No matter what you’re paying for or buying, you will want to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth – and this is particularly true when investing in your career.
With continuing uncertainty and lack of job security, now more than ever, it’s essential to do what you can to future-proof yourself, your career and your earnings.
For some, that means upskilling in their current field. For others, it means learning something new altogether.
You never know what life may throw at you, which is why it’s essential to be ready for anything. Learning a trade means learning a skill for life. And as the housing-marketing increases, so does the demand for electricians, gas engineers and other tradespeople.
What You’re Paying For:
The process of gaining qualifications via university is pretty well known. Apply to student finance, and they’ll cover your course fees and student loan for the 3-4 years you’re there. When you graduate, you owe £40,000-50,000, which you’ll pay back in instalments with each paycheck. Trades training is different in more ways than one.
Not only is trades training more affordable – costing between £4,000-8,000 – but the process is quicker, so you’ll be earning sooner rather than later.
Our Domestic Gas Training and NVQ Level 3 Electrical Training is split into three steps and take on average 1-3 years to complete.
Stage One – Centre-Led Training
For the first stage of training, you’ll work closely with your trainers, taking in their knowledge and expertise.
The workshops and classrooms are fully equipped with high-quality tools and materials to enable you to get the most out of the training experience. You don’t need to bring any equipment or resources to the centre as we provide everything you need. You’ll complete a series of practical and theoretical learning, followed by assessments to ensure you’re on the right track.
Stage Two – Portfolio Building
Whether you’re training to be a gas engineer or electrician, on-site experience is crucial. At Options Skills, we try our best to assist students in finding the best opportunities.
For gas students, we have a network of qualified gas engineers who regularly take our students out on-site. With them, you’ll gain invaluable experience of the trade, working alongside them on installs, services and maintenance.
For our electrical students, our career development team work hard to find employment opportunities across the UK. As a result, we have already placed 100+ electrical trainees in employment since last summer.
Stage Three – Final Assessments
Upon completion of your portfolio, it’s time for your final assessments.
If you’re undertaking your gas training with us, we will invite you back to the centre for your ACS Initial Assessment. This takes place over two weeks and includes refresher training, exams and assessments. When you successfully pass this assessment, you’re eligible to apply to the Gas Safe Register.
For those completing their NVQ Level 3 electrical training, your final assessment is your AM2. You must do this at an independent centre, where you’ll be assessed on the skills and knowledge you have gained throughout your training.
Support
Whatever stage of training you may be at, you can always call on our team for support whenever you need it. Our trainers are always happy to answer questions about the trades and your training, while our central support team will take care of the admin side of things for you. So whether you need another copy of a book, to make a payment or have a question, they can help.
What Are The Payment Options?
So now that you know what you’ll be investing your money in, how exactly can you pay?
Firstly, we ask for a small deposit to secure your place once you’ve decided to train with us. As we keep class sizes to a maximum of ten, spaces do get booked up quickly. Paying a deposit ensures you can save a spot on the course for your chosen date.
Paying for a course in full is dependent on your financial situation. Although we do encourage it, we know it’s not possible for everyone. Usually, we find those who have recently received a redundancy package, have a savings fund or friends and family to call upon prefer to pay off the fees in full.
Otherwise, we ask that you pay your balance within 2-weeks of paying your deposit. Or in full if your course starts in less than 14 days.
Investing In Your Career
Whatever your reasons for investing in a new career, Options Skills can help.
As one of the UK’s leading training providers, we help hundreds of students earn industry-recognised qualifications each year.
“From increased lifetime earning power and unimagined opportunities, to protecting yourself from unemployment and the satisfaction that comes from personal growth and success, the returns are enormous”. Source: Monster
No matter what course you undertake with us, we guarantee to deliver high-quality training and plenty of support—helping you to launch a new career in the trades.
