Our Voltimum Experts answer your questions on a daily basis in our Technical Expertise area. This Question of the Day, concerning a partially qualified currently unemployed young person who wants further qualification, is answered by the ECA:
I've already done the City & Guilds 2330 at Levels 2 & 3 at my own expense, but I am now out of pocket. When the construction industry picks up eventually, I will be taking the NVQ Level 3 in Installation (Building & Structures), which is also part of the my 2330 course.
Any guidance and recommendations are welcome.
Answer: Thank you for your enquiry. Funding is always a difficult subject and varies depending on your age and location in the county. You will need to discuss course fees and funding with your local training provider. As a general rule, short courses do not attract any funding, where as apprenticeships do.
The technical certificate, which you have already achieved, along with the NVQ, will enable you to apply for an ECS Gold Card and be recognised within the industry as qualified. However, the domestic installer is not suitable for new entrants into the industry, and so you would not benefit from taking it.
Unfortunately, there are currently many people in your situation waiting for work to pick up in order to finish a full training programme. This is particularly difficult, because to be fully qualified, the final part of the training programme is an assessment of your competence, which needs to be carried out on site.
I hope that this helps clarify the situation, and I wish you every success for the future.
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www.voltimum.co.uk/consult.php?universe=consult.index.questions