UK members that work in the trades?

[KG29]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask members that are part of the trades in the UK some question's. Over here in Ontario Canada you must enter the Apprenticeship program and complete in school training and then let's say 5900 hours before you get your papers.

Doesn't matter if it's becoming an Electrician, HVAC, Framing etc

I wanted to know is everything the same in the United Kingdom? with it being controlled by the Government.

I will coming over for a few years and enjoy Tiling over-here, So I would like to do that.  I emailed this school teaching Tiling and never heard back as I asked the same question.
http://www.tiling-courses.co.uk/

any help would be great.

Thank you [smile]

 

[rst]

I can't answer your question but I belong to the Carpenters Talk Group on Facebook.  Most of the members are British and you probably can get a response from them.  Lots of great work showcased along with the occasional lunacy and off color posts.

 

[Rob-GB]

Sadly, although I have all my apprenticeship papers and exam certificates in Carpentry and Joinery I have never been asked to produce them, except when I got a job in Germany.
I have also worked with people who have never trained via an apprenticeship or gone to college. A few were good joiners but the rest left something to be desired.
There has been an influx of eastern europeans working in the trades with no qualifications but willing to work for lower wages in all our trades that has caused problems for the qualified workers.
So come on over, someone will employ you, whether you have skills or not. Just don't expect to earn what a qualified/experienced craftsperson might expect to earn.
Rob.

 

[Caly]

Papers are rarely asked for except (at the moment) gas & electrical, if you are to work privately and you are a good tiler that would be your main qualification.

site or sub contract you may be asked for awareness certificates i.e. health & safety , asbestos, there may be others but i mainly  work private so not up to speed on all requirements.

i am sure someone will add an amendment to this.

just read Rob-GB response and what he says is quite the case, so I heartily second that.

 

[joiner1970]

Same here , I did a full advanced craft City & Guilds apprenticeship back in the late eighties for around 4 years of college and site work. I've never had to show any of my certificates since lol. Sadly these days any old chancer can get work here which is annoying when you've gone the correct route, but then they wouldn't get away with it long on higher end work which is good  [big grin]

 

[demographic]

Weird cos quite a few sites ask about CSCS cards where I am.

 

[Womble]

This issue does seem to be getting addressed to some extent now via the CSCS Card Scheme.

Before when sites said you had to have a CSCS card people were just getting the basic Green card for labouring that allowed you to work on site, whereas now after some changes you have to get the correct card that matches your trade & therefore qualifications & after you pass the Health & Safety part of the test & apply for the card they actually check your credentials on the system before issuing a valid card.

Not all sites demand a valid CSCS card though & pretty much no small builders ever ask for one so there is still a massive void, i concur with the previous poster that pretty much all the decent quality Carpenters & Joiners i have worked with over the years have been qualified & all the unqualified ones have been smash & bash merchants (i accept there is always some exceptions) but in my experience over 30+ yrs this has been the case.

 

[sospan]

There is a huge difference in the UK to most places in the world.  There are no specific qualifications to do general building work for domestic customers.  If you want to work with electric and gas as an individual then you have to have to be registered with a trades body.

On "large" construction sites you have to have a minimum of a CSCS to do labouring work. However, to get the card you have to sit through a days training to get one.  There are other cards for specific trades carpenter, brick layer or technical people (architects, archaeologist etc.)

There is very little control on what "small" alterations homeowners can do their properties either themselves or via trades people. They are required to submit a planning application for larger works and then is a subsequent level of inspection for quality under what we can "Building control".

At the moment the UK industry is being flooded by eastern European labour many of whom don't have formal qualifications or training but do work to various "standards"