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Becoming a Gas Engineer

We all love the convenience of gas-fired central heating, instant hot water and clean cooking. Just imagine life without these creature comforts! Not only do gas installers (also known as gas fitters and engineers) make our lives more comfortable, but they have a very, very responsible job too. Gas is safe in the hands of an expert but in unqualified hands the results can be disastrous. People die at the hands of a ‘cowboy’ gas installer.

The job
Domestic and commercial gas installers fit gas appliances and piping in customers’ homes and business premises. Appliances include gas heaters, cookers, meters, central heating boilers and radiators. These gas installers go out to customers’ premises to service and repair gas appliances. They carry out routine maintenance and service and attended to boilers and heating systems that have broken down.

Gas installers test appliances thoroughly, paying strict attention to safety procedures. They diagnose and repair faults, often on complex appliances and systems. They may test a boiler flue to make sure there is proper ventilation and that dangerous fumes cannot leak into a room. They may dismantle an appliance, clean parts, and repair or replace faulty parts. They also deal with electronic programmers and controls.

Gas installers also answer customers’ questions, advise them on the most appropriate and energy efficient heating systems and show them how best to use appliances. They may also advise on the purchase of boilers and appliances.

Becoming a gas installer will offer you a rewarding future, a full career path leading to professional qualifications, and good pay. No two days are the same - from fixing a cooker to installing a boiler and central heating system gas installers work on domestic, commercial and industrial projects that offer variety and challenge.

Qualities you need to be a gas installer
To be a gas installer, you must have strong technical knowledge and skills and a love of maths, science and technology. You will need a methodical, logical and patient approach to diagnosing and solving problems and must be able to use a combination of logical, analytical thinking and creativity and imagination. You should also be committed to keeping up to date with advances in this fast changing area.

Safety is a very important issue in all areas of gas engineering. You must be highly responsible and must be able to understand and follow safety procedures and legislation at all times, working carefully and with great attention to detail.

You will also need to be comfortable with modern technology and have computer skills. For example, you may use computer-aided design (CAD) technology in design and research work. Increasingly, gas installers use laptop computers to diagnose problems and modern appliances have electronic programmers.

You will need self-discipline and good organisational skills to plan your own time and to co-ordinate resources. Willingness to take on responsibility and to lead and motivate other is essential. As is good communication skills. You will be dealing with customers. Sometimes customers are anxious and worked-up. Their central heating boiler may have broken down in freezing weather or they may be worried about a gas leak or carbon monoxide. You must be able to reassure the customer by being calm, friendly and professional. You will need good listening skills as well as the ability to ask the right questions to find out the customer’s needs. You must also have respect for other people’s property.

You must be physically fit too. You may have to move and lift heavy appliances, climb up to check a flue and work in small cramped and awkward spaces.

The qualifications
The gas industry is highly regulated and the proper qualifications are essential to ensure gas engineers work safely and lawfully. In addition, every gas installer must by law be registered with the Gas Safe Register (formally CORGI) and that involves being assessed for competence under the Nationally Accredited Certification Scheme for Individual Gas Fitting Operatives (ACS).

Before being able to undertake an ACS assessment a prospective gas engineer must be able to provide evidence, by way of a portfolio of appropriate training and relevant gas experience. Once they have passed their ACS assessments, they must then pass an assessment of competence by an inspector before their application can be approved. After this, gas installers are regularly inspected by the Gas Safe Register and must renew their ACS ‘tickets’ every five years.

All Gas operatives must, as a minimum requirement, successfully obtain their “core” gas safety certificate for either domestic natural gas or liquid petroleum gas (LPG), or the commercial (industrial) equivalents. At this point, they can apply to be accepted on the Gas Safe Register, but the core gas safety certificate will only enable them to install, commission, disconnect and repair gas pipe-work in their chosen fuel (natural gas/LPG) and in their chosen sector (domestic/commercial).

To be able to do any other work they also need to obtain additional certificates of competence in each and every fuel, sector and area of gas work they intend to undertake. So for example they need another certificate to work on cookers, another to work on gas fires and heaters, another to work on central heating systems and so on. And finally each of these certificates has to be renewed every five years in order to prove that they have kept up to date with ever-changing standards and regulations and to keep their knowledge fresh.

Becoming Registered
To get on the Gas Safe Register (formally CORGI) you need to be in possession of certificates of competence in each area of gas work you intend to operate. This is called the Accredited Certification Scheme - or ACS.

To get these certificates of competence, you must be able to demonstrate gas safety competence by successfully completing nationally agreed assessments, carried out at an Approved Assessment Centre. However, it’s not as simple as just booking a training course and then sitting an assessment. To begin with, before being able to take an assessment, you must be able to prove gas industry experience and qualifications held.

Depending upon your experience and qualifications you will be classed as either a category three or a category two entrant. There is such a thing as a category one entrant but this is an experienced gas-fitting operative from within or outside the UK who is either seeking to renew expired certificates, extend their range of work, or in the case of foreign nationals, obtain certificates of gas safety competence that will allow them to meet UK gas work requirements.

A category three entrant is someone new to the gas industry and is therefore classed as entering the industry for the first time, or changing career direction. Before being able to apply for an assessment, a category three entrant must either:

• Seek training and experience that will result in the attainment of an NVQ in Gas Services, Installation and Maintenance at Level 2 or 3, plus the related on the job gas training and experience so they can apply as a category two entrant. Or…
• Obtain employment with a Gas Safe registered business/installer who is willing to provide an auditable extended period of company “in house” gas training together with the necessary organisational support.

