Courses & assessments in electrical training, gas, plumbing, green energy and carpentry

Stuart Barrow

When Stuart Barrow decided to dip his toe into the world of property development it led to a major change in his lifestyle.

His journey began when he discovered that the plumbing and heating work required at his investment property would cost up to £10,000. Instead, he decided to invest in developing his own skills and spent £6,000 on an ATL plumbing course. As Stuart says, he saved a lot of money and got himself a trade as well.

Stuart said: "I was a franchisee for a pizza company for 10 years but got out of that because I wanted a change. I wanted to get into property development so I bought a house with the intention of doing it up and decided to take an ATL plumbing course."

He successfully completed the 6129 Plumbing Technical Certificate at the Hedge End Training Centre, Southampton. He has just installed his first unvented cylinder and is amazed at how quickly he has progressed.

He added: "I did all the first fix plumbing at the property and I have found a job in the trade as well. ATL has been a tremendous help. I’m still refurbishing the property and I love doing the plumbing."

"I really enjoy plumbing so that is where I see my long term future. ATL was very, very good. I enjoyed the course and I learned a lot. I got a job as a result of the course and the confidence it gave me. It is a completely different life for me now. I’m under a lot less stress and I’m happy in my work."

Byron Thwaits

An advertisement in the local paper gave former fork lift driver and mobile phone re­pairer, Byron, the push he needed to change career. Almost seven years ago, an advert for ATL and a conversation with his dad prompted him to enter the world of plumbing. It’s a decision he has no regrets in making.

"I have always enjoyed hands on work and when my dad suggested plumbing I decided to give it a go. I almost wish I gone into plumbing when I left school."

Byron enrolled onto ATL’s new career skills practical training programme and according to him he has never come across such a good course - it had the right balance of prac­tice and theory. "The course was very good and though it was demanding I picked it up easily but then I was really interested in the course. In part, I think it was because of the tu­tors who were outstanding and very knowledgeable. They were really helpful throughout the course and in fact I still keep in touch with one of the tutors. We’ve become good friends; he is always on hand to offer advice and support; and even the odd job! That’s one of the things I really appreciated - the fact that they were willing to go the extra mile to help."

Based in Stoke on Trent, Byron has been self employed for almost three years and is earning double the amount he used to as a fork lift truck driver. He’s built up a good contact list and is kept busy sub contracting on some domestic, but mainly commercial plumbing jobs. At the moment most of his work is in mechanical engineering projects.

"I have absolutely no regrets changing career. While the salary was initially less than i used to get, the more experience I gained meant that I could take on extra work and then earn more money."

Mark Allison

Working at Nissan’s manufacturing plant in Sunderland in the present climate is not a pleasant experience but for one quality inspector the constant uncertainty and threats of redundancies was just the impetus he needed for a career change.

Mark Allison decided in 2007 that he wanted to leave his job at Nissan to pursue a career in plumbing, something he’d always had an interest in.

“When I left school I completed an apprenticeship in plumbing but was forced to change direction because there weren’t many full time opportunities after completing the training. I’d continued to dabble in plumbing while employed in a number of other jobs and so I guess my heart was always in plumbing. I also wanted to work for myself and talk of redun­dancies at Nissan only encouraged me to take the step and go into plumbing. Fortunately, I found ATL and enrolled in their new career skills training programme, which offered open learning opportunities and great practical training opportunities.”

Successful completion of his training with ATL and then getting Corgi registration led Mark to setting up A&M Heating Services, in partnership with another heating engineer. The partnership resulted in them securing a number of contracts and while things are difficult in the current climate he continues to be busy, securing regular work sub con­tracting for the local council.

Reflecting on his training, Mark feels his ATL tutors were knowledgeable and worked to a high standard. “The trainers were really good, they knew their stuff and seemed to be genuinely interested in helping us and the open learning approach was ideal for me. As always there are always improvements that could be made to the courses but generally, I think that the course was spot on!”

And is Mark glad he made the career change?
"I definitely made the right move, even now despite the current credit crunch, I like work­ing for myself, enjoy the flexibility and variety it offers and know that all the money I earn comes back to me."

Richard Simpson – Electrical Apprenticeship

Having completed a B-TEC in Electrical Engineering in 2007 at Fareham College, South Hampshire, Richard Simpson decclassed to continue his education and applied directly to ATL where he undertook and passed the company’s selection test and interview.

At the time of his interview, Richard had been unsuccessful in locating an employer but working with ATL’s Work Based Learning team, he secured an apprenticeship with indus­trial and commercial building specialists, Emcor.

Now on his second year of training, what would he say are ATL’s real strengths?

"The support from the very outset was fantastic, but what I would say above anything else is that the quality of the lecturers was second-to-none. They all have experience in the field and can demonstrate a working knowledge of the sector, which is far better than just being read to from a book."

With 18 months left until the course ends, Richard is already making plans for him and his friends.

"When I come to the end of the training I genuinely hope there’ll be a job with Emcor as I have so many skills to offer. I’ve learnt that much that I’ve already recommended ATL to a few friends, and hopefully they’ll follow my lead."

Martin Venner

The smell of freshly baked bread, cakes and pastries wafting through a shop, or home is always welcoming but after over 15 years of being in the business, bakery manager, Martin Venner needed a change. So after shutting the oven doors for the last time nearly five years ago Martin switched to a career in plumbing.

Martin fed up with working for someone else, wanted to be his own boss and turned to plumbing to get greater freedom and flexibility into his life. He’d always been good at fix­ing things and the move to plumbing seemed a natural step. The decision was confirmed when he enrolled onto a new career skills practical training programme with ATL.

“I can’t fault the course or the tutors. The tutorials were easy going and went at the right pace but the tutors - especially one - was quiet demanding, which in fact was just the thing I needed as it made me put in the extra effort. The course covered all standard heating systems and the trainers really knew their stuff. I’d definitely recommend the course to other people”

Now a self employed plumber for nearly three years, Martin has no complaints about his decision to change career, he’s never been happier and the pay packet is not bad either. The Hampshire based plumber has seen his business grow month by month, Martin has built up a good network of local builders and insurance firms who keep him busy. In fact, he is now in a position to benefit from word of month recommendations - the holly grail of marketing!

“Thanks to the training from ATL, I’ve got a good grounding into the industry and can take on projects with confidence. This has really been the secret to growing my network of contacts. I’ve recently completed another course and am considering undertaking another course, possibly gas certification but at the moment I’m quite enjoying being my own boss, I am able to choose when and where I work. That’s a great feeling and sure beats the early mornings watching the dough rise!”