Believe it or not, despite all the extensive media coverage at the time, many people are still unaware that the Corgi accreditation, which regulated the work carried out by gas fitters, has now been replaced by Gas Safe.

The Corgi Register changed to the Gas Safe Register back in September of 2008, after the HSE conducted a study which established the need for a new system to cope with the increase in the number of homes using gas in the UK (about 21 million). More importantly, it was designed to improve the statistics for death and injury resulting from gas installations. It was felt that a new Gas Safe Register would increase public awareness about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Stephen Manley, an Inspector for the HSE, referred to the need for more people to be aware of the change from Corgi Registration to Gas Safe Registration: “It is illegal for an unregistered person to carry out work on a gas appliance. When unqualified workers try to bypass the law in this way they are not only putting themselves at risk of prosecution and a large fine, they are also putting their customers' lives at risk.

"Working with gas appliances requires a great deal of skill and knowledge, it is also potentially very dangerous. Only qualified and registered engineers should attempt it.

Paul Johnston, the Chief Executive of the Gas Safe Register, commented: "To fit, fix or service gas appliances… that person [needs to be] Gas Safe Registered [not Corgi Registered]. You shouldn't take any risks; badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances can cause fires, explosions, gas leaks and carbon monoxide poisoning".

So, if you are looking to become qualified as a gas fitter, you need to become Gas Safe Registered. Access Training offer the simplest way to get Gas Safe Registered quickly and safely; our gas training courses come with a guaranteed work placement with a reputable Gas Safe Registered company, giving you the skills and confidence to fit gas appliances safely. However, just remember that it’s the Gas Safe Register and not the Corgi Register you really need to be a part of.

For comprehensive training enabling you to become Gas Safe Registered, contact Access Training today on 0800 345 7492. We have an enormous range of industry accredited trades training courses, which will teach you everything you need to know.

There are expected to be in the region of 230,000 disappointed young people missing out on a university place this year, damaging their hopes for a rewarding job, and in their view, affecting their future earning ability.

But is this truly the case? What about the wealth of vocational training options available which can lead to an extremely rewarding and lucrative career?

Vocational courses lead to higher-paying jobs

The median salary for graduates is £23,000*, which compares poorly to the average salary for an electrician in the UK, which currently sits at £31,701*.

Vocational courses cost less than university courses

At time of writing, university fees stand at £3290 per year, rising to £9000 in a year’s time. That’s £27,000 for a three year course (without the inclusion of living expenses).

For that price you could gain dozens of industry-recognised vocational qualifications, including plumbing and electrical awards, as well as becoming Gas Safe qualified and registered, with bags of money remaining to buy your first van and all your tools!

There aren't enough university places to go around

To add to the strain for university places, these potential students are also coming under pressure from competition for places from the EU, with applications for places rising by 8% already this year. It stands to reason that with the much vilified 2012 rise in fees, many more applications are being received per place as an attempt to beat the price hike, but to what end?

The surge in applicants shows a further increase on the quarter of a million that applied for a university position last year, with one in three unable to gain a place.

However, this needn’t be the end of the world; in fact it can be the start of a whole new successful chapter of an individual’s life. Vocational alternatives such as plumbing, electrical and gas courses are readily available. The Government recently announced their intention to set up 40 new university technical colleges (UTCs); however, this news was lost amongst the furore of the tuition fee protests. Such careers are extremely worthy alternatives to a university education, especially given the current skills gap in the country (which has existed for decades).    

Even EAL, the organisation which awards vocational qualifications across sectors including plumbing, electrical and gas, has called for an end to what it rightly describes as snobbery against vocational courses.

Sally Hunt, General Secretary of the University and College Union, has said:

"Our Government seems intent on ignoring the global trend of increasing access to university, which will see thousands of applicants denied the chance to fulfil their potential."

However, Hunt doesn’t acknowledge that an individual’s potential can still be fulfilled through vocational courses.

So if you want to save your money, study for less time, and develop the technical ability and skill to earn many times what a graduate would expect to earn, all without the vast huge amounts of debt, a vocational course may be the way to go. We offer a variety of vocational courses here at Access Training - browse our latest training packages here.

