Separate ACS Certifications: 

If you have been feeling unfulfilled in your current career or job position, maybe you have been thinking about a change for a while, but have never got round to actually taking any action.here at Access Training we aim to make it as easy as possible to find and enrol onto your perfect trade training course.

To help make finding your course even easier, we have designed a new course finder feature on our homepage. All you have to do is simply select which trade you are interested in learning and you will be taken to the relevant course page. For instance, if you are interested in beginning a new career as a plumber, click “plumber” on the course finder and it will take you to our “train to become a plumber” page, on which you will find all the courses we have available, along with a detailed description for each course.

At Access Training, we specialise in delivering top quality trade training courses. If you have little to no experience in your chosen trade, then do not worry, or training courses are designed specially to turn the complete novice into an expert in the shortest time possible.

What courses do we offer at Access Training?

Plumber

If you are interested in becoming a professional plumber we can help. For the complete novice, we offer 3 courses all offering varying levels of qualifications. If you would like to be a Domestic Plumber, then our Essential Plumbing Course is perfect for you. You will learn all the fundamental skills and theory that you will need to become a plumber, and upon completion you will be awarded a city and guilds plumbing qualification.

For the more ambitious, we offer more comprehensive plumbing courses, our Professional Plumbing Course where you will learn the basics and work towards your NVQ Level 2 in plumbing and Heating, allowing you to take more advanced work after completion. Finally, our Premier Plumbing Course, which will not only train you as a plumber, but you will also train to be a qualified gas engineer.

Electrical Courses.

Like the plumbing courses above, we offer a range of Electrical courses for all you budding electricians out there. If you are a complete beginner, with little to no knowledge in electrics and would like to learn the basics of electrical work, and gain essential qualifications, then our Essential Electrical course is perfect for you. In this short course you will learn the 17th edition electrical regulations, and Part P Domestic Electrical Installer.

Again, if you would like to take on more advanced work after you become a fully trained electrician, our Professional Electrical Course, upon completion of this course you will be efficient in domestic installation jobs and you will become qualified to inspect and test commercial, domestic or industrial electrical installations. Throughout this course you will also gain 5 industry qualifications.

If you are looking to become an electrician, our Premier Electrical Course, is rivalled by none. Upon completion of the Premier Electrical Course, you will be an expert in both domestic and commercial electrical work, and gain 6 essential industry qualifications including, Part P, 17th edition, PAT testing, Inspection and Testing, Periodic inspection and testing, and Design, Erection and Verification qualifications.

Gas Engineer

Here at Access Training we are incredibly proud of the quality of the courses that we provide to our students, across a range of disciplines.  As well as Plumbing and Electrical courses, we also offer a range of Gas Engineering courses. These courses are ideal if you are a plumber looking to develop your skill set or if you are a complete beginner who would like to become a gas engineer.

If you are interested in learning the fundamentals of Gas Engineering, or you are looking for a refresh course, then our Essential Gas Course is the perfect course for you. Here you will learn the basics such as, practical skills, understanding installations, how to repair, service and maintain gas boilers, and much more!

If you want to become a fully qualified gas engineer, we offer our Professional Gas Course which will equip you with all the advanced knowledge you need to succeed in this field. We will also help you work towards your ACS Certificate. Our Premier Gas Course will not only train you to become a fully qualified Gas engineer, you will also be able to install and maintain electrical appliances.

We also offer a range of construction courses, here at access training, including;

• Carpentry courses
• Bricklaying Courses
• Plastering Courses
• Tilling Courses
• Property Developer

If you are interested in enrolling onto any of our courses, or would like any information about the courses we offer, please get in touch!

Everyday electricians are called out to commercial and domestic properties to help fix and minor issues, test their electrical equipment or to complete a full installation or re-wire. However, just like plumbers and gas engineers, electricians are struggling to keep up with the increasing demand for their skills.  

In 2010 the amount of electrical wiring firms and employees was at an all-time high, there were roughly 37,000 wiring firms with 198,000 employed electricians. Now over the last few years we have seen the number of employed electricians decrease to levels lower than before the onset of the economic downfall.  

During the economic downfall, many skilled traders left their industry; either took an early retirement or retrained in a new industry.  Like many skilled trade industries, the ageing demographics of electricians also meant that many electricians have retired and have not since been replaced by new industry entrants.

Because of the increase demand in electricians this means that there are a lot of jobs and opportunities out there for new electricians, helping their new business or firm to quickly become established. So if you are thinking about starting a new career, or thinking about retraining to become an electrician there has never been a better time.

Access training offers a wide variety of electrician courses, from specially designed courses for people who have little to no experience with electrical work through to professional electrician courses – aimed at people who are just looking to expand their skill set and increase their service offering.

