New Career Skills 

The course is well set out which makes it easy to deal with and there is a good level of support from the tutors. It is a very relaxed experience where you can learn at your own pace, so that you can enjoy the time you spend learning. There is also good support from their careers people who help you with making the right decisions moving forward in your new career.

I found the Tutors very helpful and the general atmosphere in the Chandlers Ford Centre in particular, was perfect for me.
Also, please bring your full concentration. The modules and practical assessments are designed to benefit only the students who are fully committed to the course. Thanks and thumbs up to Chandlers Ford Management and Staff.
Thank you .

I completed my plumbing training 2 years ago through NCS and i now run a very successful plumbing business in Kent. I instal complete bathrooms, cloakrooms and kitchens as well as alterations and general plumbing repairs. I don't advertise, my work comes mostly from referrals/recommendation or casually talking to people i meet.
As a result of my workload I regularly contact Lynzi Young, the Careers Search Consultant at Eastleigh and she provides me with students who are nearing completion of their course and are looking for work experience. This is invaluable to me as they are an extra pair of hands and it is equally of benefit to the individual as they gain hands on experience of a wide variety of plumbing applications. Students find they learn practical aspects of plumbing which just can't be taught on a course.
I also extend the experience I have gained through free or low cost courses available from manufacturers, a business association and building a rapport and network of other seasoned plumbers through my local merchant. I have also had positive feedback from students following advise on estimating, setting up as a sole trader through to dealing with customers and gaining their repeat business.
I have always received support beyond the course from NCS and i know what it is like stepping out with the daunting prospect working in houses of people you don't know.
A fair amount of my work involves electrical additions or alterations and although i have my part P defined scope qualification which helps me out on occasions i prefer to use an electrician which leaves me to concentrate on other work. I have teamed up with another former electrician student who now does all my work and i often refer work on to him. NCS recommended him to me 9 months ago and I think this is a great example of the support they can offer. We will be working together one day this week on the final stage of a complete rewire of a renovated property.
I currently have a week 4 plumbing student with me who has been provided by Lynzi.
I have heard negative comments made about the lack of support after the course but this has never been my personal experience or of those i come into contact with as mentioned above.

I am an Danish trained electrician with 30 years experience. When I came here in 2010 I fund out that I could not use my trade here, so I decided to start all over again.
In this process NCS have been a really good help for me. They have helped me to get in touch with people there can give me work experience, so I can show that I am good for the job.

As a Gas Safe engineer; some might wonder why one would embark on an electrical course. For some time I had looked at the electrical courses advertised for plumbers to allow you to do electrical work under Part P of the Building Regulations, they involved just a few days training followed by an exam and I take it a piece of paper saying you are qualified. Well I looked at the cost of these courses and compared it to the cost of a 18 month course offered by New career Skills with the time and support to gain a fuller understanding of electrical work from the foundational electrical theory to the practical hands on skills required and saw it as a better investment of time and money, I think I was proved right. I found the study hard but also enjoyable, frustrating at times too, spending hours just to find the answer to one question. But this made me read and reread the study books provided, I found myself getting more and more familiar with them and gaining a greater understanding of the subject.
The practical weeks were the most challenging for me because I work for myself so I work at my own pace and concentrate on getting it right. Many years ago I was taught the cheapest way to do a job was to do it right first time, no call backs. So each practical week I was the last to finish but that was okay because I did complete the tasks. It was very helpful when one of the tutors said to me. We work to a standard not a time. It is about demonstrating ability and understanding not just speed.
I found the tutors were helpful in answering my questions and sharing their experience and expertise freely. It is good to know that it does not just all end after completing the course but that support continues and there is a network of former students who are willing to give others the opportunity to gain site experience.

I started my course in 2012 and have found the home learning and weekly practicals a very good and convenient way of learning. I had top wait a long time for my week 2 practical however they did compensate by extending my deadline date and were apologetic and fast to respond to my feedback sheet. The tutors are brilliant with a wealth of knoledge, kindness and skill and the facility is clean modern and well equipped. The only thing that needs to be worked on is the availability of plumbing fittings whilst doing practicals as many were having to be salvaged from previous systems and wasted time when there were hourly limits and from re-use some parts were faulty requiring more time to be spent on correcting these faults.

All in all a fantastic experience and would recommend to all!

