Building - Gas Installation

Name: Martin Mancuso

Rank on Exit: -

Years of Service: 24 Years

Qualifications Gained: CCN1, CKR1, CENWAT1, HTR1, MET1 and CPA1

On completion of 24 years in the Armed Forces, I decided to embark on a new career in the gas industry. After weeks of research into training centres I came across Able Skills in Quest. As a Service leaver I was drawn towards Able Skills as it is an Enhanced Learning Credit (ELC) registered company, which meant I could use my training grant to cover the cost of the type of training I wanted to undertake.

My initial contact with Able Skills was very reassuring: I spoke to the centre manager, Angela Wright, who explained the procedure for enrolling on to my desired course. I was very pleased to hear that she was also familiar with the procedure for using my ELC funding. This in itself was a great relief as, during my resettlement time, I had never had it explained to me. I was invited to visit the training centre to have a look at the training facilities available and to meet the gas training instructors, Ian, Simon and Roy.

On the day of my visit I was met by the owner of Able Skills, Gary Measures, and Angela. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were both so down to earth and accommodating. After a free brew I was given a tour of the centre and shown the gas centre, where my training would be carried out. Having spent many years in the Armed Forces I have very high expectations when it comes to training, and I can honestly say I was not disappointed in what I saw. I left Able Skills with a very warm feeling and extremely reassured.

After arranging my ELC claim, I rang Angela to enrol on to the three-week Core Gas Safety course. As I live in Salisbury and the course was in Dartford my next challenge was to sort some accommodation. Once again, Able Skills came up trumps and were able to offer me a room in one of the well-equipped student houses that are owned by Able Skills, at a very affordable price.

I began my training on 28 March 2011. My instructor, Simon, was an extremely knowledgeable gas engineer with well over a decade of ‘on the tools’ experience. The training was delivered at a pace that suited all students on the course. The thing I liked most was that if you were unsure or didn’t quite understand something, it was never any trouble for Simon to rewind and re-explain. During the training – both theory and practical – everything was provided. The only things I had to take along were a notebook and pencil.

On completion of my three weeks’ training, I had gained the underpinning knowledge to enable me to work on domestic gas installations and appliances under the supervision of a qualified Gas Safe-registered engineer in the workplace. I had spoken to a few engineers in my local area to see if they would be willing to take me on and assist me in completing my gas portfolio, which I was required to do to enable me to sit my ACS exams and assessments. This proved very difficult as the engineers I spoke to said that they didn’t have the time to fully explain what I should be doing and supervise me. Once again Able Skills stepped in to assist me by offering a relatively new portfolio builder scheme with one of its sister companies, Able On-Time Trade Services. I signed up and the following day I was out on a boiler installation with Martin Thorpe, a highly experienced engineer. The thing I found very useful was the fact that I was guided through everything I did and, at the end of each day, Martin would recap on everything we had done, and give some very sound advice and guidance on how to transpose all the information regarding the job into the portfolio folder – which, by the way, is provided for you. I spent 14 complete working days with Martin over a five-week period, conducting a variety of work, ranging from gas tightness tests to complete boiler installations. In this time I had completed my portfolio and fulfilled the criteria to enable me to sit my ACS.

I booked my ACS date with Angela, leaving myself a couple of spare weeks just to read up on all of my notes so I was ready for the exams. My ACS week was conducted by Ian. The procedures for the exams and assessments were explained thoroughly. Everything was done in a very calm and relaxed atmosphere. Ian was always on hand to explain anything I was unsure of.

I finished the ACS week and successfully passed all of my exams and assessments, achieving CCN1, CKR1, CENWAT1, HTR1, MET1 and CPA1, which is testimony in itself to the training I had received from all those who were involved, from start to finish.

I would have never believed that I could have gone from being a soldier to a Gas Safe-registered engineer in the space of four months. I am now reaping the benefits of my labour and earning a wage well beyond my expectations, all thanks to Able Skills and the staff involved in my training.

I would have no hesitation in recommending Able Skills to any Service leaver who wishes to embark on a new career in any of the trades within the construction industry.

Published January 2012

Name: Paul Burnett

Rank on Exit: RAF musician Sgt

Years of Service: 22 Years

Qualifications Gained: Gastec Gas Instalation Course

Having served in the Army for almost 18 years, specialising as a crew commander, Sgt Paul Burnett left the Forces in January 2010. He had served in Germany, Cyprus, Bosnia, Switzerland, France, Canada and Iraq, and now finds the skills and experience he gained in uniform, in ‘HGVs, ski instructing and as a store man’, a useful foundation for civilian life.

He found his CTW helpful and, during his resettlement phase, also took a Gas Utilisation course with Gastec. This was well-run and useful, and included civilian attachments.

He has now been working as a gas engineer for two months, which involves ‘going out to the general public’s houses and servicing/installing fires, boilers and cookers; you can also get breakdowns, where you go and replace a part and get the appliance up and running again. The job gives you great satisfaction when you go out to a customer and fix or carry out the work required and at the end of it the customer is happy. This also gets you recommendations and future work Although, at first, it can be quite hard to get your name known and it’s a bit of a struggle to get started.’

He says that the major improvements over his Service job/life are that ‘You work at suitable hours and don’t have to do things/go away for long periods.’ He now gets to spend more time with his family – and earns more money: ‘should you change three boilers, you can make your month’s wages from the Army in three days!’

Published September 2010

Name: Phil Scott

Rank on Exit: Sargeant

Years of Service: 22 Years

Qualifications Gained: Gastec Gas Instalation Course

With 22 years’ service to his name, RAF musician Sgt Phil Scott, 40, plans an exit date of August 2010, and is looking forward to spending more time with his family. As a tuba player with the RAF, his job involves ‘all aspects of ceremonial work within the Services. Whenever you see a military band performing, that’s what I do!’ He says that, although he loves ‘being part of an organisation that offers a varied workload and being paid to do a job that started out as a hobby, the antisocial hours and weekend work are the main sticking points for me. It’s OK as a youngster but not so good for family life.’

Although he has not yet left the Forces, the skills he has acquired while in uniform that he thinks will prove useful once he does so are ‘confidence, reliability, punctuality and management/personnel skills’. He has already attended a CTW, which he says was useful in that ‘it helped make sure I was aware of all the options, and outlined various possibilities’.

Of the training course he undertook with GasTec he says, ‘it was very professional and extremely useful’. Vitally, as he intends to pursue the self-employed route, he comments, ‘I’m now confident enough to start my own business.’

Though ‘not at leaving point yet’, he is ‘already pulling in work to build up my client base. The plan is to have a seamless transition into my own work schedule and increase my salary considerably. I am looking to pull in a salary in excess of £40k. I am already starting to build a substantial client base, so by the time I leave the Forces I should be well on the way. Add my pension and it looks very attractive indeed.’

When asked about the likely similarities between his time with the RAF and his new career, he laughs: ‘The only remote similarity is the “pipework”. I’ve switched from playing a tuba, which is basically a very long brass pipe, to working with various sizes of copper pipework for gas installations!’ On a more serious note, he comments, ‘the main difference will be working for and being answerable only to myself, and doing something completely different from what I have known since leaving school.’

Published April 2010

Building - Gas Installation - Case Studies