YTA Training

Liz Spider

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The EWPA route to a Level 2 carpentry qualification couldn’t be quicker or simpler!

When you’re an already-experienced tradesperson who is ambitious to move onto the next rung of the career ladder and gain qualifications that will help you to better market your services and expertise to potential employers and clients, you might well find yourself comparing quite a lot of construction training centres. No less important than the training centre that you choose, however, is the actual route you take to acquire a relevant qualification.

You may not have been aware, for example, that if you already possess at least five years’ experience in joinery, you don’t need to embark on a complete course in order to attain the qualification that will give you a blue skilled worker CSCS card.

Instead, you can simply take advantage of our fast-track assessment route here at YTA, known as the Experienced Worker Practical Assessment, or EWPA.

So, what’s involved if you ‘go EWPA’?

It’s all very straightforward; if you’re prepared to arrive at our construction training centre in Bradford for 7:30am on the date you book with us, we’ll only need one day of your time in order to complete the EWPA assessment for you. Provided that you pass, you will be awarded the Cskills Awards Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Wood Occupations (Construction) – Site Carpentry QUA900.

The idea is that you will be able to obtain this qualification by demonstrating to us the skills and knowledge you have already. You simply need to get in touch with YTA and we will explain the process to you, before passing your details to our NVQ carpentry assessor, so that they can then call you and complete a ‘skills scan’. This will help them to determine whether you have a strong chance of achieving the NVQ through the EWPA process.

Then, as long as you are happy to proceed and the NVQ assessor is confident that your ability and experience levels will enable you to complete the assessment successfully, the EWPA itself can be booked.

Through a combination of witness testimonies, practical assessment, professional discussion and direct questioning, you could soon be well on the way to completing the various units that make up the carpentry NVQ. These units cover such key aspects as general workplace safety, efficient work practices and the movement and handling of resources, while three optional units can also be chosen to support your efforts to obtain the NVQ.

We did tell you it wasn’t too complicated…

All of the above really isn’t too much to work through if you wish to move up to the next level in your carpentry career, especially when you don’t even need to devote all that much time to the completion of an EWPA!

To learn more about this particular route to an NVQ Level 2 qualification or any of our other services as one of the UK’s most trusted accredited construction training centres, simply email the YTA team today, or give us a call on 01274 682199 or 07400922788.

 

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Want to become a plasterer? We can provide you with hands-on tuition in five days

Plastering can prove a pleasantly varied and rewarding vocation. Across the UK, plasterers are continually in demand, which gives suitably trained professionals plenty of well-paid opportunities to apply wet finishes and protective layers, create ornamental fittings and secure internal plasterboard into place.

Nonetheless, plastering isn’t a task that you can undertake to a professional standard if you lack the necessary practical, hands-on experience. This is a craft where simply reading online instructions can’t replace more tangible experience, such as that offered by our five-day and 10-day plastering courses.

Enrol on a Cskills-approved course – no plastering experience required

We let you choose from two Cskills-accredited courses: our five-day unit accreditation unit course and a 10-day course leading to the full NOCN Cskills Level 1 Certificate in Plastering. The former teaches various core skills in plastering, while the latter course helps participants to hone them.

Especially appealingly, although NOCN Cskills is highly respected as the awarding body for construction NVQs, neither of these plastering courses stipulates a specific required level of experience in the discipline or trade. It therefore doesn’t matter if you’re completely new to plastering.

What can you expect on our plastering courses?

Perhaps you’re leaving school or college and contemplating a career in plastering? Alternatively, you might be thoroughly experienced in providing other services, such as plumbing and electrical work, but are interested in adding to your repertoire of skills.

Whatever your background, either of these short plastering courses will give you the benefit of a full-size plastering training bay, of which we offer only five – and you won’t share yours with any other student. This helps to ensure we can give you the dedicated attention you need and deserve.

Your bay will be fitted with various features – including a stud wall, block wall and pre-skimmed wall, as well as a decent-sized ceiling. In this space, we can take you through learning a range of plastering skills, including over-skimming, repairing and dot and dab.

We invite you to take a tour of our facilities

You can book your tour of the YTA training centre by phoning 01274 682199 or 07400 922788 or emailing info@ytatraining.com. While at our premises, you will also be able to chat with students who are already on the course.

If a plastering career is something that you’ve long fancied, why wait any longer? Get in touch today to discuss the possibilities that our five-day and 10-day plastering courses could offer you.

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Experienced bricklayers can quickly upgrade their qualifications with our EWPA course

We’re proud here at YTA to offer a range of options for those who are looking to get into bricklaying for the first time or to build on their existing skills in this rewarding trade. However, we are also conscious of the needs of those who already have years of experience as bricklayers, but not necessarily the qualifications to match.

