Skill cards

[Andy AC]

Hello guys, had a letter through from one of the companies we do sub contract work for, stating that more and more of their clients and sites are requiring engineers and subbies to have a skill card. We've been asked to attend a 1 day training course. I just wanted to know a/ What a skill card is? and b/ what does the course involve to get one.

Andy

[Brian_UK]

Hi Andy,

Have a look here.. http://www.skillcard.org.uk/

It is a good idea I suppose but like all of these things IT COSTS.

If I remember rightly you can't just apply for it because you are already qualified in something. You have to take something else that is charged for first.

Mind you, I could be a bit biased

[Argus]

.

Skillcards have been around for about 5 years now.

All the big building contractors insist on them (it's uncertain how much it is policed, but that's another issue). They like them because it is one way for them to demonstrate knowledge of health and safety on their sites.

In their most basic format it demonstrates a basic formal understanding of health and safety procedures by all the operatives at all levels on their sites, (that's what the assessment is for). Additionally, you need to have your staturory qualifications, CITB or C&G 2078, CORGI etc listed, plus any vocational qualifications, such as NVQs, Btech, HNC, etc.

.

[taz24]

I just wanted to know a/ What a skill card is? and b/ what does the course involve to get one.

Andy

It's just as the others have said.

Skill card is a national register of all the trades with skills.
Its that simple. Its just to identify tradesmen and the quals they hold.
The different trades all have there own section ie Refrigeration, HVAC, Plumbing, Gas works and such like.
The levels or grades of card are somyhing like
visitors card which need applying for individualy every visit,
trainees card,
qualified persons card,
supervisors card,
managers card.
They are all colour coded and demonstrate at a glance the level of supposed knowledge and skill of the holder.

Whether you like them or not they are here and have been for years.
The costs involved are fairly low (about £25) as long as you hold all the relevent minimum quals for your trade.

[Andy AC]

Thanks for the info guys, looks like a good idea

[The MG Pony]

Care full you'll end up like here, you'll have to have a licance & permit to flush the toilet after writing an impact report on the bacterium in the bowel <_<

[absrbrtek]

I agree. This is just another way for an organization to trump up money. Plus I'm a firm believer that in passing a written test does'nt mean you know poop from apple butter. I've worked with many techs that couldn't tell you what end of a screwdriver to use. You give them an HVAC system on paper and they can get it theoreticaly working, stand them in front of it and that's another story. JMHO

Care full you'll end up like here, you'll have to have a licance & permit to flush the toilet after writing an impact report on the bacterium in the bowel <_<

[The MG Pony]

yup thats about er.

A guy passed a two year computer course with a 100% yet he had to call me over to show him how to hook up a router, unfortunately they look and react differant in the real thing then they do on paper!

[penguinkiller]

I have a skillcard, I found mine to be of great use as it was the only form of ID they recognise in Heathrow terminal 5.

Didn't have my passport to hand and company ID cards do not cut it.

Also most construction sites require you to hold one to gain entry.

[HallsEngineer]

Company made me get one, never used it though waste of time so far.

[marc5180]

Iv got one and have never been asked for it in 5 years.

[get the gauges]

The whole idea is that the skillcard forces people who have no formal trade qualification to obtain the Health & safety qualification for fridge and the safe handling ticket, then a skill card can be issued but to be able to work on ac&ref unsupervised you must also submit your fridge qualification, this is where it gets tricky if you haven't got your fridge ticket you are issued with a temporary 3yr skill card and must enrol on the NVQ level 2 course and pass it within 3 yrs, if you don't pass the course then your temporary skillcard is revoked and you won't be able to work unsupervised on ac and fridge until you have passed the course. Not a problem as far as i'm concerned, the amount of cow boys and chancers in the aircon game is depressing. My original trade was that of an electrician and i served an apprenticeship and went to college and feel as though i have served my time and become a tradesman. Can you imagine being a telephone technical support guy for aircon and having to talk these idiots through service calls who have self appointed themselves the job title aircon engineer, one week they're rolling out copper tube and taping a 7core to it, the next week they're a fridge engineer. Thats why we need skillcards. EDIT as Frank says below me it's not compulsory but if your going to work on any of the big boys sites or apply for a job on the books with a big firm ,then you'll need it ,i had subbed to one firm for the last 4 years until recently and never needed it but i'm glad i've got it now coz i distances me from the crap and it's in black and white in the back what quals u've got.

[frank]

Skillcards are at present, voluntary, and you don't have to have one to install A/C or fridge in the UK.

It is only the main contractors that insist the subbies working on their site are holders.

I've had one now for over 5 years and have had to show it twice - to the same customer but on different sites.

[FreezerGeezer]

... Can you imagine being a telephone technical support guy for aircon and having to talk these idiots through service calls who have self appointed themselves the job title aircon engineer, one week they're rolling out copper tube and taping a 7core to it, the next week they're a fridge engineer. Thats why we need skillcards.

We got it all the time. Typical conversation went;
This split isn't running, why not?
I don't know, I can't see it from this end mate. Have you checked the thermostat? No.
Is there any signal to the main card?
How do I check that?

FFS! Trane stuff is pretty old school - no comms on splits, it's all relays. If the lazy / ignorant pest doesn't even know or can't be bothered to get his multimeter out & check the basics first,
a) how can we help them and
b) should we really be telling them what to do as clearly most of them had no idea what they were doing. We used to get really concerned about this - what if the person electrocuted themselves or something, and it came back on us because we were trying to help?

