To begin with newspapers appear to love discussing what can be earned in Plumbing. Salaries of 30-70k p.a. are often discussed, along with the lack of plumbers within the UK. So, is this really the position or is this basically untrue? To be fair, this wage level is reasonable for the correctly qualified and experienced Plumber. To be fair, the higher earnings of 70-100k p.a. are generally for those working within the self-employed field.

It is fairly usual to expect working hours of 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday with a reputable employer. Salaries of between 15k – 30k p.a. are easily achievable and will include typical benefits such as holiday pay and sickness allowance – what you’d generally expect from any UK employed status. However, if the self employed person is willing to work longer than the normal working hours then more money can be earned. This is especially the case where self-employed plumbers have opted to work in the domestic market, where their clients are at work during the day – requiring evening and weekend visits.

On a personal level remains the issue self-employment, something that does not become everybody. Finally there is good ‘business sense’, such as getting the hourly rate correct, advertising and marketing budgets spot on which are all important. Likewise self-employed people need to consider the implications of costs relating to materials and transport as well as legal and accountancy fees etc. Whilst it is expected that the benefits will be high, the costs can mount up though they should always remain a small part of the income overall. Certainly the downsides are virtually always beaten by the income!

Often customary work from employers attracts Student Entrants especially if it meets their needs training in working knowledge and experience. On the other hand, the Self Employed Entrant needs to increase their list plumbing credentials as soon as possible. That said the vast majority of self-employed plumbers appear to favour the ‘domestic’ instead of the commercial market. (Not all of them, but the main do!)

Furthermore, each route into Plumbing has a necessity on the certification process overall. Without a doubt the issue of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland) raises a constant concern as to the way forward.

Without a doubt, it is the greater dependence on the NVQ element that separates the Student Entrant from the Self Employed Entrant. The Self Employed Entrant will regularly employ a range of certifications in order to meet the needs of their client’s requirements from the beginning. Without a doubt the self employed person needs to quickly gain the core domestic- centred qualifications to satisfy their typical household-based clients. Once they have covered the core parts the Student Entrant will often carry on their study not dissimilar to an apprenticeship in the workplace (where the NVQ element can be appraised.) Considerable savings potential exists to the Student Entrant by taking on this cheaper form of study. That said it is the ability to gain real financial rewards long before the Student Entrant that encourages many Self-Employed Entrants to gain certifications faster and be motivated by a stronger commercial attitude.

This shows the necessity of a clear careers discussion, covering the overall study and certification requirements alongside the required financial return. It is often the issue of 3 years in low-paid apprenticeship work, alongside going back to college that many adults having to look after their family and with say 20kp.a requirements find difficult. It should also be borne in mind that many young Student Entrants have their studies paid for them as part of their overall apprenticeships, whereas the self-employed student generally funds the course themselves. The level of certification sought by the student drives the course structure and can result in costs of between 3k through to 10k+.

Student Entrants will in the main study at further-education colleges, the Self Employed student however has the option to consider the increased scope of private commercial colleges. Commercially oriented plumbing course companies will provide an established path of training which ultimately leads into recognised skill-sets and qualifications. Of a key opportunity is the ability to train out of hours – evening, part time and self study classes that allows Self Employed Entrants to continue training whilst continuing with their job and maintaining their financial situation. Considering so many options on hand it is clever to gather data from as many sources as one can. We have provided adverts and links from several to allow you to come back and review your options, so why not book mark this page (CTRL-D).

By going on added training programs many plumbing students seek to increase their ‘marketability’. Indeed it is through the added training provided that certification in areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical can be gained. Forming part of the common domestic and commercial heating system, Plumbers have often opted for Gas Training.

It is with its main subjects, alongside added NVQ’s, that result in Gas Training being viewed as a technical program. It also features many options for on-going training, especially for those who trained as a plumber first and are now looking at some extra skills to add to their stable. From this idea the mature student works better with a fusion offered by Gas/Plumbing training. The path of focussing on the core subjects and at the same time dropping the NVQ’s seems to favour the Mature Student.