This is precisely why we make available what is known as the Experienced Worker Practical Assessment (EWPA) route, for those who have been bricklayers for five years or more who would like to attain an NVQ Level 2 qualification, drawing upon their existing skills and experience.

But what exactly does the EWPA route involve, and what else could you gain when you undergo this one-day practical assessment?

Use your existing skills to make the next step in your career

The idea behind our EWPA bricklaying NVQ Level 2 courses is that you come to our centre for what usually only needs to be one day, and use the skills and knowledge that you have gained over the years to demonstrate that you are already at the level of competence necessary to earn the Level 2 qualification.

Through a combination of witness testimonies, practical assessment, professional discussion and direct questioning, the EWPA route will enable you to achieve the Cskills NVQ Level 2 diploma that you will require in order to obtain a blue skilled CSCS card as an on-site bricklayer.

What bricklaying knowhow do you need to have?

The bricklaying NVQ Level 2 comprises five mandatory units, related to general workplace safety, efficient work practices, the movement and handling of resources, the erection of masonry structures, and the setting out of masonry structures.

In addition to these units, those undertaking the EWPA can choose one supporting optional unit. There is a long list of these, covering such subjects as the erection of masonry cladding, the placement and finishing of non-specialist concrete, and the installation of drainage.

You can learn more details in the relevant section of our website for EWPA courses. But don’t forget that when you contact us, we’ll take our own steps to check that you have a suitable level of experience. We’ll ask you how many years’ experience you have in bricklaying already, before arranging for our NVQ bricklaying assessor to give you a call. They will then complete a ‘skills scan’ that considers the work or projects you have previously completed.

If, as a consequence of this process, the NVQ assessor is confident that you possess the ability and experience required to pass the EWPA, they will then be able to book your place on the assessment.

Get in touch now to learn more about bricklaying NVQ Level 2 courses available through YTA, and to take the first steps towards your own next qualification in the trade. As an accredited training provider, we’re committed to helping current and prospective tradespeople to progress their careers in 2020 and beyond!

 

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Just five days’ training could give you a tiling unit accreditation certificate!

With so much else having changed about all of our lives lately due to events outside of our control, it wouldn’t surprise us here at YTA if that vague wish you’ve long had to gain new skills or completely change career has become a firmer motivation to take those first steps.

If this describes you, you might have considered becoming a tiler, whether you have never learned a trade before, or you are already a tradesperson and simply wish to boost your prospects by expanding your wealth of skills.

Either way, signing up to one of our tiling courses – such as the five-day NOCN Cskills Level 1 unit Tiling Course – could be one of the wisest moves you make in 2020.

What’s included in this five-day course?

If you’re looking for a course that will give you a high level of tiling training in a short space of time so that you can get started with a career in this trade, this five-day Level 1 course should more than tick the boxes. In fact, you don’t need to have any prior tiling experience whatsoever – although if you do, we can adapt the course to your needs, to help you to get the most value from it.

In a nutshell, this course covers all of the key tiling essentials like the setting out of walls and floors, the preparation of surfaces, the actual tiling process, cutting around obstacles, and the correct use of adhesives and grouts to ensure you get the best results.

Know what this course is – and what it isn’t!

One thing important to note, though, is that as this is ‘only’ the five-day course, it is a unit accreditation certificate. This means that satisfying the criteria of the assessment will give you NOCN Cskills Level 1 unit accreditation in either wall tiling or floor tiling.

Such a unit accreditation certificate is great for showing potential customers or employers that you have reached a certain level of competence in tiling. It is not the same thing, however, as a full Level 1 qualification; for that, you will need to look to our 10-day course that would give you the opportunity to achieve a fully fledged NOCN Cskills Level 1 Certificate in Wall and Floor Tiling.

Nonetheless, our intensive five-day course can be an excellent start to anyone’s life as a tiler, providing a strong platform for a successful tiling career. Indeed, our most recent effectiveness poll found that 23 out of 30 former students were now self-employed tilers.

Our tiling courses here at YTA are renowned for how they allow people like you to embark on a new career as a tiler with a high level of both confidence and capability. So why not get in touch with our centre now to book your place on the right course for you, on a date to suit you, by calling 01274 682199 or 07400922788?

 

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What could you learn in just five days on our Level 1 intensive plumbing course?

It would be easy to imagine that a mere five days could never be enough time to move from zero experience or expertise in plumbing, to a position of confidence in undertaking such key plumbing tasks as changing taps, plumbing in kitchen sinks and even full bathroom replacements.