Essential Electrical Course

If you would like to learn the basics of electrical work them this specialist electrician’s course would be perfect for you.  The Electrical Essential course is ideal for the complete beginner or people who are looking to add electrical knowledge to their existing skill set.  

Upon completion of this course you will have an intricate understanding of installation and maintenance of lighting, sockets, cooker circuits and consumer units. You will also learn how to certify domestic installations such as full house re-wires.

You will also complete your C&G 17th edition Electrical Regs  proving that you have a good working knowledge on the current wiring regulations.  

Professional Electrical Course

If you are looking to acquire a deeper level of understanding of electrical work, our bespoke professional electrical course will equip you with a comprehensive understanding of electrical installations. This course covers a wide range of circuits and will introduce you to the theory of electrical work.

Completion of our professional electrical course will provide you with 5 sort after qualifications including Part P domestic installer, 17th edition,  C&G PAT testing and, C&G 2392 & 2395.

For more information about our professional electrician’s course, click here.

Premier Electrical Course

Finally our Premier electrician’s course will guide you from being a complete beginner to electrical work through to having an advanced understanding of electrical installations and how they work. This course consists of 6 vital industry qualifications and upon completion of the course you will be able to complete domestic and commercial electrical work to an extremely high standard.

To read more about our premier Electrical Course, click here.

 To find out more about access trainings specialist electrician courses, click here. Alternatively,  you can contact us by using our contact form, or telephoning 0800 345 7492

On Tuesday 2nd February, the mayor of London announced The London Boiler Cash back scheme, as part of his commitment to help reduce London’s carbon emissions by 60 per cent in 2025. This is the first major boiler scrappage scheme in England since the launch of the campaign in 2010.

Here at Access Training, we offer a large variety of electrical courses that equip each student with the skills necessary to embark on a new career as a fully qualified electrician. Our courses are developed for people who would like a new challenge and aspire to run their own businesses. But don’t take our word for it - have a look at what some of our past students had to say about their experience at Access Training:

"The training was very daunting to start with, but it all gets broken down into simple manageable tasks where I was very well supported by the tutor." - Peter Baxter

As the years go by, technology changes, and so the skills that are needed to become a fully qualified electrician are ever changing. When researching electrician courses, it's important to choose an academy that keeps up with the ever-changing electrical environment; here at Access Training, we constantly update our state-of-the-art facilities and endeavour to provide a realistic, hands-on learning experience for all of our students, so when you are working in the field, you are confident dealing with real life work.  

Gethyn Hudson had this to say about his experience at Access Training:

"A well run practical week, with real life problems. It allowed me to develop the skills from week one in a practical situation. The tutor gave me the space I needed but was always on hand when required. The facilities and training staff are very good." - Gethyn Hudson

Here at Access Training, we will provide you with the knowledge, qualifications and confidence to become self-employed. Former students Richard Gates and Scott Daily were not fully satisfied with their chosen careers, so they enrolled on an electrician course provided by Access Training and they are both now trading as self-employed electricians:

"This course has led to me becoming self-employed as an electrician and has led to me expanding my family's building and roofing business." - Scott Daly

"I'm the happiest I've ever been in my working life. I like being my own boss and having control over my working week. And I'm earning three times what I was at the BBC!" - Richard Gates 

If you are thinking about changing your career in 2016, our flexible courses will allow you complete your training about your current commitments, so if you have family commitments, or are currently employed you will not have to quit your job while training for your new  career. No matter your situation, we will always endeavour to accommodate you. 

So if you want to take the plunge and begin training to become your own boss in 2016, why not enquire about our electrician courses? Click here to view our full range of electrician courses; alternatively, you can contact us on 0800 245 7492 or e-mail info@accesstraininguk.co.uk.

The steps to retrain and start a new career aren't quite as hard as many people think, but there's always one obstacle that makes the decision much harder than it needs to be - fear. The fear of it not quite working out, the fear of what other people might think of your new career path, the fear of struggling to find (and pass) the training you require...these and many other fears are preventing people from making their dreams come true. However, these fears will only stop you if you let them, and this can be avoided with three simple steps to helping that dream career become a reality.

Play to your strengths

The various construction/trade industries all rely on different skillsets that realistically may or may not be suitable. Trades such as bricklaying or plastering place greater emphasis on physical strength and stamina, while electrical and gas engineering training require more theory knowledge and calculating skills. Knowing what you excel at is the key to making your new career a success, but be sure to also do a good amount of research into your potential new career before starting down the path. What qualifications do you need? Where can you train? What will the course entail? These are the kind of questions you should be asking, and ones that our team of course advisors would also be happy to answer for you.

