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.

If it weren’t for a constant influx of knowledgeable network and PC support personnel, business in the UK (and around the world) would surely grind to a halt. There is an ever growing requirement for people to support both the systems and the users themselves. Because we become massively more dependent on advanced technology, we simultaneously find ourselves increasingly dependent on the skilled and qualified networking professionals, who keep the systems going.

A lot of training providers will only provide basic 9am till 6pm support (maybe a little earlier or later on certain days); not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly.

Locate training schools with help available at any time you choose (even if it’s early hours on Sunday morning!) Make sure it’s always 24×7 direct access to mentors and instructors, and not simply some messaging service that means you’re parked in a queue of others waiting to be called back – probably during office hours.

We recommend looking for training schools that incorporate three or four individual support centres active in different time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to offer a simple interface and round-the-clock access, when it’s convenient for you, with no hassle.

Look for a company that goes the extra mile. Only true round-the-clock 24×7 support provides the necessary backup.

An all too common mistake that we encounter all too often is to focus entirely on getting a qualification, and take their eye off where they want to get to. Colleges are brimming over with unaware students who took a course because it seemed fun – rather than what would get them an enjoyable career or job.

It’s possible, in some situations, to get a great deal of enjoyment from a year of study and then find yourself trapped for decades in a tiresome job role, as a consequence of not performing the correct research at the beginning.

Be honest with yourself about how much you want to earn and how ambitious you are. Often, this changes what exams will be expected and what you can expect to give industry in return.

We’d recommend you seek advice from a professional advisor before making your final decision on some particular study program, so there’s little doubt that the specific package will give the skill-set required for your career choice.

Locating job security these days is very unusual. Businesses can drop us from the workforce at a moment’s notice – whenever it suits.

In times of increasing skills shortages coupled with high demand areas however, we often discover a newer brand of market-security; as fuelled by the constant growth conditions, companies just can’t get the staff required.

The IT skills-gap in the United Kingdom is standing at approximately twenty six percent, according to the most recent e-Skills survey. That means for each four job positions existing across computing, we have only 3 certified professionals to fulfil that role.

This single reality on its own underpins why the United Kingdom urgently requires considerably more people to get into the industry.

In reality, acquiring professional IT skills as you progress through the next year or two is probably the greatest career choice you could ever make.

We’re regularly asked to explain why academic qualifications are less in demand than the more commercial qualifications?

With university education costs spiralling out of control, along with the industry’s growing opinion that vendor-based training often has more relevance in the commercial field, there has been a great increase in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA accredited training programmes that educate students at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time.

Vendor training works by honing in on the skills that are really needed (along with a relevant amount of background knowledge,) as opposed to covering masses of the background non-specific minutiae that academic courses can get bogged down in – to pad out the syllabus.

Just as the old advertisement said: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. Employers simply need to know where they have gaps, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. They’ll know then that all applicants can do what they need.

Written by Scott Edwards. Navigate to Flash Training or Web Design Training.

A fraction of the working population in Great Britain are happy with what they do for a living. Naturally most will just stay there. You’ve reached this paragraph, which at a minimum indicates that you’re considering or may be ready for a change.

We’d politely request that in advance of taking a course of training, you discuss your plans with a person who is familiar with the working environment and can give you advice. They can assess your personality and assist in finding the right role for you:

* Do you want to interact with other people? If so, do you want a team or is meeting new people important to you? Maybe you’d rather be left alone to get on with things?

* The banks and building sector are facing difficulties today, so it’s important to look very carefully at what sector will answer your needs?

* Having completed your retraining, would you like your skills to take you through to retirement?

* Do you have the assurance that your chosen retraining is commercially viable, and will provide the facility to work right up to retirement age?

A predominant industry in this country to tick all of the above boxes is the IT sector. There’s a demand for more qualified workers in IT, – take a look at any jobsite and you’ll discover what we mean. Don’t let people tell you it’s all nerdy people staring at theirscreens the whole time – there are many more roles than that. Large numbers of staff in IT are people of average intelligence, with jobs they enjoy and better than average salaries.

Often, trainers provide mainly work-books and reference manuals. It’s not a very interesting way to learn and not really conducive to achieving retention.

If we’re able to get all of our senses involved in our learning, then we often see hugely increased memory retention as a result.

Locate a program where you’ll receive a selection of CD and DVD based materials – you’ll begin by watching videos of instructors demonstrating the skills, and then have the opportunity to use virtual lab’s to practice your new skills.

It would be silly not to view examples of the courseware provided before you hand over your cheque. What you want are instructor-led video demonstrations and interactive audio-visual sections with practice modules.

Avoid training that is purely online. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where obtainable, enabling them to be used at your convenience – you don’t want to be reliant on a quality and continuous internet connection.

The area most overlooked by those considering a training program is that of ‘training segmentation’. Essentially, this is how the program is broken down into parts for timed release to you, which can make a dramatic difference to how you end up.

Drop-shipping your training elements one stage at a time, according to your exam schedule is the usual method of releasing your program. This sounds logical, but you should consider these factors:

What if you find the order pushed by the company’s salespeople doesn’t suit all of us. What if you find it hard to complete all the sections within the time limits imposed?

