to you on a one-to-one basis. Office hours are the best way to provide this support and will also help you understand your students on a personal basis.

The more you learn about your students, the easier it becomes to train them. For example, if someone worked for many years as a tradesperson prior to their redundancy, they will most likely have expert knowledge of that industry and have many transferable skills that will help them with their training.

3) Include Interactive Training techniques

This popular method of training is used in most classrooms and with good reason. Interactive training is the best way to motivate your students to stay engaged. While you may be tempted to plan your lessons around fitting in masses of information, it is important your students are actually paying attention.

The interactive training technique involves breaking sessions up with quizzes, demonstrations, case studies, group discussions and Q & A sessions. These short breaks help keep students involved in the lesson and will provide those with past experience the opportunity to share their knowledge. This technique works with all members of your class, including those who have been made redundant.

4) Use the Motivational Interviewing method

As you can imagine, redundancy can largely damage someone’s confidence. They may have taken up retraining to help them feel confident in their abilities again.
Motivational interviewing is a good method of evoking a positive and motivated response from your students. The steps to take when using this method are as follows:

• Engaging – establish a relationship based on trust and respect between yourself and your student.
• Focusing - using an ongoing process to maintain direction.
• Evoking – encourage confidence in your student by using their own goals and motivations to inspire your training.
• Planning – create a plan of action with the view to reach the students goals that you and your student commit to.
  
  

Motivational interviewing can be done in office hours or before lessons even start to help you fully understand what your student hopes to gain from this course. It’s one of the best ways to encourage your students by showing them you actually care. 

Always remember that anyone can be retrained but it takes a dedicated trainer to do an effective job.

Would you like to work with us here at Access Training? Get in touch today to see the jobs we have on offer! 

After much deliberation on what can be done to ensure consumers are hiring safe and qualified tradespeople to carry out work in their homes, the Select Committee on Building Regulations has announced that a single Competent Person Electrical Register is ready to go live. The decision was made following a recommendation made by the Communities and Local Government Select Committee, with the register set to officially go live on June 30th.

Is it mandatory to join the competent person electrical register?

This marks a similar move to the long-standing Gas Safe Register, joining which is a legal requirement of all gas engineers operating in the United Kingdom. However, joining the Competent Person Electrical Register is not mandatory, making it similar to the plumbing equivalent Water Safe. The move to create a single register was welcomed by existing Competent Person Scheme brands ELECSA and NICEIC. Although both put forward positive recommendations and supported parts of the report, they also felt some points were not explored thoroughly and "did not reflect the true state of the industry".

Under building regulations Part P, all fixed domestic electrical installations must be suitably installed, tested and inspected to ensure that they are in safe working order. Without achieving a Part P certificate and joining a Competent Person scheme, electricians are required by law to have their work independently verified by an external inspector.

When the scheme (full name: Registered Competent Person Electrical) goes live on June 30th, all full scope Part P electricians in England and Wales will be added automatically by their provider and encouraged to use the logo as a symbol of their qualification. An official launch event will then follow on the 2nd of July in the Palace of Westminster. Minister for Communities and Local Government, Stephen Williams MP, will give a keynote speech to a wide array of key industry stakeholders and MPs, alongside NAPIT Group Chief Executive Officer, Michael Andrews and Chief Executive Officer of Certsure, Emma Clancy.

Clancy commented that the new website will "become the one stop shop for consumers looking to hire an electrician to carry out work in their home."

Attaining a Part P certificate and joining a Competent Person Scheme is a vital part of becoming a domestic electrician, and something we can fully prepare you for here at Access Training.

Whether its part of a more intensive electrician course or the single qualification you're looking for, our experienced tutors will guide you through everything you need to know to reach this important step in your career. To speak to one of our course advisers and find out more give us a call on 0800 345 7492.

Firstly when you’re having problems with your electric shower don’t attempt to fix it, this is false economy – you’re much better off changing the item completely. Here are a few steps to show you how to change an electric shower. 

• Step One - Safely take off the front cover of the electric shower box. There will be at least 1 or possibly 2 small screws holding this in place. Next, take off the front temperature and control knobs by pulling them straight off (this shouldn’t be too difficult to do). With the front cover off you should be able to see a valve on the water pipe going into the shower unit, it should have a screw slot in the middle of the valve. Turn this a ¼ turn either way and test the shower to see if this has turned off the water. You can use the control knob by temporarily re-attaching it to the shower to get the water to flow.

• Step Two - When changing an electric shower, you must turn off the electric supply at the consumer unit (or fuse board as it’s commonly known). The fuses/trips should be marked but if they’re not, the 1 of 2 possible trips you are going to turn off will be either a 35 amp or a 45 amp depending on the Kilo-watt power of the shower. For a 35 amp fuse/trip, the shower should not be over 8.5 kilowatts. For a shower that is greater in kilowatts, the fuse/trip will be a 45 amp.

• Step Three - The next step in changing your electric shower is to check that the electric has been turned off by either pulling the cord switch in your bathroom or the wall-mounted one outside. Run the shower and make sure that the running water isn’t warm/hot. With the electric turned off, you can put a notice hanging from the consumer unit to warn others not to turn back on.

• Step Four - If the water is now off you can take off the water connection where it connects closest to the unit. Undo the electric cable connections and remove the unit, remembering to replace like-for-like in the kilowatt power rating of the unit (this rating can be found somewhere on the old unit, and on the front cover box of the new one).

• Step Five - When you have connected the new unit to the electric cable and to the water supply, check the water flow through the unit first, then with the cover on the unit you can turn the electric fuse/trip back on. Go back to the unit and turn the wall-mounted switch or pull the cord on, turn up the thermostatic control on the unit and the water control knob to on. Your new shower should be working, but with the new shower unit you will have the manufacturer’s instructions in the box. Follow these carefully, and it should be safe for you to install.

- Mark Lewis

 Would you like to learn more about the kind of DIY plumbing tasks you can perform yourself around the home? Access Training offers a number of bespoke plumbing courses for both DIY enthusiasts and those looking for a career as a professional plumber. You'll have access to our state-of-the-art training facilities and be taught by fully-trained plumbers with many years' experience in the trade. To find out more, give us a call on 0800 345 7492.