G&E Training often receives complaints about other training centres with slipping standards. We can’t stand training companies that charge high fees yet fail to meet the expectations of such a pricey course. Many training bodies out there seek to take advantage of unsuspecting trainees, who simply want to improve their career and earn a bit more money.
Recently a fellow training organisation, Access Training Academies, was featured on the BBC show ‘Rip Off Britain’. The show highlighted the cases of a few unfortunate ex-candidates who were attempting to take the next step in their lives, but felt they had been ripped off by Access Training. One student in particular described just how far the training standards have fallen.
In 2016, this student decided she wanted to become a gas engineer in the hopes of taking over her father’s gas business. So she signed up for a course with Access Training, paying £4,500 to qualify as a competent gas engineer. The course was structured with 4 weeks training in the classroom, followed by just one single week of work experience. This wouldn’t allow anywhere near enough time for a student to become properly familiarised in many subjects – let alone something as dangerous as gas. Just one week of practical work experience does not produce a competent, confident gas engineer. G&E Training believes that in order to work successfully and safely in gas, candidates need to gain a strong confidence in their own ability and they can’t get that with just 5 days’ experience under their belt.
The student had already found major issues with the course by the second week; lessons would be occupied by the plain task of copying from a textbook, with no real training being distributed. Gas engineering is a hands-on, practical profession. While theory-based training is very valuable when learning the basics, a trainee will never be successful without practical training to reflect the work that is intended to be carried out.
This aggrieved student was receiving pass marks of 96% – 100% for tests she had completed, yet when she was quizzed by another gas engineer, she couldn’t give sufficient answers. A result of theory-focused learning, which only prepares the candidate for theory-based exams and unfortunately will be of no help when working on the tools…
Rightly so, the student did not feel as if she had been taught properly and had no confidence in her ability to complete gas work. Make sure you do your research and only accept top-quality training, otherwise you may find yourself in a similar situation. Practical training should never be replaced by theory learning, it doesn’t provide the student with the experience and confidence required to do the job right. G&E Training can proudly assure trainees that training standards are never sacrificed and quality training is always delivered!