Put simply, the very best answer is to have a copy of their prescribed order of study, but make sure you have all of your learning modules right from the beginning. You then have everything if you don’t manage to finish inside of their required time-scales.

Commencing with the idea that we have to choose the employment that excites us first and foremost, before we can consider which educational program fulfils our needs, how can we choose the way that suits us?

How can most of us possibly understand the day-to-day realities of any IT job if we’ve never been there? Maybe we have never met anyone who performs the role either.

Reflection on these different areas is vital if you want to discover the right answers:

* Your hobbies and interests – these often define what things will give you the most reward.

* Why it seems right getting involved with computing – is it to achieve a life-long goal like working from home maybe.

* Have you thought about job satisfaction vs salary?

* Many students don’t properly consider the amount of work needed to achieve their goals.

* You have to appreciate the differences between each area of training.

To completely side-step the confusing industry jargon, and discover the most viable option for your success, have an in-depth discussion with an advisor with years of experience; someone that can impart the commercial reality whilst covering all the qualifications.

Beware of putting too much emphasis, as many people do, on the accreditation program. Your training isn’t about getting a plaque on your wall; you should be geared towards the actual job at the end of it. You need to remain focused on where you want to go.

Never let yourself become one of the unfortunate masses who choose a training program that on the surface appears interesting – only to end up with a qualification for something they’ll never enjoy.

Make sure you investigate how you feel about earning potential, career development, and how ambitious you are. It’s vital to know what industry expects from you, what particular qualifications they want you to have and where you’ll pick-up experience from.

It’s worth seeking help from a professional that can best explain the industry you think may suit you, and is able to give you ‘A day in the life of’ type of explanation for that career-path. These things are incredibly important because you need to know whether or not you’ve chosen correctly.

Copyright 2009 S. Edwards. Hop over to CLICK HERE or Ecommerce Web Site Design.

Due to the exciting choices available, the electrical industry offers jobs that many people choose. Whilst the original term is ‘Electro-Mechanical Engineering’ we will simply refer to the subject as the Electrical Industry. Also, for ease we will concentrate on those principles that sit within the domestic and commercial markets for the UK. We will begin by reviewing the main issues first and come back to the ‘add-ons’ later, because of the huge number of options available as a career within this subject.

The electrical market has in our opinion two methods of entry. Initially there’s the more traditional apprenticeship approach, but equally there is now an alternative, suited to those who are keen to enter later in their life. To clarify, we’ll label each of them as the ‘Mature Entrants’ and the ‘Junior Entrants’.

Mature students, or entrants, often train so that they can become self-employed and work on their own projects without having to pay wages to external electricians. On the other hand, to gain further credentials and experience ‘Junior Entrants’ tend to work for a recognised electrical firm. Often a young apprentice will be in their first job since leaving school, and will therefore have a host of ancillary skills to learn during their first few years as a working adult.

The distinct types of entry have differing styles of training – It is the involvement with NVQ’s (or SVQ’s for Scotland), that differentiate the Junior Entrants. As part of the training program an NVQ would be a requirement to attain. ‘Junior Entrants’ will have to be in an apprenticeship of some sort in order to achieve the testing and course work required.

Instead of seeking a work-based training environment, the Mature Entrant often seems to focus on working as a self employed person where different qualifications to NVQ’s are preferred. Instead most of them aim for the techniques that will get them up and running as quickly as possible and give them the best return against the cost to train in the first place. Although this may offer quicker and more commercial options, it does reduce the official requirements set for certain areas of the industry.

In terms of typical earnings, we have two clear routes – those relating to employment and those for self-employment. The question remains as to how much work per week a self-employed person puts in – for the sake of this review we assume that it is full time. It is recognised that competence and qualifications add to income levels as well as experience and information gained.

With the right level of experience, ‘Junior Entrants’ salaries can rise considerably from twelve to thirty thousand pounds per annum. However, with incomes of 70,000 or more a year, a ‘Mature Entrants’ salary can often be more difficult to judge. Often costs such as tools, clothes and even transport need to be assessed and included in the business mix overall. Earmarked within this is the need to cover additional expenses such as accountancy or insurance. In the UK there is a lot of work for electrical professions due to a short fall of current skilled people. Certainly, working a full week is a realistic possibility for those who want to. Although by working very long hours and having assistants to help, the figures of 70-100 thousand advertised in newspapers might be achieved, it wouldn’t be easy.

For the most part there is a strong difference between the Junior and Mature Entrants’ working week. Most of the work for Junior Entrant electricians will be on a simple 9-5, Monday to Friday basis. Whereas the Mature market can be more dependent on the domestic market for some – i.e. weekend and evening work, when their clients are available and back from work. There are however lots of opportunities for self-employed electricians to do work on small business systems during normal office hours.

To be fair it’s often the boss of a company who states the type of specialist knowledge that Junior Entrants gain whilst in their employ. Whereas the mature entrant can gain knowledge from any trade source – even one outside of the core of electrical work. Certainly if they are employed within the domestic sector this makes it easier to take on work without having to rely upon other people.

One fresh approach is that of the ‘Green Engineer’. Looking together to the UK and the EEC this activity could be of benefit to both Junior and Mature Entrants, providing new growth and opportunities to both disciplines.

Copyright Scott Edwards 2009. Hop over to Part P Electrical or Click HERE.