After working in the IT industry for 15 years I was made redundant. I thought about gaining some new IT skills but working in an office had lost it’s appeal. I enrolled on the Electrical course and completed it within 6 months and continued to on to do the 2392 and solar PV modules. I really enjoyed the course run by NCS in Doncaster the tutors were great and gave me lots of confidence. I found the course to be a great grounding for all my electrical work.

After completing the course, I decided to start my own business and join the competent person scheme through Elecsa. Running your own business is great, you have total control over the work you do, and when and how it should be done. People really appreciate the work you do for them in their own homes which is so much better than sitting in a business meeting.

The domestic installer course run by New Career Skills provided me with the correct formula to complete the eighteen month course in eight months. The combination of home study, tutor marked assessments followed up by practical study is an ideal strategy for "making the book work stick"

The ease of explanation in the course together with the help received from the tutors has made the subject interesting while at the same time providing a thorough understanding of all the requirements need to comply with regulations.

Now I have qualified as a domestic installer and set up my own business, I will be further continuing my education with New Career Skills with Solar PV.

Finally many thanks all at NCS for giving me the skills to change my career path.

When i started my plumbing course at Doncaster i knew nothing about plumbing now after 3 yrs and 2 plumbing courses i still dont!!! LOL JUST KIDDING NCS
The tutors have been great at Doncaster , the revision is a bit daunting but once you start, the time flies.

I was in retail for 21 yrs and for family reasons had to give up work and now i have a trade which is priceless. When you read on the internet that you can get this qualification in 8 weeks don’t kid yourself, the course is not for the faint hearted. As i said theres a lot of revision with alot of exams.
The C&G 6189 IS THE qualification which you need, dont go on any other plumbing course.

The only 'bad' or negative thing i have to say about NCS is the book which they give you at the beginning of the course is not a City & Guilds book. First thing i did was to purchase this book and its helped me no end. Also the smartscreen website is fantastic which helps you as well.
Also there hasn’t been enough equipment on the course, my week 3 there was 6 baths for 7 students!!! NCS please do your maths.

Organising your practical weeks was very easy thanks to Diane Isted whos on the ball.

Remember the other students are just as nervous as you are when you turn up at 8-45 on a Monday morning whether they are in their teens or in their fifties.

The one thing which you must do is shadow another plumber in the real world, this is soooooo important. NCS do try and help you with this. But if you know someone then try and organise it yourself because it is invaluable to see how the real world works.

Good Luck to all

David

I did my electrical course through New Career Skills and the help and support I got was fantastic. The Tutors are second to none. Thanks to Them I am now working as an electrician. I am self employed and I subcontract to big firms all over the UK. I have never been this busy with work.

You get supplied all the books and and basic tools which is a good thing.

Had a few issues with e-mailing tutors for theory work, as 1st time tutor was on holiday for a week and another time an e-mail was sent to a different folder, but over all theory tutors were very helpful.

I did my practial training in watford, which hadn't been open long, so there were a few teething problems so its hard to say what it is like now., but when i was there this is what happened.

I had a differnet tutor on 3 of the 4 practicl weeks. The tutor were helpful and knowledgeable. There was some friction between certain tutors, which got sorted towards the end of my course.

Didnt get advised on any work experience placements in week 3, which wouldve been hughly beneficial.

I have had no help with regards to finding a job/placement after the course. all i got told from the career advisor for my area was "if anything comes up in your area i'll let you know" that was end of october. i finished and passed my course begining of september. i would have expected a bit more communication. I havent got a job in the industry as yet, so i am still awaiting to see the benefits of the course and amount of money i have sent on it.

I would have liked to have been able to learn things which are important to the real world, like pricing up a job etc.

But overall the whole course was generally good and benefical to what i want to achieve but there is still a long way to go before i truely see the benefits.

Over all I was impressed, the staff were friendly and helpful. I do think that there should be a section on how to chase walls and any other problems that you might encounter whilst working. Other than that I was very happy with the course, and I'm currently doing my week 5 course.

A very good course to under take, very intence learning curve, but interesting. Problem with the Finance Programme. lf you pay up early the discounts are very small. l tried to pay up my fees Twelve months early, but was only offered a small discount, so would recommend that you get a personal loan from the bank as you get a better discourt rate like 50 % off for paying up in half the time.

I spent about six years telling myself I was going to jack in my old job and go self employed as a plumber. I spent loads of time telling my wife I was going to do it and I never did and finally I made the decision about 2 years ago to shut up and go for it. I have to admit it was terrfying and honest I wouldnt have done it if I hadn't had the opportunity to take early retirement from my job (police). But I did.