It is from this mix of training methods that the self-employed professional appears to benefit. The attraction is certainly the chance to gain a wider range of skill sets and earn money from them. The removal of any reliance of sub-contracting key skills of third parties definitely enhances the commercial package. Whilst sub-contracting can reduce the earning of a particular job perhaps more important is the deterioration of the value in a customer’s eye as they have to wait for jobs to be handled by others before completion of the overall task. To be fair the more talent a Plumber has in their own job then the more they have to offer their client base.

In retrospect, the Self Employed Entrant has the potential to achieve a much higher and more readily available income stream than Student Entrant, but to do so they need to develop both their business skills and achieve a broader range of certifications. Note: This information relates to the UK market, policies and industry requirements alone.

(C) 2009 S. Edwards. Look at Plumbing Apprenticeships or Plumbing and Heating Courses.

Four separate areas of study make up a full CompTIA A+; you’re thought of as an A+ achiever when you’ve passed the test for 2 out of 4 subjects. For this reason, most colleges only teach 2 specialised areas. You’ll find that you will need the information on each subject as industry will be looking for an understanding of the whole A+ program. Don’t feel pressured to take all four exams, but we would recommend you take tutorials in all 4 subjects.

When you embark on the A+ computer training course you will develop an understanding of how to build computers and fix them, and work in antistatic conditions. You’ll also cover fault-finding and diagnostic techniques, both remotely and via direct access.

If you aspire to maintaining networks, add the very comprehensive CompTIA Network+ to your A+ course. Including Network+ will prepare you to apply for more interesting jobs. Other ones that might be interesting to you are the networking qualifications from Microsoft, i.e. MCP, MCSA MCSE.

Students will sometimes miss checking on something that can make a profound difference to their results – the way the company divides up the courseware sections, and into how many bits.

Individual deliveries for each training module piece by piece, as you complete each module is the usual method of releasing your program. This sounds sensible, but you must understand the following:

Maybe the order of study offered by the provider doesn’t suit. What if you find it hard to complete all the elements within the time limits imposed?

Ideally, you want ALL the study materials up-front – so you’ll have them all for the future to come back to – at any time you choose. This allows a variation in the order that you complete your exams if another more intuitive route presents itself.

Doing your bit in progressive developments in new technology really is electrifying. Your actions are instrumental in impacting progress around the world.

We’ve barely started to see just how technology will affect our lives in the future. Technology and the web will profoundly change the way we view and interact with the world as a whole over the years to come.

If earning a good living is around the top on your wish list, you will be pleasantly surprised to hear that the regular income of a typical IT worker is considerably higher than with most other jobs or industries.

There is a substantial national demand for trained and qualified IT technicians. In addition, as growth in the industry shows little sign of contracting, it looks like this will be the case for a good while yet.

Let’s admit it: There really is no such thing as individual job security anymore; there can only be industry and business security – as any company can drop any single member of staff whenever it fits the company’s trade needs.

Wherever we find rising skills deficits mixed with increasing demand though, we can hit upon a new kind of market-security; driven by conditions of continuous growth, businesses are struggling to hire the staff required.

Taking the computer industry as an example, a recent e-Skills survey brought to light a national skills shortage across the country around the 26 percent mark. Therefore, for every 4 jobs in existence across the computer industry, businesses are only able to find properly accredited workers for three of the four.

Attaining in-depth commercial IT qualification is consequently a ‘Fast Track’ to realise a life-long and pleasing career.

For sure, it really is a fabulous time to train for IT.

The perhaps intimidating chore of finding your first job can be made easier by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance programme. The fact of the matter is it isn’t so complicated as you might think to secure your first job – once you’re trained and certified; employers in this country need your skills.

Advice and support about getting interviews and your CV might be provided (if it isn’t, consult one of our sites). Ensure you update that dusty old CV right away – don’t leave it till you pass the exams!

Many junior support jobs are offered to trainees who are still learning and haven’t even passed a single exam yet. At least this will get you into the ‘maybe’ pile of CV’s – rather than the ‘No’ pile.

The most reliable organisations to help you find a job are generally specialised and independent recruitment consultants. Because they only get paid when they place you, they have the necessary incentive to try that bit harder.

A big frustration of many training course providers is how hard trainees are prepared to work to get top marks in their exams, but how un-prepared that student is to get the role they’ve studied for. Don’t falter at the last fence.

Copyright Scott Edwards 2009. Go to Graphic Design Portfolio or www.Alternative-Careers.co.uk/AltCarK.html.