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Onsite CoursesConstruction Skills Case Studies
Construction Skills says 87,600 new recruits will be needed by the industry "each
year between 2007 and 2011 in order to meet demand".
The biggest need is expected to be for skilled trades such as bricklaying,
cladders and roofers. There will also be strong demand for painters
and decorators, scaffolders and carpenters as well as for professional
roles such as construction managers, architects and technical staff,
it
says.
Financial Times
Having attended your fantastic range of Building courses ... I answered an advert in the local paper for a post of Safety Manager for a Building Construction company. Having explained that I knew lots of building skills and was teetering on being a Plumber, they were so impressed that that started me to work two days later, whilst still being in the Army. Having been here now for six months I now fully understand Method Statements, Risk Assessments Safety Plans and of course site inspections. I am now fully familiar with all that you get up to on site.
It was a case of swapping a Beret for a Hardhat; it’s a great job and exactly what I wanted, although I had no clue at the time. I funded several courses including the NEBOSH general, IEMA to bring me up to speed and am having great fun stopping the Company getting prohibition notices and keeping the men safe. (Not quite the way the men see it but the banter remains great on all sites)!
I would like to thank you all for the help and professional advice while I was down attending your training courses and thought it was remiss of me not to have written sooner! You will I hope forgive me as I have had also to squeeze in a weeks trip to Spain and two weeks in Cyprus, if I mention I’m off to Australia for five weeks in February passing through Singapore on the way over and several days in Hong-Kong on the way back I might be kicking the A__e out of it. Thanks again to all the Instructors and I wish them all the Best for Christmas.
I would also like to thank all the people behind the scene for setting up the Courses for me and for arranging the accommodation!
Dave Sherlock, Safety Manager, Acorn Builders
Read the full letter from Dave Sherlock here
Having spent sixteen years in the forces, Sergeant Andy Mills decided it was time to look to the future and plan for a new career when his service ended.
He had already completed a gas categorisation course and knew that plumbing skills would go hand-in-hand with this, as well as being something he would enjoy.
After finding Construction Training Services in Quest magazine, he used his resettlement allowance to book a five week plumbing course at our training centre in Cardiff. “I was hoping for good, sound, hands-on knowledge,” says Andy, “and I suppose my only fear was that the course might not turn out how I wanted.”
Luckily this wasn’t the case. Andy found the course very well-organised and the best part was “being able to get on without people watching over my shoulder.” He added that the tutors were “happy to cover any points no matter how busy it got… they made me feel welcome and at ease.”
Now working for Manchester Council as a gas engineer, Andy is able to practice his plumbing skills on a regular basis when his brother, who works in the building trade, puts work his way. The next step for the two of them will be to set up their own business, hopefully by the end of 2006, specialising in gas and plumbing.
Andy Mills (Handyman, 5 wk plumbing - July/August 2005)
Sacha joined the forces in Sept 2000. Charles graduated from Welbeck 6
th Form at 16, then spent 3 yrs at Shrivenham Uni followed by a year
at Sandhurst. – He’s
done 7 yrs in forces including Sandhurst. They met in the forces and
have been together for 2 yrs.
They’ve already renovated a house in Ipswich together and sold it for profit – this gave them the money to invest in the better emerging market in Bulgaria.
Plans are quite loose at moment. They will be driving there in September (this will take 5 days) and plan to live in their first house (sale already completed) while they renovate it. The only decent part is the roof; they’ll have to gut and completely redo the rest.
There is land with the house – this they hope to divide into 2 plots and fill with 2 more self-builds. They hope to do most of this themselves but will need to hire local help for the foundations etc.
They are also looking at holiday lets.
The plan is to remain in Bulgaria until 2007, when it will join the EU – meaning a hike in property prices – and then sell everything up and move.
Their eventual hope is to go to Canada – ideally Vancouver – and design and build their own home.
Charles chose Construction Training Services because the tailor-made courses were attractive - and out of all the companies they contacted, we sounded most helpful and friendly on the phone. Sacha said this gave them a good feeling as they needed to feel they had some support when embarking on such a huge project.