Looked at a few companies and at college but went for New Career Skills because the reviews were good, they seemed low BS and I really liked their centre in Doncaster when I saw it and hats off to the tutors there and the girls from career search who are great and better looking then the tutors (sorry girls but I'm being nice).

Had loads of help on the course from Kev and the crew plus made a few mates who also helped me out and we are still in touch. Did work experience at a local housing association thanks to the Careers girls as well. So started off bricking it but then got confident and now love the life I'm in.

It is blinding - I'm busy and I don't hate getting up and going to work. OK I don't have a massive pension and sometimes I stress about what would happend if I got ill. But every day it gets a bit better. I have really tried to bring the discipline I had in my old job to my new job and it works, plus people trust me to do a good job.

I reckon I should have done it 6 years ago instead of going on about it, But now I am well away, Just need to pack up the fags now and I'll be perfect. No regrets.

Now that I have nearly completed my NVQ in domestic plumbing and heating, I can give a good evaluation of the courses content and delivery. I came across New Career Skills (NCS) when I had enough with my current job and typed 'career change' into google. From reading the feedback on the website, I thought I would fill in the online form to request information (not expecting a swift response).

When the representative visited my home, he was very polite, knowledgable and understanding. He gave me the outline of the course and made it very appealing. He ordered the course materials and first week literature, and they arrived within 3 days of the visit. The only gripe I have was that he didn't inform me that before I received my NVQ I would have to have 2 on site visits, which cost £300 per visit (not included in the fee).

Before attending the practical sessions we had to read the relevant chapters from a JTL NVQ Plumbing and Heating book, and the handouts given to us. When confident that the information was retained, tutor marked assessments (TMA's) were completed and sent off as a knowledge check tool, which were very useful. They were always marked and sent back very efficiently. Half way through my course I noticed another book appeared in centre (City and Guilds NVQ level 2 Domestic plumbing and heating), and found that this book was more relevant to the course and ran parallel to the online tests completed at the practical sessions. I believe they have started distribute this book instead of the one I was given. I had to buy it mid course, meaning more expense.

The 5 practicals sessions which were used to gain hands on experience and evaluations, were led by very experienced tutors. They were very helpful and pointed you in the right direction if stuck. Tutors didn't do all the work for you, they let you get on with the task in hand. This was useful, as you learnt from any mistakes made and got to correct them. They were professional, however very approachable. We were able to revise, use the computer rooms (for Smartscreen) and complete the coursework whilst in centre. I think more can be done with the completion of coursework. It wasn't until the last practical week were we rushed to get it done. Maybe a bit more direction in how to complete it would help.

The careers search part of the course, was not the best. The advice we were given was that, once practical week 3 was successfully passed you were then eligible for work experience. I completed week 5 two weeks ago and have had no work experience to date organised by the career search. I have arranged my own work experience, but still not enough. When I first started the course it seemed as though not many people were doing enough to get people the work experience. However during the course that seemed to get a lot better, as new career search staff were employed. I have now got some work experience in my local area, organised by the staff.

Overall I would recommend the course to people looking to retrain. You have 18 months to complete the course and found that it was easily done. I completed mine in 16 months, and I was working full time. I think I would of got it done quicker if I could have got the time off work. We were given a lot of advice by the tutors, for when we were out of the centre and into the real world of plumbing. New career skills as a company was getting better as I progressed through the course, as they opened another centre and the centre I attended (Doncaster) expanded into another unit.

If you are looking to retrain, use NCS. Very good.

Like most contemplating a change of career or "new direction" there are many companies to choose from to help you on your journey.i had done alot of research, hours of web trawling and finally came to NCS. i have to say i was a little nervous on my week 1 but once the tuition started those nerves disappeared.

I did most of my training at the Southampton training centre and i can only say that the tuition i recieved was excellent. one has to remember that you definitely get out what you put in and if you answer all the tests from the books without taking the time to understand the basic principles then YOU ARE NOT putting in the necessary amount of effort to get the most out of the course. I found it extremely beneficial to organise my practical weeks with individuals i had done previous weeks with. When it comes to week 3 for electrical and your exams are looming having someone to talk to and bounce ideas off definitely does take the pressure off. Each of us learns at different rates and it is wrong to think that you are in competition with any other student. you are all there to help eachother and support eachother. This aspect made it extremely enjoyable for me. The friends i have made through the course are those who in the future will act as mutual mentors due to each of us obtaining different exposure to different aspects of the job.....