Take it one step at a time

Even if you're dead-set on what you want to do with your life, the thought of rushing into a new career can still be incredibly daunting. At the same time, procrastinating can also doom something to failure before it's even gotten properly off the ground. Don't just make a website or twitter and then leave it to die; instead, wait until you're good and ready to do things like that . Take it slowly - we've already mentioned research, so move on to writing your goals down on paper. Discuss your plans with friends and family - you never know, they might have work that needs doing that you can eventually take on or even have some handy contacts in the industry. Come to one of our training centres, have a look around, and discuss your needs with our course advisors. Then, when you feel ready, you can book the date for your training course and have plenty of time to prepare yourself.

Prepare a safety net

While we by no means think failure is a likely thing (in fact, we're confident it'll be quite the opposite), it would be wrong of you to not prepare for the worst just as a precautionary measure. Make sure you have an idea of where you could turn for a job should your new career not turn out the way you expect, and then once that's written down, keep it safe and you need never think about it again unless it comes up. It's also good to be sure you have ample finances to keep yourself afloat while you're training. If you're currently employed you might want to hold onto that job for as long as possible while you retrain. This is why we've made our courses flexible - so that you can train when you have the time.

That should get some of the fear out of the way! Now, here are some very real facts that demonstrate why now is the time to start a new career as a professional plumber, electrician, gas engineer or construction worker. The UK is always short of professional tradespeople to perform all kinds of domestic installations and fixings, and with new housebuilding on the rise that shortage is only going to increase. There simply aren't enough bricklayers, plasterers, carpenters and tilers around to help set the houses up, and even when there are, where are the electricians, plumbers and decorators who are able to turn that house into a home?

Construction/trade careers are cited among the happiest around, offering the right level of challenge to match the skills required. The hours and pay rate are enviable too, especially if you choose to go self-employed!

Still, there's no wrong time to start a new career. These trades aren't just a young man's game, nor are they something best suited only to older people; if you've got the drive and dedication to earn your qualifications and make the dream come true, then you're exactly what employers are looking for.

To find out more about what's on offer here at Access Training, give us a call on 0800 345 7492. Keep your end goal in sight, and then not even fear will be able to stop you.

Some electrical problems are more common than others, and not everyone requires an intensive electrician course or professional qualification to deal with the issue at hand. With this in mind, here's a short list of five of the most common household electrical problems, and how they can be fixed with ease.

1. No power from an electrical socket

This common household electrical problem could be due to a number of things, some of which you will be able to fix yourself without the aid of a professional electrician. Usually, it's down to a tripped circuit breaker, or perhaps the fuse has gone.

Alternatively, it could be because of a loose wire somewhere. It's easy to check whether the circuit breaker has tripped or the fuse has blown, but if its neither of these you may need the aid of a power tester/voltage meter. If the test results in low or no power, it probably means the wiring is loose somewhere and requires further inspection.

2. Flickering lights

Again, this household electrical problem could be due to any number of reasons. Flickering lights or those that do not turn on/off when commanded are usually due to a larger problem, as is a buzzing sound you'll hear when the lights are on. The simple answer is that you might be using the wrong wattage light bulb, but it could also be a case of a bad connection. Whatever it is, in most cases this can be fixed by simply changing the bulb.

3. Half the house lights have gone off

We've probably all been here at some point. Usually, this household electrical problem can be fixed by locating your house's fuse box and flipping the switch (be sure all the light switches are off in the affected area though!). However once again it could be a short fuse or loose wiring somewhere. You might be able to locate this with your voltage tester/power meter but it's recommended that you call an electrician if needed.

4. Strange smell coming from switch/socket

When the circuit connection of an electrical device is damaged, the electricity jumps to complete the circuit. Not only creating this smell but also potentially resulting in a fire as the electricity zaps anything along the way. Electrical device arcing also indicates a serious damage to both the socket and electrical device. You'll need to unplug the appliance immediately and seek the help of a professional.

5. Hot switches

This usually occurs in dimming switches when they are running bulbs that are equal to or less than 600 Watts. When this happens, achieve the wattage required to run the dimmer properly by adding the right amount of bulbs. However, if it's the wall socket that's hot, you need to use a voltage meter to look for a high decrease or increase in voltage.

Hopefully, this post has helped you in being able to identify some of the common electrical problems you might find at home, and what you can do to fix them. However it is important to know your limitations, and NEVER attempt something that should be performed by a professional electrician.

If you would like to find out more, Access Training offer a DIY Electrical course in addition to our professional qualification courses, giving you the opportunity to practice your DIY electrical skills under the tutelage of industry professionals. For more information give us a call on 0800 345 7492.