And yes, I do know that most split manufacturers are comms these days & that you can't test your way around with a multimeter.
As I say, Trane are old school, and frankly it's not too hard to spot the difference in the no. of cores between the 'stat & main card & work it out, especially if you can read a wiring diagram.
Admittedly Trane dia's on splits are a nightmare (again, completely unlike the larger stuff, which is superb once you've sussed out the way they're laid out), but honestly it's not hard to work out the connections. Really it isn't.

Back on topic, I have a Prioject Manager's skill card (the platinum one). All the big boys are insisting on it, and it usually gets checked at least during the site induction.
So if you're on a Skanska, Carillion, etc. site, you will need one before you're allowed on.
And you must have qualifications or be in training now to get one. The 'experienced' route was closed some time ago.

[get the gauges]

Back on topic, I have a Prioject Manager's skill card (the platinum one). All the big boys are insisting on it, and it usually gets checked at least during the site induction.
So if you're on a Skanska, Carillion, etc. site, you will need one before you're allowed on.
And you must have qualifications or be in training now to get one. The 'experienced' route was closed some time ago.

I'm not a big fan of the different colors or hierachy, i don't like the class element ,remember it's a skillcard not a classcard.

[taz24]

I'm not a big fan of the different colors or hierachy, i don't like the class element ,remember it's a skillcard not a classcard.

Why would you think it is about class?

The colours reprisent different levels of qualification, so at a glance the level of the holder can be seen.

taz.

[stevo4546]

its basic health and safety and a few fridge questions very easy

[get the gauges]

Why would you think it is about class?

The colours reprisent different levels of qualification, so at a glance the level of the holder can be seen.

taz.

ok i have had a close look at the skill card web site and have seen that the platinum and blackcard require possession of nvq4 and nvq 5 respectively and if that is as cut and dried as it is then i will agree that a different colour card can be something to work towards, but my argument of 'class' came from me thinking that if you got in touch with skill and presented them with a letter from your employer stating you were a projects or contracts manager regardless of how much mayhem and grief you were causing day to day for everyone around you,and SKILL issued you with a platinum or even black coloured card on the say so of your current job title then i would be very uneasy about someone flashing a black coloured card around (and i would if i had the nvq 5) who may of attained it from a reference of there firm.
I know of a firm that i have subbed to. They specialize in one or too splits in one shop installs mainly for the same few high st. shops and touch no fridge at all and are very successful at it. There company structure comprises of an MD who is in spain most of the time, a contracts manager and two projects managers (all self appointed titles ) and approx 5 install guys. Now the contracts manager and one of the projects managers have been with the company from day one and were placed in those positions by the MD after serving as the firms only installers and i would put my new R60a reclaim unit on it that they do not possess nvq 4 and nvq 5 but i will endeavor to find out if they in the case of the projects manager own a gold titled 'projects manager' and the contracts manager own a black card titled ' contracts manager '.

[get the gauges]

its basic health and safety and a few fridge questions very easy

There's more to the skillcard than the health and safety test, you have shown a gap in your knowledge there me thinks.Because you will either have one or be working at college to get one.

[marc5180]

We are getting asked for them more and more on sites now so the "boss" is made the ones of us that haven't got one, get one. Plus they have to pay for it themselves which i think is pretty unfair its £50.

[frank]

We are getting asked for them more and more on sites now so the "boss" is made the ones of us that haven't got one, get one. Plus they have to pay for it themselves which i think is pretty unfair its £50.

As it's a personal card that relates to the person/tech/engineer and lasts for 5 years, I don't see how a £50 fee is unreasonable.

Consider that the boss pays for every guy working for him - some great cost that he can't pass on to the customer - and then, slowly, over the 5 year period, engineers drift off to work for other firms. Where does he get back his investment? And do the new replacement engineers then expect that he pays for their cards?

As it's not the boss who insists that you get a CSCS card to get on to site in the first place - it's down to another one of those smart companies that sold the idea to employers, why should the 'boss' be forced to pay?

I'll get my coat !.....

[bernard]

Hi

I would say your company should pay.

Regards Bernard

[Thermatech]

For engineers that are directly employed by the a/c company you can be sure that the boss & sales engineer will very swiftly tell prospective customers that the engineers all have skill cards.
It is visible proof of health & safety training & any other industry qualifications.
So the company can use this as a sales tool & might help to win more contracts.

Assuming the employed engineers already have some industry qualification then all they need to do is pass the heath & safety test to qualify for a skill card.

Is the boss actually concerned about the health & safety of his employees ?
Has the boss paid for & sent all engineers on some basic H&S training ?
If any employee has an accident on site which is then investigated by H&S executive the boss will be desperately looking for every bit of evidence that he fullfilled a duty of care for his employees.
If the boss has paid for proper H&S training for the engineers & paid for the skill card H&S test then at least he has tried to fullfill some duty of care for his emplyees.

If the boss is not willing to pay for proper H&S training & prepared to take that type of risk with the H&S of employees & possible impact on the company & himself then I think I would be looking for another job with a company with a better record regarding H&S.

I have worked for a number of companies who send all engineers on H&S training courses & so have a folder full of cirtificates & course notes.
A responsible company will ensure that all employees have appropriate H&S training & skill card H&S test is about the minimum requirment.

However if the engineers are self employed then they would normally be responsible for there own H&S training.