Plastering course and NVQ- MEGATHREAD

Ive completed a short course in plastering and after that i got on with various plasterers for a few weeks when they had enough work.

but then decicded to get a qualification so i attended a course at rotherham college for a year which i have just finished/passed.

Now i have finished i am trying to get on with someone to get more expierence in the field.

I am hopefully wanting to get back on at college for one day a week doing an apprentiship.

Im 21 years old and can drive, available 7 days a week as currently unemployed. Pay is not an object and i am willing to be paid what you would pay a 16 year old if you took one on, as i am wanting a career and not just in it for the money.

If anyone has any advice or contacts i would really appriciate it.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Thank you

Jordan.

Well you have got something right there Jordon. 21 years old and willing to work for 16 years old pay. This is something I have witnessed in my buiding days. Young people saying what they want but not what they can offer in return. Fair do's, you are straight up saying you want a day off for college, just dont expect to get paid for it. It takes about 3 years normally to learn a trade but with a good teacher and enthusiasm you could crack it in 12 months. Talk terms with whoever is prepared to take you on regarding skill and wage increases. Usually it was on your birthday but you can negoitate skill levels and wage increases to suit. What you need to remember is you are asking someone to teach you everything they know then become their competitor. Sell what you can offer in return. Loyalty and reliability is a start. If you say something, mean it. That is to say dont say you will work 7 days a week if you dont mean it. Dont lie or trick your way into a job

When I took on trainees it was usually from people who wrote personally to me and then 6 weeks later a reminder. That showed enthusiam. However once they started to go on regular sickies then it was time to get rid. Let someone else finish the job! Try the yellow pages for names & addresses.

Good luck Jordon!

Hi

my OH is time served plasterer/bricklayer, he wants to train/work as plastering/bricklaying lecturer - does anyone know how he can do this??

thanks emma

Well last year my boyfriend completed a years college course in plastering at rotherham college.

However they are now doing diplomas in plastering which is a higher achievement than the course he did last year. So as there is no work around for him at the moment he is wanting to enroll for the course starting in september.

So the question we would like to know once he has done the course does he have all the knowledge to start up on his own because the last course still left patches which needed work (and no one seems to be able to take him on )

Its called Plastering - Higher Diploma

Hope this makes sense to the plasterers out there, its a little hard trying to say what i want to know

Also are there any better colleges than rotherham for plastering or is that the best one?

people of rotherham know how to get plastered

Its the only one in Rotherham, after he will still need practice, but this is far better than doing these 5 day courses ( which are a con and should be banned ) good luck to him, he,s going in the right direction.

Craig.

The higher Diploma will probably cover things like running and casting plaster moulds. He may benefit from it a bit especially if he went into a plaster workshop. Although workshop plastering and site plastering is now more or less two different trades. The best thing for him is to get some 'real' plastering experience. It will mean starting at the bottom and working up the ladder of experience, but we all started that way. To walk out of college with a piece of paper and say I am qualified give me a job will not work. I have had this back in the late 80's when Shirecliffe College did a similar course for the long term unemployed. For experienced money you need to be fully experienced or you simply get the sack. As things are I can only advise him to write letters to plastering contractors and explain his situation. Be honest in his writing as no one likes being taken for a fool and be realistic with the kind of money he is expecting to make. After all, finding someone to train him is one thing but whats in it for them apart from creating competition?

people of rotherham know how to get plastered

Sorry but please leave stupid comments to yourselves, this is real life not some joke

We have actually tried sending letters outand following them up, we must have sent over 200 to different companys and self employed plasterers. We did recieve 2 or 3 phone calls but nothing came of them unfortunatley. Im guessing its because most people cant afford to take someone on at this moment which is a shame as hes just stuck with nothing to do.

January is the wrong month of the year to be asking for work in the building trade. Enquiries are down from customers and on the sites, when the brickies stop laying bricks then the plasterer has no walls to plaster. This is how it is in the building trade. The wet trades (brickies, plasterers, concrete/groundworkers) have always had it tough in the winter months and always will. Its a 9 month of the year job and good luck for whatever you can get in Dec to March. The time to ask for work is in early April. This is when things start to happen. Send out some more letters again the last week in March. I used to get letters all the time but always took a record of the second time in asking letters. It showed determination and a willing to learn. I sometimes did get back to these applicants and offer employment. A good number of them turned out to be good blokes and are still on the tools today.

Good luck!

My boyfriend is due to start a plastering apprentiship in the near future as someone he knows is willing to take him on to train.

However the plasterer will not be paying him a salary as he can't afford to.

My boyfriend just wants to get his qualification so he can go self employed so is ok about not getting paid.

The course is to cost about £800 in total so i was wondering is there any help out there to help fund the cost of the course?

Thanks

Or can he claim anything? But its abit funny as he will be working full time but just won't be getting any money from it.

Legally he has to be paid if he is an apprentice.

I *think* it is a minimum of £95 per week.

I'm pretty sure the government make certain payments to firms offering apprenticeships in order to help pay the salary.

As it seems to be a friend taking your boyfriend on, he needs to check that it is completely sound as if the friend is saying he can't pay it sounds a bit like a friend offering to help a friend (rather than an approved apprenticeship) and the guy may not have all the necessary insurance which is required for trainees.

The friend would most likely need to be registered as an approved apprenticeship provider in order that the experience your boyfriend gains is recognised and is paid fairly.