Charles Evans (Handyman 4 wks, 1 wk roofing, 2 wks plastering, 1 wk artexing - July 2005) and Sacha Macey (Handyman 1 wk, 1 wk plastering - July 2005)
Having worked in IT network support for fifteen years, John Yearsley decided he had got into a rut professionally and it was time for a change. Prior to this he had worked as an electronic engineer for eight years, and had always maintained an interest in this area.
Knowing that both electricians and plumbers are in high demand, John came up with the idea of starting a company specialising in both trades. He then found Construction Training Services on the internet and booked a six week plumbing foundation course, to compliment his electrical skills.
“I found the price of the course very reasonable for what it is,” said John. He added; “the pace was quite fast and there was a lot to learn, so some of the other courses I looked at seemed a bit stretched, packing in twelve to fifteen people. There were only eight or nine people training with me and that was ideal.”
John now runs ‘Taps and Sparks,’ the company he started in Armitage in June this year. Working for himself John is able to use his electrical and plumbing knowledge together which, he says, wouldn’t have been an option if he’d taken out a plumbing franchise. Covering a fifteen-mile radius including Cannock, Stafford and Litchfield, John says his new business is now growing fast.
John Yearsley (Plumbing, February-April 2005)
Having previously considered plumbing as a future career when he left the Army, Major Crispin Boxhall was surprised to read an article in the Telegraph regarding a more pressing shortage of qualified electricians.
After finding Construction Training Services in Quest magazine, he used his resettlement allowance to book himself on a five-week Domestic Electrical Course. Major Boxhall said: “I found the course very enjoyable. I was basically starting right from scratch so it was a challenge; but there were a couple of very good instructors and a great mix of practical and theory.”
Since completing the course he has been able to put his knowledge to use in a variety of ways, helping his friends and family with rewiring jobs, and when he leaves the Army in September 2006 he hopes to make moves towards setting up his own business.
Being familiar with the Lake District around Barrow-in-Furness after many years’ walking holidays, Major Boxhall plans to move to the area and then use his training to work as a local electrician’s mate for a couple of years.
Eventually he will go it alone and take on an apprentice himself. At this point, he says, “I’d like to send my apprentice on the same course I did.”
Major Boxhall (Electrical - March 2005)
“I have completed courses at several different training
companies around the UK but Construction Training Services’s Cardiff centre
was by far the best in terms of the instruction I received and experienced
I gained. It was informal yet professional, I would recommend it
to anyone looking for training in the building trades.”
Jason
Finlay (Handyman - April 2005)
" I wish to thank the whole team
at Construction Training Services for the most enjoyable course I have attended
in many a year. The course structure and information that was provided,
I found to be excellent, having benefited enormously from it already.
I am now working on commercial plumbing/refrigeration contracts with
good prospects for the future. Keep up the good work and I look forward
to the next course with you.”
Mark Grinter (plumbing
- July 2004)
“We started the first lesson not at a run but at a sprint and seemed
to continue at the same speed for the duration of the program…The
tests have a 100% pass rate. So pressure was high. But the course material
was delivered by the instructors in such a way that we felt quite confident
that we would have no problems passing the assessments as long as we
dedicated enough time to it.”
Peter McCumiske, (ACS gas course)
“Good training and a great start to my new life”
Stephen Rixon , spent 22 years in the Navy as a Marine engineer and after his course was offered employment with Gas Care.
“Step
to Training met all my objectives and the training exceeded my expectations.”
Peter Stokes (electrical – May 2004) . Peter came
from an IT background and wanted a change of direction. He is now self-employed.
“I have recently completed your foundation plumbing course…I
found the information that was given to me was far more than I expected,
it was well presented and was delivered in a professional and friendly
way”
R. Puttock (plumbing – July 2004)
Gary Norton , completed his ACS Gas training course and networking and word of mouth says “he has got enough work to keep him busy well into next year, the course and training was fantastic, it’s just what I needed.”
“I
loved the Construction Training Services course and am enjoying my career and change…without
the plumbing foundation and my portfolio I feel I would not have been
awarded the job in British Gas. I am sending my girlfriend on a course with
Construction Training Services in September.”
Pat Simcoe, Royal Navy (plumbing – May 2004)