2008-03-20
Training schools which offer qualifications and then fail to deliver are costing students thousands of pounds, says the Plumbing and Heating Industry Alliance (PHIA).
The Alliance, which represents some 20-trade bodies with over 30,000 members in the UK, is campaigning to put an end to what it calls ‘rogue trainers’. PHIA chairman, Chris Sneath says, "There’s a crazy situation where anyone can set themselves up as a training school and claim to teach someone to be a qualified plumber in as little as four weeks. Needless to say, these get rich quick merchants charge a fortune - I’ve heard of as much as £5000 - but the would-be plumbers parting with their money end up with virtually nothing, certainly not the means to start a legitimate career in our industry. It’s nothing short of daylight robbery."
The industry’s accepted qualification for a plumber is National or Scottish Vocational Qualification (NVQ or SVQ) at Level 3. Typically this takes a minimum of three to four years training on the job, combined with study at a recognised training provider – such as college of further education. Chris Sneath again: "The entire plumbing and heating industry recognises the NVQ at level 3, a completed formal apprenticeship or appropriate experience over many years as the minimum for a legitimate plumber. Un-regulated trainers will often turn out cowboy plumbers, with all the risks to public health that entails. But sad to say, the government doesn’t want to know. I've personally spoken to government representatives but their attitude is to claim they don’t want to interfere in what they call 'free market practice'".
The Plumbing & Heating Industry Alliance is asking the media to support its campaign by refusing advertising from these rogue trainers. "We often see adverts for them contained in newspaper career supplements," says Chris Sneath. "We do realise that it’s not always easy to instantly recognise the good from the bad but we at the Alliance are very happy to offer advice." The PHIA hopes that its campaign will help to eradicate what has become a problem across the country, with countless thousands of pounds being lost by innocent people seeking a career in our industry.
The Plumbing & Heating Industry Alliance includes:
• The Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (IPHE)
• The Heating and Ventilating Contractors Association (HVCA)
• The Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC)
• SummitSkills (The Sector Skills Council for the Industry)
• The Worshipful Company of Plumbers
• The Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Federation (SNIPEF)
• The Joint Industry Board for Plumbing and Mechanical Engineering Services in England and Wales
• British Plumbing Employers Council Training Ltd (BPEC)
• The Institute of Domestic Heating and Environmental Engineers (IDHE)
• National Association of Plumbing Teachers (NAPT)
• The Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA)
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Related contacts
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Plumbing and Heating Industry Alliance
31 Brookmans Avenue
Brookmans Park, Hatfield
Herts, Al9 7QH
Tel: 01707 658709 |
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Source: PHIA Website - 07/03/08 |
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