*Sources: www.salarytrack.co.uk and www.mysalary.co.uk

In an article entitled "Making Life Child Friendly", the South Wales Echo featured a number of our former electrical and plumbing training pupils. 

"As parents continue to feel the pinch, more and more are looking at new ways of making money while spending time with their families as well, as Cathy Owen discovered

For Sean Gully family always come first and it is the main reason he decided on a complete career change.

The dad-of-two, from Llanishen, Cardiff, had been working in IT sales, selling document management solutions.

He covered large areas of England and Wales, so it meant a lot of travelling away from his family. Work was also starting to dry up because of the recession.

 “With a wife and two daughters to support I felt it was time to get a trade and find a career where I could almost guarantee myself work wherever I went,” said the 45-year-old, who is originally from Australia.

“After some research I found that electricians were in high demand.”

He went on an Access Training course and is now working as a self-employed electrician and has a contract with an estate agent"....Read the full story

How Can You Become a Plumber in Australia? 

Our plumbing training courses are producing highly skilled individuals, which countries such as Australia are attempting to entice with lucrative offers.

However, becoming a plumber in Australia can be tricky as the opportunities to train and be recognised as a qualified plumber there are very different from the UK.

You'll need to obtain various licenses and certificates need to be issued prior to practicing as a plumber in Australia. So, if you want to appeal to potential employers, you should already hold recognised international qualifications such as a City & Guilds in plumbing or an NVQ2 in plumbing.

How to work as a plumber in Australia

Here at Access Training, we provide courses which will provide you with your plumbing qualifications in no time at all. These qualifications can then be used to become a plumber in Australia.

Browse Plumbing Courses

So if you have aspirations to work abroad as a plumber either now or in the future, get in contact with Access Training. Our beginner's training course in domestic plumbing will put you on your way to finding well-paid work in no time at all.

Plumbers earn a fortune, that’s what people say, and you know what, they’re not far wrong. But why do plumbers continue to command such a large wage compared to tradesmen in other industries? A common sense response would be that there must be a shortage of plumbers, but is this really the case, or is it just a common misnomer?

Writing for the Financial Times, Tim Harford discusses why this is the case: “Just like being a waiter or a taxi driver, a plumber’s skills haven’t been superseded by technology. Within other industries the skill of the worker has been partly and sometimes wholly replaced by the advent of technology and machines. They offer a more cost effective and efficient way to make products, manage systems and generally speed things up in the industry”.

In plumbing the techniques and manpower needed to carry out the work have remained largely the same for years with little prospect of radical change, which is of course excellent news for existing plumbers and for those thinking of undergoing plumbing training. The skills you will learn now will not become outdated, with their validity assured for years to come.

Harford explains further: “Now you can buy amazing televisions and cars which are cheaper than those available 20 years ago, yet plumbing has not really changed so it still remains expensive. In my book this makes plumbing a career to have above all else. In 50 years there is no way that robots will be able to change our pipes”.

It’s common knowledge that plumbers earn a great wage. We all know that calling out a plumber can be difficult. They always seem to be busy, and in an emergency you need someone who is going to be available straight away. For once we’ve put two and two together and come up with the right answer. Plumbers earn a fortune because there is a shortage of skilled tradesmen available, and there really is no other way of getting the work done. Therefore, as with the basic principles of supply and demand, the price being paid is at a premium. Recent predictions by City & Guilds, who award various plumbing training qualifications, have found that a plumber can expect to earn on average £605 a week, with some plumbers earning quoted figures of £780 per week, which is a marvelous £40,523 a year.

If you are interested in taking advantage of this skills shortage then contact Access Training today. We can fit our range of intensive plumbing training courses in and around your current commitments, allowing you the chance to gain industry recognised qualifications.

Reading the various reports coming from Government sources has led many to conclude that as of the end of 2010, ‘no one will be able to become an electrician unless they are on an apprenticeship’. Here at Access Training we know this is simply not the case. Consider the following scenario... One particular individual, let's call him Dave, is looking for a change in career and would really like to become an electrician. He currently works in a call centre for a popular and well advertised gas company answering calls each and every day.  The pay is poor and the hours are long.  He has a friend who recently completed an intense course and is now a successful plumber. Up until now, his present job has been sufficient. He has been enjoying life and glad of the regular income which supports this. At the age of 30, Dave meets a girl and decides / hopes she is the one. They move in together.  They now have two incomes, and although small the rent is covered, bills are paid and they enjoy regular nights out. 

