YTA Training

Basic Heating and Domestic hot water system

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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.