The mistake that you are all making in my estimation is to assume that everyone who passes some or other competency scheme is a "good engineer" and everyone who doesn't is a cowboy. I think that the schemes we have today are merely cowboy creation schemes where an unemployed window cleaner can become a certified gas fitter or electrician in 6 months or less provided they can afford it. I did an electrical apprenticeship in the late 60's early 70's plus 3 years of day release to qualify for Nat Dip in electrical engineering. I fix all electrical problems on my own gas boiler. If I have a gas problem, I call my gas safe man! or rather I did because he has now retired, so I have to find another one. You can be sure I will not be using any of the four gas safe registered cowboys who I got to "service" my boiler annually before I found him. I have the all important manual for my boiler, and I know how it should be annually serviced, with the first four guys it certainly wasn't. Being a cowboy is a state of mind which reveals a person who takes the shortest route to the maximum profit, and no amount of competency schemes will root him out. The vast majority of young supposedly qualified "tradesmen" I work with today are laughably incompetent to a man when it comes to anything other than a straightforward installation, fault finding? Forget it!! it bodes very badly for the future. The smart move seems to be to get into the training and registration "industry" QUICK!
"Hello hermetic",
While I wholeheartedly Agree with most of your comments and I HATE the idea of People who have NO Association with Industries relating to Pipework or who have NO Technical Background being able to Purchase Training and Assessments in order to be Eligible to Register as `Gas Installers` - I wondered where I had `Been Mistaken` in something that I wrote on this subject ?
As I have written a few of the Posts on this subject - I wondered what You thought that I had written that was a `Mistake` ? - This is the comment that I refer to:
`The mistake that you are all making in my estimation is to assume that everyone who passes some or other competency scheme is a "good engineer" and everyone who doesn't is a cowboy`.
I certainly do NOT think that just `Passing` Assessments on Gas ACS makes a `Gas Engineer`.
In fact I think that the ACS should NOT be available to ANYONE who is not Training while Working for a Heating / Plumbing & Gas Company - and this should be a Company that would be Registered as a Training Provider `Partner` - Providing Training in conjunction with an Approved and Regulated Training Provider.
This would STOP the current situation where ANY Gas Safe Registered Engineer / Installer can `Verify` an Applicants Gas Work `Portfolio` - therefore enabling them to obtain the Gas Training and Assessment Places at the various Training and Assessment Providers.
I also believe that the Gas ACS should NOT be `Open Book` during the Assessments.
I am one of the Gas Engineers who HAS come from the Apprenticeship - [Plumbing] and `Continued Professional Development` in Heating and Gas Routes - plus the Defined Scope Electrical Part P Scheme.
The REASON that I keep mentioning the Gas ACS and Gas Safe Registration as being REQUIRED is because it is a LAW that ONLY those `Qualified` / `Deemed Competent` by Passing the necessary Gas ACS Assessments AND Registered with Gas Safe can LEGALLY Work on Gas Appliances / Gas Pipework etc.
BUT it is My opinion that the Gas ACS Scheme has Unleashed probably THOUSANDS of `Registered Gas Installers` who would not have anything like the Experience / Knowledge that I had when I was an Apprentice !
The Gas ACS were introduced to theoretically `Upgrade` the previous ACOPS [Approved Code of Practice] Scheme - as these were deemed to be `Even Easier` to Pass Assessment on !
Now they are viewed by the Government / Law / Training Providers as `At Least showing a Level of Competence` that requires Knowledge in order to Pass the Assessments.
While I personally would prefer that ONLY those who have completed an Apprenticeship which was either for Gas or included Gas Utilisation should be allowed to be `Registered Gas Engineers` / Legally allowed to Work with Gas / Gas Appliances - It was partly the Fact that there was a shortage of People doing Apprenticeships in Plumbing and Gas that required the `Dumbing Down` that saw the ACOPS and then the ACS being brought in as the Required Assessments for Gas Work.
Throughout My Career I have tried to Ensure that I obtained ALL of the Necessary Training and Examination / Assessments that were Associated with My Trade / Industry - `Continued Professional Development` - Too many to List here.
I view Myself as a `Consummate Professional` in Plumbing - Heating and Gas - My Career has spanned over 40 Years and I not only have the necessary Training and Qualifications / Assessments in ALL of the above Trades - but also Decades of Experience.
Chris