Dave then reaches his 31st birthday; he decides that now is the time and pops the question. She accepts, he breaths a huge sigh of relief, and they start thinking about buying a house.  Dave then discovers he is due to be a father, and after some thought realises his income really needs to increase if he is going to be able to provide sufficiently for his family.  He needs a change of career and has always liked the idea of being an electrician. He has done some research and discovered that his earning potential will soar, giving him and his family the lifestyle they crave. He has already discussed working with his plumber friend; he currently has no qualifications and doesn’t know where to get trained.  He pays a visit to a few local colleges and enquires about going on an evening course.  The tutor explains the courses are full and there is a substantial waiting list. He also discovers that even after the completion of such a course he will only be qualified to lower level, not giving him full electrician status, allowing him to get a  job as a ‘mate’ or an ‘improver’. He is also put off by the length of the course which lasts a matter of years; realistically he would much prefer a high intensity course which lasts just months. 

He then sees something in the national press which talks about Adult Apprenticeships and thinks great, this could be my chance. After a little research he realises that finding an employer who is willing to take him on an apprenticeship is virtually impossible. Now he feels completely lost.

Then one day just by chance he spots an advert in the local press from Access Training, a company that specialises in providing training for career changers and offers intensive and focused training which fits around an individual’s job, lifestyle and family commitments. This sounds great. He gives them a call and they explain everything he needs to know about becoming an electrician, allaying all the myths and taking the time to carefully explain, impartially, the facts relating to his prospects in the industry. They explain how the technical know-how and industry recognised qualifications he will receive will act as a carrot-on-a-stick to employers; he could even set out on his own when he is ready.  Within a short period of time he could have all the necessary qualifications to work as a fully qualified and graded electrician, more than trebling his previous income. 

Dave attends the course, becomes fully qualified, and because he’s his own boss he can spend as much time with his family as he likes. His earnings leap towards levels he never thought possible. There is also great benefit to the industry as a whole as the skills shortage is addressed, with the addition of an enthusiastic, motivated and well qualified electrician. Everyone’s a winner! 

This wonderful opportunity exists out there in the labour market today; you just have to know where to look. Yet governing bodies such as Summit Skills would not record this as a success. They are so blinkered that they are only interested in youth apprenticeships and not adult trainees with internationally recognised qualifications accredited from the NICEIC and City & Guilds.

With a massive decrease in apprenticeships offered by companies over the last few years, coupled with the ‘Credit Crunch’, there are more people than ever out of work.  Lots of people want to be electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and trades people but cannot find the necessary training to make progress.  Many mature individuals don’t believe they can become electricians at all as they falsely believe they have ‘missed the boat’ or are ‘too old’. Many adult learners know they want to learn a trade and do something with their hands. But for whatever reason, information on how to get good trade training as an adult is not easy to come by. This is where commercially aware, honest private training providers like Access Training come in. Just take a look at our testimonial section for examples.

So is a career change really a good idea when the information and advice can seem confusing?  Well, yes, in the majority of situations it is.  A career change brings fresh impetus, a new outlook on life and for many people, an opportunity to improve their financial situation.  This is the driving force behind most adult trainees, who, with careful introduction and thoughtful application by training providers like Access Training, can successfully change their lives for the better.

The problem is that for a mature individual, interested in a career change, making the right choice is never easy. However, planned correctly with the help of Access Training, adult students have a great opportunity to get out there and fill the skills gap, in a job which is both enjoyable and financially rewarding.

The conclusion is simple: colleges and apprenticeships are not always the answer; certainly not for a mature individual looking for a career change. Here at Access Training, we are not at all worried about the future of our adult students. We have many success stories across all the trades. Amongst all the doom and gloom in the current economy and the jobs market, the future is very bright for any individuals looking to become electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and more.

Call us today to find out how an intensive electrical training course or plumbing training course will prepare you for the trade, putting in place the industry recognised, expert qualifications you need