Trades Gateway - any feedback good or bad?

[monkeymagic]

HI
Does anyone know anything - good or bad - about Trades Gateway training provider? Electrics - Trades GatewayTrades Gateway

I cant see anything awful about them on google apart from people not being able to get their money back quickly if they want to cancel (which although not good, doesn't make them a terrible training provider)
But I cant see anything good about them either - though I know usually online you only tend to get the negative reviews?

I am considering doing an electrician course with them - its not fast track - I expect it to take many months if not years to get to Level 3 diploma.
Its also not all online learning but a mix of online, self study, in class taught and also residential practical on the hands on training - so makes me think it looks good and not dodgy.

Would be really grateful to know what you think? Its so hard trying to decide if a training provider is legit or not and obviously there's a huge money risk too.
Thanks in advance for any help.
These are the learning outcomes I can achieve:
[h=2]LEARNING OUTCOMES[/h][h=3]DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL INSTALLER[/h]

• Industry Certification in Essential Electrics
• BPEC – Part P Defined Scope
• City & Guilds 2377 – In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment
• City & Guilds 2382 – 17th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations
• BPEC – Part P Full Scope
• City & Guilds 2357 Level 3 Diploma (Units 1, 3, 4, 5 & 6) in Installing Electrotechnical Systems and Equipment

[h=3]FULL SCOPE ELECTRICIAN[/h]

• Industry Certification in Essential Electrics
• Part P – Defined Scope
• City & Guilds 2377 – In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment
• City & Guilds 2382 – 17th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations
• Part P – Full Scope
• City & Guilds 2357 Level 3 Diploma (Units 2, 7, 8 & 9) in Installing Electrotechnical Systems and Equipment
• City & Guilds 2392 – Certificate in Fundamental Inspection, Testing and Initial Verification
• City & Guilds 2394 and 2395 – Certificate in Inspection, Testing and Verification of Electrical Installations

 

[Johnuk]

full scope electrician, you will still need to do am2 and nvq 3 to be classed as a electrician under j.i.b, and the first 3 course are a waste of time to do

 

[Andrew Anderson]

I have just started with them in November, so far so good i suppose..
I signed up with them and was given a load of books and a folder to start with.
A few weeks later i received online login details.
In the first book (Section 1 Part A) supplied when i signed up there are 8 Modules. Im reading through Module 4 currently. At the end of each module there is a little Assesment which you submit to the "Tutors" Online.
You start your first lot of practical after module 11.

They seem on the face of things to be Ok..

 

[james13475]

Hi Andrew,

I have signed up for the same course. I'm at the same stage you were at when you were on this course (the regs) not the easiest to read. Can you recommend any good forum posts on here that may come in useful? Would be good to keep in touch with yourself to compare notes if that was ok.

James

 

[trev]

Have any of you searched any of the qualifications listed in the OP and what they actually are?
The "Industry certification for essential electrics" for example, this is a joke course designed for people who do not and will not work in the electrical trade. The stuff it covers I could teach my 3 year old grandson in about 20 minutes.
BPEC defined scope/BPEC full scope. Why are they charging you for defined scope if a day or two later they're putting you through full scope? Neither of these "qualifications" will make any of you electricians.
I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parades just for the sake of it, I want you to wake up and realise you're being fleeced guys. All of these courses, and the ones which actually will make electricians out of you (with on the tools experience of course), are available at your local technical college. Probably a hell of a lot less than these people are stiffing you for

 

[traineespark]

Hi, I'm new here and can see that your question was posted some time ago but... I'm on the Level 3 course with Trades Gateway and have just completed practical week 2 (of 8) and achieved the Part P Defined Scope Qualification.

The way that the course is setup is for people who have a full time job or for any other reason can't commit to going to college full time or working as an electricians mate on lower wages. I myself have a family, mortgage and everything else that goes with it so can't take a significant drop in wages whilst I get my qualifications. Expect this course to take you a couple of years.

