Access training!? Anybody used them? Need help to get quals

[Dalejones]

Ok I've been doin carpentry since I left school and for the last 5 years I've been working for Tesco maintenance, I have never done any qualifications in carpentry and I really want to be "qualified"

Access training offer a 8 week coarse mon-fri and that gets you C&G 6706-23

Would that mean I'm a qualified carpenter? Also the coarse is £3800

I'm restricted as my work won't release me 1 day a week to go to college and Tesco maintenance isn't good enough for site evidence as there is limited carpentry work that I do for them, only the odd firedoor etc.

I really want to have papers as in the future I wish to leave Tesco and maybe move to australia or get a job with a carpentry firm, help would be appreciated! Dale

 

[nev]

Speak to an emigration agency or two and find out what you need. I suspect that being employed as a carpenter for years will be more relevant than a C&G cert.
I'm not an employer but every 'hands on' job I've ever applied for or had has paid no heed to qualifications, i.e. the requirement is the ability to do the job or at least an aptitude for it and the willingness to learn whilst being paid a pittance and sweeping up.

 

[slate1234]

I worked in australia for two years I have a NVQ level 3 which added points to our family visa I had to do a 3 day first aid course and H and S course for 1 day my NVQ didn't mean anything when I got there but I got work within a week and had a nice time we came back for reasons I won't go into,
I think you will find a C&G is equivalent to NVQ level 2,
slate.

 

[Jacob]

Seems bloody expensive and a very short course.
Have you asked at local colleges? Maybe I'm out of touch but there used to be masses of training/education available free of charge.

 

[tomatwark]

Seems bloody expensive and a very short course.
Have you asked at local colleges? Maybe I'm out of touch but there used to be masses of training/education available free of charge.

A lot of the colleges have stopped doing practical courses, as they can get more bums on seats for written/IT courses and therefore make more money.

If you want to train as a wood machinist in the North of the UK you either have to go to Leeds or Falkirk now, or use an external company to come in train on the company premises as I do.

The price is about the going rate, the training company I use for in house SVQ's ( we are in Scotland ) charge about £3000 per course.

I get them funded either through the modern apprenticeship or other grant funding I have managed to tap into, other wise it would be a no go for me.

As an employer I am not to worried about new applicants having a piece of paper, it is a case of being able to do the job quickly, to a high standard and safely, because I am running this business to make money at the end of the day.

I still need to make sure they have training on the machines and keep a proper record for health and safety purposes.

However if the OP wants to go Oz he will need a qualification to be able to apply.

 

[pcb1962]

Seems bloody expensive and a very short course.

£95 a day, £12 ph assuming an 8 hour day.
Doesn't seem unreasonable to me as long as the teaching and the facilities provided are adequate.

 

[RobinBHM]

Funding for NVQ at a further education college stops at age 24, if I remember correctly above that you have to pay and a local college wont be any cheaper than a private training centre.

It may give you the certificate you need for Australia but it wont give you experience as a carpenter on site. In my experience of employing people with carpentry NVQ's are woefully unprepared for industry or site work. Colleges need to completely update their courses to reflect modern methods of manufacture and site construction.

I would say take a gamble, get a job with a good builder working on site as well as the course (not at the same time).

 

[woodpig]

I'm not an employer but every 'hands on' job I've ever applied for or had has paid no heed to qualifications, i.e. the requirement is the ability to do the job or at least an aptitude for it and the willingness to learn whilst being paid a pittance and sweeping up.

This has applied to all the jobs I've done as well, the proven ability to do the job. I'm retired now but I suspect if I was younger and applied for my last job I probably wouldn't get it as I "wasn't qualified". :wink: