5 day course

29th August 2018 By Liz Spider

What Does It Take To Be A Successful Bricklayer?

There are a lot of reasons to consider enrolling on one of our bricklaying courses here at YTA with a view to pursuing a career in this field – not least the potentially rich financial rewards. Indeed, according to recent research by the Federation of Master Builders, the average bricklayer and roofer in the UK commands a £42,000 salary, compared to a mere £32,000 for the typical university graduate in England.

However, you won’t succeed as a bricklayer unless you possess a thorough understanding of what the job entails, as well as the qualities to fulfil those duties to the highest standards.

What do bricklayers spend their days doing?

There are various day-to-day tasks involved in bricklaying. These range from the measurement of work areas and the setting out of the first rows of bricks or blocks, to the mixing of mortar by hand or with a mechanical mixer, and the application of mortar with a trowel as part of the process of laying bricks on top of each other.

What personal traits and skills do good bricklayers possess?

It may seem self-evident to you that a bricklayer performs these activities, but it is important to have the personal qualities required to do them well, including excellent attention to detail and a responsible attitude to safety, as well as patience due to the high level of repetition involved. Good physical strength, stamina and hand-eye coordination are similarly vital.

Prospective bricklayers must also be good at mathematics so that they can measure and mix materials correctly, in addition to being well-organised and proficient with both hand and power tools.

Take the first step to a fulfilling new life as a ‘brickie’

While no specific qualifications are required to become a bricklayer, you’ll have a distinct advantage when pursuing jobs with construction companies if you have a certain level of on-site experience and training.

This is where our own bricklaying courses here at YTA may play an instrumental role. We presently offer courses ranging from a ‘hands-on’ one-day taster course in bricklaying, right up to a 10-day course that presents you with the opportunity to obtain a full qualification, the CITB Cskills Level 1 Certificate in Bricklaying.

Whatever your current level of experience and skill in bricklaying, we can provide you with the training here at YTA that will enable you to start or progress your journey into this profession that is so rewarding in more ways than one.

You can discuss any of our bricklaying courses in more detail by giving our team a call today on 01274 682199 or emailing info@ytatraining.com.

16th August 2018 By Liz Spider

If you would love to work with wood, you might be interested in our joinery courses

The vital role that high-quality joinery plays in our day-to-day lives must not be underestimated. You may not have a joiner in your house on a daily basis, but we all have wooden doors, chests of drawers and shelving units that would not exist without a joiner’s skills.

Could it therefore be a good idea for you to enrol on one of our joinery courses to commence what could be a highly rewarding joinery career? Let’s take a look at the basics that you need to know.

What is a joiner?

A common area of confusion about joinery concerns what exactly it is, especially in relation to carpentry.

The short answer is that joinery involves creating various fixtures, fittings and constructions out of wood. As a joiner, you can expect to cut, fit and construct a range of wooden objects, without the use of metal fasteners like pins or screws.

One way to distinguish a joiner from a carpenter is to think of joiners as the people who make wooden items, such as doors or window frames, which carpenters then install on a construction site, such as in a house or office in the process of being built.

Joiners can also be characterised as solely working with wood, usually on more ornamental pieces such as doors, furniture or bookcases, whereas a carpenter will also often work with metal or on less intricate projects, such as floors and roofs.

In short, joinery is a skilled trade in its own right that is not completely synonymous with carpentry.

Is a joinery career the right path for you?

While there are no specific qualifications that one needs to possess for joinery work, employers will often expect you to at least have some on-site or construction experience, as can be provided on the job or, of course, on our joinery courses here at YTA.

You will also need to be a practical person to succeed in a joinery career – if you consider yourself to be more of a ‘thinker’ than a ‘doer’, you may not be greatly suited to this line of work. Other key skills required to thrive as a joiner include the ability to follow technical plans accurately, an analytical approach to one’s work, numerical ability and manual dexterity.

Obtaining a formal qualification in joinery could be invaluable for attracting the attention and respect of potential employers, so that you can get your career in this skilled trade off to a flying start.

You can browse our currently available joinery courses on the YTA website now, or if you wish to get in touch with us directly to discuss your training needs, you are welcome to do so by calling 07400922788 or emailing info@ytatraining.com.

31st July 2018 By Graham Binns

New 5 Star Review of YTA Training and Assessment – Plumbing Course

A recent review ”I would recommend this course to anyone…” says it all really!

Another fantastic 5 star review from a candidate that has just completed the 5 day intensive plumbing course. Ian was sent on the plumbing course through work with another of his colleague that was also equally impressed. They both attend many courses in their line work (local council / government) and on the last day of the course they said it was one of the best they had been on, if not the best. We always love to hear that all the hard work every member of the YTA staff puts in is recognised. Thank you for leaving a great review Ian.

5 day plumbing course,It’s one of the better course’s I’ve been on. I now feel confident enough to be able to solder pipes and walk away knowing they wont be leaking. Great guys doing the training, Lyndon who does the plumbing and Lawrence who does joinery have both been on the tools and they know their stuff,they also passed a few tricks of the trade on,your never to old to learn something new. Relaxed atmosphere and not a lot of classroom work more practical work which is what you need in my opinion. I would recommend this course to anyone thinking of doing it, I learnt a lot.

If you would like to read more reviews about all the courses we offer at YTA then we use a verified and genuine review collection service www.reviews.co.uk

27th July 2018 By Graham Binns

5 Day Advanced Plumbing Course Now Up & Running

This 5 day advanced plumbing course is aimed at expanding on the first week plumbing course and developing your knowledge of what the first week courses leave you with. Although we do cover heating systems and installing a 2 or 3 radiator system on the first week, on the advanced plumbing course you will complete a fitting of a domestic hot water storage system. The course will also expand on the bathroom side and a full suite including thermostatic mixer shower and all traps, waste pipes including soil pipe and stack will be fitted. Rainwater guttering, hoppers and drainage will also be covered.

Topics covered in the advanced plumbing course:

Install a domestic hot water storage system
Fit an indirect cylinder
Understand central heating plans and different cylinders used
Fit header tanks and gate valves
Use copper pipe, plastic pipe, compression fittings, end feed & soldler ring fittings
Fit radiators including TRV’s (thermostatic radiator valves)
Central heating fault finding
Fit a shower pump
Fit a thermostatic mixer shower
Fit a bathroom and commission under water pressure
Fit all bathroom traps, wastes and soil pipes and commission with water
Install and understand rainwater guttering, hoppers and drainage

The advanced plumbing course is £450 including vat and runs approximately every other week. The course has a maximum of 6 students per course.

26th July 2018 By Graham Binns

Selection Of Photos Taken In June and July Around The Training Centre

Its been a busy couple of months, here’s a small selection of photos taken at various moments around the training centre during June and July. Courses range from tiling, plastering, plumbing, carpentry & joinery, kitchen fitting and bricklaying. NVQ level 2 and level 1 certificates are available for most trades.

6th July 2018 By Graham Binns

Selection Of Photos Taken In May Around The Training Centre

A small selection of photographs taken at various dates this last month in the training centre. Various courses shown in action from plumbing, tiling, bricklaying, plastering, carpentry, joinery and kitchen fitting courses. Also a very busy month helping experienced workers gain their NVQ level 2 qualifications in tiling, plastering, site carpentry and bricklaying through both the EWPA and OSAT NVQ routes.

If you are thinking of completing a trade course or NVQ level 2 at YTA and would like to look around first then please feel free to come visit the training centre and a member of the YTA team will gladly make you a brew and show you around anytime Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm. Alternatively please call the office on 01274682199 to book a course or to enquire about availability.