There is a bit of bulls":t coming out of Trades Gateway, the inital sales guy is slick and shows you a crappy video with that Tommy Whateverhisname is off Ground Force but once you get into it the course is really quite well laid out and the practical weeks offer both hands on experience (albeit in a training centre, on training boards) and the chance to talk to sparks who have either retired from being 'on the tools' or teach part time, do real work the rest of it. Like I said earlier I've just finished week 2, the centre I went to was in Southampton and the tutor there was a guy called John Knox, 19 years on the tools, teaches part time and was absolutely brilliant. I came away from the week well up on my knowledge.

I started the course in April 2014. Its now March 2015 and I'm only a fifth of the way though the practicals and just coming upto half way though the home learning books so it's going to be another year at least until I'm done. This is partly due to me having to take a couple of months off from the studying due to my day job and partly because the practical weeks get filled up quickly. My advice - if you can book weeks 1&2 together, it'll really help you this way.

 

[trev]

So are they teaching you how to chase walls, lift floorboards, install the many methods of containment, terminate MICC, install and commission fire and intruder alarm systems, etc etc?

 

[Engineer54]

full scope electrician, you will still need to do am2 and nvq 3 to be classed as a electrician under j.i.b, and the first 3 course are a waste of time to do

This is what i can never understand with these training centers, they call their courses 2357, but that includes NVQ 3, however you need to be employed within the trade in order to fill this log thing book out. So how are they managing to get over the NVQ element??
Again, they say that to gain the NVQ-3 takes between 12 to 24 months. So can anyone here explain how all this happens, ...legitimately??

 

[Leesparkykent]

This is what i can never understand with these training centers, they call their courses 2357, but that includes NVQ 3, however you need to be employed within the trade in order to fill this log thing book out. So how are they managing to get over the NVQ element??
Again, they say that to gain the NVQ-3 takes between 12 to 24 months. So can anyone here explain how all this happens, ...legitimately??

City & Guilds 2357 Course - NVQ Diploma

7.5 grand later........

I don't understand why any one would chuck that amount of money at it when they could go to a local college complete level 2&3 2356 and convert it in to the 2357 ,do the am2 and build the portfolio for 1/3 of the cost.

rough costs £650 level2
£650 level 3
£450 Am2
£750 to convert in to 2357 qualification for the portfolio part
TOTAL=£2500

IMO I think a lot of people are just fooled by a slick sales pitch lol.

Any one who was nearly fooled by a slick salesman before reading this post can PM me for my bank details to send me some of the 5grand I've just saved them haha

 

[Engineer54]

City & Guilds 2357 Course - NVQ Diploma

7.5 grand later........

I don't understand why any one would chuck that amount of money at it when they could go to a local college complete level 2&3 2356 and convert it in to the 2357 ,do the am2 and build the portfolio for 1/3 of the cost.

rough costs £650 level2
£650 level 3
£450 Am2
£750 to convert in to 2357 qualification for the portfolio part
TOTAL=£2500

IMO I think a lot of people are just fooled by a slick sales pitch lol.

Any one who was nearly fooled by a slick salesman before reading this post can PM me for my bank details to send me some of the 5grand I've just saved them haha

Still doesn't answer how these students can fulfil the requirements of this NVQ-3 without being employed within the trade??

 

[Leesparkykent]

Still doesn't answer how these students can fulfil the requirements of this NVQ-3 without being employed within the trade??[/QUOTE

you don't have to be employed You could be volunteering, self employed on an agency, etc. which ever way any one does it they need the variety of work to complete the log book part of the nvq.

edit: unless they are a wizard with the likes of photo shop and then they don't need any work as the variety of work is available from images on the net with a bit of editing lol.

 

[Adam W]

I'm always intrigued as to what people do after these courses.
The idea seems to be to train around an existing job, walk out of the training centre and straight into a job earning the same as an electrician without having to go through the 'trainee' stage.
Does this actually happen, realistically?

 

[bf03yvd]

I'm 12 months into this course, and i've had different views about them. I haven't had any problems - so far. But, people have various opinions about them, some good, some bad, so its hard to know for sure. I've consider changing, because i'm eager to get some practical experience, which T.G. offer eventually. Let me know how you get on.

 

[bf03yvd]

Wouldn't you need some kind of qualification or experience before an agancy would considered you ?

 

[bf03yvd]

I know a sexy bird who is doing this course too. I wonder if she's still doing it ?:rolleyes4: