The Construction Skills College Limited

Our Courses

About Our Courses

We’re confident this website will answer any queries you have concerning the courses we offer. If not, please don’t hesitate to ‘Contact Us’.

You will find our courses to be both financially and personally rewarding, whether you’re planning a career change, looking for a recognised qualification that provides an introduction to construction related skills, wanting to learn a new skill to supplement your income, or a DIY enthusiast. We offer 5 day courses including an accredited unit certificate, 8 day courses including a nationally recognised qualification, 5 day advanced courses and advanced courses including work experience.’

Who Are The Courses Suitable For?

Our plastering, plumbing, tiling, bricklaying, and painting and decorating courses have all been designed for people with little or no experience in any of the mentioned trades, so anybody can participate. Throughout your course you’ll be given demonstrations of the required skills and then given the opportunity to practice those skills until you’re capable and confident to a quality standard of work.

The British Plumbing Employers’ Council (BPEC) Water Regulations course is suitable for practicing plumbers with experience in hot and cold water systems, anyone involved in the installation, design and specification of water systems as well as those learners with limited previous experience.

Course Layout

The courses we offer are mainly practical based, but some classroom theory sessions, as well as some home study in relation to the supporting notes we provide, are incorporated. During our practical sessions the teaching methods applied involve the tutor explaining a particular task, demonstrating it and then you're given the opportunity to perform it under their supervision at your own pace. You’ll be working in your own individual purpose built bay and have access to all the tools and materials required for your entire course. The classroom sessions include tutorials, group work and group discussion covering the related topics.

Your work is continuously assessed throughout each course and regular feedback is given to ensure your progression of all skills. Every attendee has the option of having their work formally assessed to achieve a Level One and/or Level Two National Open College Network Progression Qualification certificate.

The BPEC Water Regulations course involves learning the contents of the training manual and video provided upon enrolment, and attending our training centre for a review session and assessments, all taking place over 1 day.

When Can I Attend The Courses?

All NOCN courses can be attended during the week, and a selection are taught over a series of Saturdays or evenings. During the day the hours of training are 9am until 5pm and evening are from 6pm until 9pm

The BPEC Water Regulations course is offered on select Wednesdays, Fridays or Saturdays.

Can I achieve a full qualification?
What is an NOCN Progression Qualification?

Yes, it’s possible to achieve a full nationally recognised qualification issued through us by the National Open College Network. This is a progression qualification that requires you to complete a set number of units, those numbers depending on whether you’re aiming for a Level One or Level Two qualification. The units relate to the trade you’re learning, plus additional sections are covered. For example:

Unit - Understanding Domestic Plumbing Systems
Unit - Understanding Valves, Taps and Cisterns in Domestic Plumbing
Unit - Undertaking an Enterprise Project
(for example, starting your own business as a tradesman)
Unit - Developing Interpersonal Skills
(skills such as time management, confident behaviour and body language are all helpful when dealing with potential customers)

Upon successful completion of the units you’ll be issued with an accredited qualification. All units will be assessed to the equivalent NVQ Level and although not equal to a full NVQ qualification, the units you study are at the corresponding NVQ Level.

Completing a NOCN progression qualification not only provides you with training relating to the trade you are studying, it also develops your social and key skills and will show future employers that you are willing to put in the time and effort to study for a recognised qualification.

To achieve the full NOCN qualification you need to complete 37.5 hour course relating to the trade you are interested in and also the additional units which can be completed over 3 days with home study (these can be completed either midweek, Saturdays or evenings).

The two main additional units you’ll cover, along with the practical work in your selected trade, are shown below.

Undertaking an Enterprise Project

The ‘Undertaking an Enterprise Project’ unit consists of the following:

Market research required to determine the viability of a product or service.
Identify costs involved in producing the product or service and use them to calculate the total cost for producing the product or service.
Establish the price you will charge customers for the product or service.
Identify the most appropriate methods for marketing the product or service.
Identify the key personal skills / qualities required to effectively market and sell the product or service.
Produce marketing material for the target market.
Devise and review an action plan for the enterprise project.
Review the enterprise project analysing its strengths and weaknesses.

Developing Interpersonal Skills

The ‘Developing Interpersonal Skills’ unit consists of the following:

Awareness of personal skills and how these can be transferred to other roles including becoming a tradesperson.
Awareness of the need for time management and different time management techniques.
Understand the need for stress management and issues relating to being self employed.
Understand the different types of criticism, their use in real situations, and how to respond to each.
Awareness of confident behaviour and its uses in real situations such as interacting with customers and employers.
Awareness of body language and it uses in real situations such as interacting with customers and employers.
Understanding different types of behaviour and how to appropriately respond to each.