The course does not teach you how to bash houses.... a recent opportunity to develope a 40yr house has given me the confidence to do this. i can now look at a situation without fear and with the knowledge gained at NCS can complete almost anything from baqthrooms to kitchens and from floor to ceiling. i have found that joining electrical forums and blogg sites is very helpful along with countless number of "you tube" videos on lifting boards, tiling, chasing etc etc. the information is there if you choose to look. Intelligence is NOT what you know but WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU DONT................... I would suggest that you tackle every single DIY job for your family and friends and talk to as many individuals in the building industry that you can. If you have any work done on your house etc dont just leave the contractor to do the job, watch and learn from them because you never know when you just might need it and the little tips they can give you are most invaluable.

i am now waiting to do my week 5 electrical and if successful will have completed the advanced electrical course within 12 months of starting study. i am now talking to the careers team with a view to obtaining a placement or work experience. You must however make allowances for your location and the amount of work in your region. I live in the southwest where opportunity is currently minimal. However i have faith that the NCS careers team will do their best for me.

So go forth and retrain with NCS, the begining of your new road to success.... :-)

I signed up for a 5 week plumbing course which i have been very disappointed by. The first week i completed at Doncaster and was a little surprised of the lack of support from the tutor, i then moved to the Watford centre where i have don the rest of my practicle assessments.

The first time there (week 2) it was a little chaotic the centre had recently opened and not all facilities were there, the place was a bit of a mess and my tutor was to busy trying to rectify the centre so had little time to teach us however Bob was around and gave me useful tips.

My third practicle week was much better i had a agency tutor who was full of useful knowlegde and took time to explain things clearly, again Bob was on hand to help out where needed. I completed week 4 a few months ago and managed to pass both practicle and theory assesments, the centre had some obvious friction betwwen tutors and management which i sore first hand when a very grumpy regional manager moaned at a tutor in front of me about some water which had leaked from my pipework which i might add was already being cleaned up.
It was during this week that we were all told in order to gain our NVQ we would have to complete onsite assesments which is fine but to having to pay £300 each, total of £600 is taking the mick when you are led to believe that your course fees cover all costs, which they really should.

I am attending week 5 at the end of January and to be honest i don't really want to, i have been very dissappointed with New Carrer Skills i do not think you are given enough support from the support team, when the sales man sells the course you are told you will be given a work placement to gain practicle knowlede but even after emails and phone calls for the past 18 months i have had non.

I will however add that the booking team especially Di are all very helpful and friendly. In short, this is not the best value for money nor training provider for changing your career.

Having inspected the training centre at Chandlers Ford before signing up I knew what to expect from the facilities and was happy with what they had to offer. The workshops are very good but I feel the order of the workshops is not synchronised well with the academic study content. Also I found it quite tricky to complete the course quickly because the lack of availability of later workshops. I found the staff (tutors and administration) to be very friendly and helpful. I believe it would be more useful to have some extended periods of Work Experience towards the end of the course. I know that companies seek reluctant to offer placements but from my experience where I had to go self employed due to the lack of recruitment in the industry, I found that lack of 'realworld' experience has made my learning curve very steep. That said, I really enjoyed the course and found that the training was excellent. NCS suffered with cover on some of the workshops but quickly arranged for cover.

I've enjoyed my course at the watford centre, and felt supported by Bob, Sally, Alison, Nick and co.
I really enjoyed this course and the way it was organised. I've now beem able to do work in my own house with conidence and I know that other paid jobs will follow through.
I gained some work experience with help from Alison and It really made a difference for me being able to see and experience plumbing in the real world.
Minor downs is that its very expensive to do mostly in this economic climate, and at last the new book that students are being given will help them to learn all they need to succeed.
...For me this is money well spent and I've enjoyed it all :)

I was a bit apprehensive about signing up at the start, but it has turned out to be the best thing i have ever done, wish i had done it years ago. I found New Career Skills as a training company the best for me. Like most people school wasnt for me, but at New Career Skills it is very different. It doesnt make you feel like you are back at school. I am on week 5 of the coarse now, and then signing up to do my level 3 with New Career Skills. The teachers at the two centers ( Watford and Southampton) i have been to while doing my coarse are very good, they explain things to you in a way that anybody can understand. When i was signing up I looked at so many providers and found that New Career Skills came out on top, they provided what was right for me. They get 5 stars from me.