This, though, is perfectly possible when you take on YTA’s Level 1 intensive plumbing course in the UK – and not only that, but completing this route will also give you a nationally recognised qualification.

The course in question consists of two units; introduction to construction work, and carrying out plumbing operations. Achieve both units, and you will be able to attain the full qualification ‘Level 1 Award in Preparation for Plumbing Operations’, courtesy of Ascentis Awarding Organisation. This, in turn, will provide an invaluable platform for further training with YTA.

A hands-on introduction that will significantly boost your confidence

Some of those who enrol on our Level 1 intensive plumbing course in the UK are true novices with no prior background in plumbing or any other trade, while others are existing tradespersons – such as plasterers, tilers, joiners or kitchen fitters – who are interested in adding plumbing skills to their armoury. Thankfully, this acclaimed five-day course is excellently designed for all of these groups.

It all begins on the Monday, when students will get to grips with 15mm and 22mm copper pipe and fixings, as well as fitting isolation valves and pipe bending. Various fittings and tools will be used on this first day to produce pipework.

Tuesday, meanwhile, focuses on planning and installing a bathroom – encompassing such elements as the bath, taps, toilet, basin and all wastes. This day includes testing the installed bathroom up to mains working pressure, so that if any leaks are detected, they can be fixed.

All of this will be followed by a Wednesday that will look at toilets, including a full strip-down and explanation of internal cistern fittings and various types of flush mechanisms.

Come Thursday, you can expect to be installing a small two-radiator system – or three radiators, if your skills and the timeframe allow for this. Then, on Friday, you will be tasked with plumbing up a kitchen sink and hot and cold pipework. It is on this final day of the course that you will also be taking on your first job – the addition of a garden tap to your completed kitchen pipework.

You’ll struggle to find a finer intensive plumbing course in the UK

With this course having been designed to arm those enrolling with all of the knowhow and confidence they will require to start plumbing jobs straight after qualifying, when it comes to five-day plumbing courses, you can’t expect to find a more comprehensive option than this one.

And of course, extra content is also provided that features on every other YTA plumbing course, including ‘tricks of the trade’ and full measuring and in-depth quoting based on your full-size kitchens and bathrooms.

So, we would humbly suggest that you don’t hesitate to snap up your place on this highly respected and far-reaching course!

Call 01274 682199 now to book or ask any questions you may have about this Level 1 intensive plumbing course in the UK, including in relation to the latest available dates.

 

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How a seasoned bricklayer can earn a crucial qualification in just one day with us

With highly experienced and qualified bricklayers able to command salaries of as much as £35,000 a year, it should be no great surprise to any informed observer that bricklaying courses – like those provided by our own trusted construction training centre here at YTA – remain in considerable demand.

However, if you are an experienced bricklayer but not a sufficiently qualified one to be able to attain the blue skilled worker CSCS card as an on-site bricklayer, what are your options for obtaining a suitable qualification in double-quick time?

There’s no need to worry, when you take advantage of the EWPA route

What do we mean when we use the acronym ‘EWPA’? We are, of course, referring to the Experienced Worker Practical Assessment, which is specifically designed to give a worker with at least five years behind them in a given trade, the opportunity to earn a relevant NVQ Level 2 qualification.

Unlike other bricklaying courses that we offer here at YTA, this route doesn’t necessitate you spending a week or even two weeks at our training centre. Instead, everything could be complete within a day, and the process is an easy enough one to understand.

This is a true fast-track NVQ assessment route, giving you the chance to demonstrate your skills and knowledge to an assessor through a combination of professional discussion, witness statements and the practical assessment.

If you do successfully complete the EWPA – and you will be informed at the end of the day whether this is the case – you will then be sent your certificate within 14 days, or even in as little as seven days. This, in turn, will enable you to apply for your blue skilled worker CSCS card, so that you can swiftly get on site.

Don’t wait any longer to upgrade your employability

Assessments at our centre can normally be booked and completed within two weeks of you getting in touch with us – so don’t hesitate and risk missing out on the opportunity to get back on site, earning a wage and progressing your career as a seasoned bricklayer.

Indeed, we can even help you to get back on site before you have got round to completing the NVQ; all that you have to do is pay your deposit, so that we can get you registered and send you a confirmation of this by email. Then, you’ll be able to apply for and gain a six-month temporary card that will give you the time required to undertake the EWPA.

For more information about this advantageous and convenient training route, and to learn more about what makes us one of the premier sources of bricklaying courses in the UK, simply phone the YTA team now on 01274 682199, or send us an email.