In the latter case, the duration and content of the training is dependent upon the scope of gas work being undertaken. However, a category three entrant can usually apply for ACS assessment having obtained 140 days relevant gas related experience (installing/exchanging a range of different appliance types, installation of gas pipe work, testing and purging the same, servicing, repairing and fault diagnosis of central heating boilers, calculating ventilation requirements, identification of unsafe situations etc.). This must be site based experience working under the direct supervision of and endorsed by a Gas safe registered engineer and evidence in the form of a portfolio following completion of such training/experience must be presented to the assessment centre before you can undertake assessments.

A category two entrant is someone who has attained a relevant qualification and can provide written evidence confirming that “on the job” gas installation and/or maintenance training has been undertaken and that a minimum of 70 days experience of gas work has been carried out under the direct supervision of a competent operative, employed by a Gas Safe registered company. Such written evidence will need to be provided from the employer and detail precisely the areas of gas work undertaken.

Becoming qualified
The industry recognised entry-level qualification is an NVQ level 2 in Gas Services, Installation and Maintenance.

Most youngsters entering the industry follow an apprenticeship route, leading to an NVQ (National Vocational Qualification). Apprenticeships are work-based training programmes involving theory and practical training at a college or vocational training provider, plus work based experience working with a Gas Safe registered installer or contracting firm. The theory and workshop skills provide the Technical Certificate (part of the NVQ) while the work experience provides evidence of work-place competence in the form of a portfolio. These two things combined comprise the NVQ.

Unfortunately, NVQs and apprenticeships are only available to those in employment or working on-site. If you are an adult career changer, whilst it is possible to start from scratch and train to become a Gas Installer/Engineer, because of the restrictions imposed by regulation you will need to be employed by a Gas Safe registered contracting firm while you train. Without some trade experience, this is going to be very difficult.

Because the entry criteria is strict and requires relevant gas experience, many people enter the industry after gaining experience, and perhaps qualifications, in a related area such as plumbing, heating and ventilation fitting, or welding.

You can then either gain employment with, or work alongside a Gas Safe registered contractor while you gain an NVQ Level 2 and 70 days site-based experience of gas work (to qualify as a category two entrant), or not bother with the NVQ and obtain 140 days relevant site-based gas related experience which will allow you to qualify as a category three entrant with an auditable extended period of company “in house” gas training.

What can gas installers earn?
Forget the stories of earning £100,000+ a year. The average gas installer employed by a company will earn in the region of £25,000 - £30,000 after a couple of years experience. A self-employed gas installer can earn a lot more. What you earn depends on how much time and effort you put in. If you are working 12 hour shifts six or seven days a week of course you will earn a lot more and £70,000 is achievable.

On the other hand, being a gas installer is a very good trade to learn if you have commitments such as children - if you are a single parent doing the school run, or have to be home at a certain time as your partner is still out working, you can fit jobs in around your lifestyle.

What’s Your Future as a gas installer?

Right now there is a shortage of qualified gas installers and because of continued building expansion and redevelopment this is an area which requires one of the highest numbers of new workers in the construction sector. Gas installers are also at the forefront of environmentally friendly technologies; designing and installing energy efficient heating systems. As the price of natural resources rise and energy prices rise too so the demand from householders for these systems is expected to rise sharply. As a result, prospects for those entering the industry are expected to be excellent.

The gas industry also offers gas engineers the chance to specialise. For example:

• Gas engineers are responsible for extracting and treating gas, and installing and maintaining the gas network from source to customer. Gas engineers have a wide variety of roles, although some may specialise in the exploration, transmission, distribution or use of gas.
• Gas exploration engineers are concerned with the design, construction and maintenance of terminals, equipment and facilities used to extract and store gas. They use computer-aided design (CAD) technology to design safer and more efficient rigs and on a day-to-day basis, they also devise safety procedures and maintenance routines.
• Transportation and distribution gas engineers are involved in many different activities, including pipeline design, construction and maintenance. They also design and develop new sites.
• Gas supply specialists are responsible for the control of gas flow and for laying new pipelines and replacing existing ones. Some engineers are based in control rooms where they monitor gas flow and pressure and if the demand for gas increases substantially, additional supplies have to be called upon. They may also work on systems control, checking the compressor systems and valves that regulate the flow of gas throughout the UK.
• Network engineers develop sections of a gas network. They begin by building computer models. They examine local plans that show existing buildings, water pipelines and electricity cables. They notify local authorities, and any residents and shopkeepers who may be affected, and ensure that sufficient labour and materials are available. While work is in progress, the engineer visits the site and resolves any technical difficulties.
• Engineers who specialise in gas utilisation gain knowledge of gas burners, plant design, gas supply, combustion, thermodynamics and manufacturing processes. They may visit manufacturing companies, hospitals and other large scale gas users to advise on how they may use gas more efficiently. This involves conducting surveys of current fuel use and possibly comparing gas with other fuels. Where appropriate, these engineers design and arrange for the installation of new equipment such as boilers or heating systems.

Many gas installers also progress to consultancy, teaching and management, making the gas industry a career with a real future. Once qualified, being a gas engineer can also be a passport to work all over the world!