NVQ’s

The Government are finalising their plans for the implementation of MTC Minimum Technical Competence, a scheme very similar to the Gas Safe one, which forces companies to make sure they have qualified for a Competent Persons Scheme. But in order to qualify for such a scheme, fitters are eventually going to require a qualification in installation, in other words, a NVQ. Whilst initially there will be other routes to compliance they will be fairly onerous and more to the point costly!

This is a good thing. It is going to stop people just randomly starting their own window company without any sorts of standards or qualifications. It is going to force fitters of a poor standard to get better, and it will allow the better companies to show off their installers as being fully qualified officially. People recognize the NVQ qualification so it is already going to have credibility.

But, with the industry reflecting the overall economic conditions, free cash isn’t readily available to spend on getting installers trained up to the right standard. Luckily, the Fenestration College is on hand to help provide these qualification courses for FREE, but for a limited period. It is common knowledge that this type of funding will be almost none existent come August this year! To make a point here, NVQ’s and the competence scheme is going to become law sooner rather than later, so it is going to force companies to get their fitters qualified, whether they like it or not. So isn’t it better to do it now, for free, before you’re forced to pay for it?

Apprentices

Have you taken on any apprentices over the past few months? If so, have you benefited? There has been a lot of focus on getting the young and unemployed into work to try and reduce the growing unemployment numbers.

There are plenty of benefits for both companies and the employee by taking out an apprenticeship. For a start, the business taking on the apprentice gets all the associated training costs paid for, meaning there is no big expenditure for the business. They get to train a young person in the way they work, they get the skills necessary to do the job well and the apprentice is more likely to stay with the company that trained them. The business then ensures the transition of old staff to new, without risking a drop in quality or dedication. The young person gets the skills to make their way in life and starts to earn regular money. All the Training is carried out on site without the need for the apprentice to attend day release. Equally there can be substantial savings to be had by employing and apprentice over non skilled labour E.g. A company employing an apprentice rather than a worker on minimum wage would save over £7000 in the first year alone!

There are many, many other benefits which can be found in a previous post here: https://www.doubleglazingblogger.com/2012/04/the-apprentice-plenty-of-reasons-to-get-one/

As well as the Fenestration College providing FREE NVQ qualification schemes, they also provide courses for apprenticeships. They help set everything up, provide all the support you need as a business and work their schedules around you, so you don’t have to take time out of your day or spoil your daily work arrangements.

The company I work for have signed up all our installers to their NVQ qualifications and have already done the paper work part. They came to us, at a time which suited our fitters which meant that they could get on with their day’s fitting as normal, without disruption.

If you think that your business would benefit from an apprentice or NVQ qualification, please contact @f3nsa on Twitter, or email them at mtc@fenestration-college.co.uk or apprentice@fenestration-college.co.uk or call them on: 0845 543 0125.