I enclose a copy of a letter published in the H&V News dated 22/9/01, which may be of interest to you (Ed – reproduced at bottom of page)
In the letter by Bob Mansfield he quotes Bob Henry admitting that ACS was not designed for new entrants, only experienced gas engineers. If this is the situation then there will never be any or very few newly qualified gas engineers. The reason being in theory you cannot work on gas until you are ACS or ACOPS qualified so you cannot get experience and so cannot hope to do the ACS assessments as you will not have enough experience. Another ACS screw up.
As I mentioned about a month ago we have at last got industrial commercial ACS in N.I. and received a letter from the Felden Campus on 2/8/2001 telling me. So I immediately sent off an e-mail to them requesting Information and available dates but heard nothing. After month of having heard nothing I have sent them a copy of the e-mail and a letter and have still heard nothing. It would appear they need to train the administrators how to reply to letters as it is taking an average of 9 months to get a reply to anything. My remaining ACOPS will have long expired before I can even get the basic ACS done
The Felden Campus sent me a list of costs and days required to carry out the assessments and available training. If I take all the training and assessments, costs, the time lost off work and loss of earning and wages etc I have worked out that to do the eight assessments I need to do the minimum to cover my type of work would come to £8,400.00.
The need for new gas fitters is so bad that the CITB here are offering grant assistance which ranges from £732 to £1392, to try and get new people registered. I will enclose a copy for you. (Ed – reproduced at bottom of page)
My apprentice who has got his NVQ level 3 is not the slightest bit interested in doing gas work although I do quite a bit. He sees all the hassle we go through with all the paper work and regulation etc and feels it is not worth the hassle; this is what the gas industry is up against in trying to recruit younger gas fitters.
I think I will send him anyway to see how he does, as he already has basic gas knowledge and can read a U tube and knows pressures etc, so he will not be going in blind.
It is unfortunate they can not spread a bit of the money towards keeping the experienced engineers they already have. I meet them all the time and they tell me they are not going to renew when their ACOPS runs out.
I was talking to a college lecturer at an IOP meeting in England recently and he tells me they have around 300 of these refugees in his college doing every course possible, some who cannot speak English. This is where your new gas fitters will come from as they are keen to make a new life for themselves and get on.
Letter from H&V News
Sir
I write with reference to the September 8 front page story “ Watchdog hits out at ‘ false ‘ NVQ claims “. in which Bob Henry is quoted; “ This could be misleading as ACS was designed for experienced operatives, not as a rule for new entrants “.
This shocking statement may well explain why so many modern apprentices who have CCN1 in their CVs are failing in droves.
I know Coventry Technical College has failed many young people on technical aspects relating to “ antique “ equipment.
If Bob Henry is correct, as I think he is, we should change the ACS system to allow for a gas operative to come out of a modern apprenticeship with a ‘license’ to continue learning his skills and knowledge in the industry.
We should give youngsters encouragement rather than telling them they have failed an exam not designed for them to pass.
We also need to encourage the future of our already decimated industry, not slap it in the face.
So much emphasis is placed on young operatives to get their gas certificates that failure only leads to them becoming disillusioned with the industry and leaving, or worse still being told by employers they are no good without qualifications.
The industry should wake up. Good gas operatives are grown and nurtured not dismissed due to lack of experience.
Let’s encourage the authorities to introduce a qualification that gives them the basics to build on.
Ed – I have no knowledge of the reference to “ Watchdog hitting out at ‘false’ NVQ claims “. If anyone can fill me in I would appreciate it.
CITB Grant Assistance
Dear Sir
Do you or any of your employees wish to become CORGI registered and avail of the new grant assistance currently available?
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) in partnership with the Training & Employment Agency (T&EA) have introduced a grant scheme to assist organisations, businesses and individuals to obtain Council for Registered Gas Installers (CORGI) registration. This grant assistance ranges from £732 up to £1392, The grant assistance is available for a set period to all those who have not been registered as installers either as an organisation, business or individual and who would be deemed eligible under the scope of the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations Northern Ireland 1997.
CITB invite you to attend an evening seminar at which the following issues will be covered: Who can avail of the grant assistance; Scheme registration; Scheme structure; Gas training and assessment provision; and CITB grants.
This seminar, which is free of charge, will take place at the Wellington Park Hotel, Belfast on Thursday 27th September 2001, beginning at 7.00 pm. Light refreshments will be available on arrival. To confirm your attendance please fill in your details and fax back to 028 9082 5247 or contact me at CITB 028 9082 4208 or on my mobile 0775 3971878.
I look forward to seeing you at the event.
Yours sincerely
Ed - Name Withheld
Senior Administrator
Building Engineering Services
