| By :
Martin Hofschroer
People interested in plumbing courses should research the qualifications offered by training centres. Paul Lippett, chief executive of the Joint Industry Board for Plumbing and Mechanical Engineering, told the Guardian that many people mistakenly believe that achieving a City & Guilds 6129 Level 2 certificate makes them a qualified plumber. Paul Lippett said that an increasing number of people who have been made redundant were looking at plumbing courses as a way to retrain and gain employment as a tradesman; however, many had failed to investigate the plumbing courses on offer. In addition to the City & Guilds 6129 Technical Certificate Level 2, people need to pass the Level 3 and the City & Guilds 6089 Plumbing Level 2 and Level 3 NVQ in Mechanical Engineering Services - Plumbing (Domestic) in order to be a plumber. City & Guilds 6129 Technical Certificate Level 3 can only be achieved by on-the-job assessment as a candidate needs to build up a portfolio which demonstrates their capabilities. Chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering Blane Judd told the Guardian that the City & Guilds 6129 was never intended to be a standalone qualification. "It is a technical certificate which assesses the academic component of plumbing only. The difference between this and an NVQ is like that between a doctor doing a few months' theoretical training and spending five years in a hospital," he told the Guardian. People are being warned against spending money on plumbing courses that fail to state that the City & Guilds 6129 does not result in becoming a fully qualified plumber. Potential students are also being advised to be wary of training centres that use aggressive sales techniques such as home visits or regular phone calls to push their product. Paul Lippett has told people who only possess the City & Guilds 6129 qualification not to set up in business as they are under qualified and potentially dangerous. He told the Guardian: "They don't have the experience to do the job properly and they are a danger to themselves and their customers." The Guardian reported that some people are now struggling with debts because they spent thousands on plumbing courses that failed to deliver on its promises. Two brothers from Scotland owe £7,000 since cancelling their direct debit payments to a training centre after becoming disenchanted with the qualifications it offered, according to the newspaper. Research by Aquafresh revealed that a significant percentage of mothers wanted their children to take plumbing courses and electrical courses in order to enter a traditional profession.
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