January is often a time when people start thinking about a career change. In today’s economy with rates of high unemployment and people facing redundancy, you may be thinking of re-training in a different sphere of work – maybe a trade where you have a skill for life and opportunity to become your own boss. While the majority of training providers offer quality courses and industry recognised qualifications, there are rogue trainers out there, selling a dream of fast-track courses and high earning careers.
Lesley Challis of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE), the professional body for the plumbing and heating industry, commented: “Sadly, we are still receiving regular reports of rogue training providers. A mother recently contacted me about the plight of her son who had spent £5,500 on a training course, which promised a full plumbing qualification, support in finding full-time employment and a free tool kit. The reality was that the course fell way short of NVQ Level 2 and he was left unemployed, with no support, for a year. He now faces an uncertain future in the industry and the prospect of having to re-train from scratch.”
With many people using the last of their savings and redundancy money to fund new qualifications, it is vital to only train with an accredited provider and to pick the right qualification. The CIPHE recommends training to NVQ Diploma Level 3, which is the recognised industry standard.
The CIPHE has a downloadable FAQ sheet on careers in plumbing on its website:www.ciphe.org.uk/Professional/Careers
To find out more about qualifications please visit www.cityandguilds.com