Starting out in Plastering

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Depends really, i did the 6 week ICA city and guilds at the building skills center in Yeovil and was lucky enough to be able to get with a time served plasterer with 20 odd years experiance under his belt to learn the in's and out's.

The ICA has now been modified from a 6 week to a 12 week course, but at the end of the day i came away from it being able to spread and a basic knowledge of how to do beads and the like. But nothing can prepare you for the outside world of plastering and the issues you come up against, i gotta say that if it wasnt for chunkyboy i would have struggled, to a certain extent i still do in some aspects but having him there is good for me as he put me straight as i was going.

So i say yeah do the course, but get in with a good spread to learn the trade after even if its as a lab for a while, you will learn more than any course will teach you. Just dont expect to finish the course and be able to chuck 3 sets on in one go... reality check, you wont!
 
Also depends who its aimed at. What about school leavers? Writing to all the firms in you area, send them a SAE to see if they will take you on as an apprentice and put you through collage. At the end of the day its these people who are going to be doing the job when were skimming the big wall in the sky.
 
Dont get me wrong, looking back now i would love to be a time served spread but it didnt turn out that way, so i took the ICA route like many others. An apprentiship is the way to really learn the trade properly. That being said in my opinion you should not be able to pass the ICA without a years experience under your belt with a firm.

Not bigging myself up here, but there were some people on my course who i wouldnt let spread jam on my toast let alone work in my house and yet they can go out and quote for work. One guy couldnt even get his beads right after 6 weeks and his mother paid for an extra week and yet he passed.

I did the course and got with chunkyboy, and thats how it should be before your allowed into someones house and potentially create more work for another spread to sort out (Happy Days ;)) and cause distress and extra money to the customer (Not so happy days :'()
 
i'd advise them to do the apprentaship route so they can get some cash for tools or go direct to a plasterer ..........if anyone advises them to go on a fookin course theyve lost the plot
 
hi dan,theres quite a few ways to get into the trade but a lot of factors involved,i.e,time ,budget,emloyment and age.
c&g course 6217-04 is a six week programme offered by a few training providers (a lot of people turn there nose up at )it but if u take the time to see whats covered within the criteria it very closse to nvq level 2 without the fibrous work
caa have brought out a new diploma award level 2 which again is worksop based training over a recommended 8-15 weeks
there the nvq route-but new people have to be employed.
and there the good old appreticeship
like i touched on about these in house training courses,my lads spend an awful amout of time on the trowel over their training and as much theory is pumped into them along the way.they dont come out as tradesmen as on site experience is allways a big learning curve for anyone,but it does give them a real chance of getting on in the industry.
i bet most appretices in there first two years dont have that much trowel time(clearing up ,mixing,chipshop run.....and so on)
i think for the younger kids apprenticeship is better as they have longer to learn and mature,as for older learners in house training tends to be more viable for them.
this is just an oversight and an educated veiw.if u want more info giv me a shout
 
Helllo DickyDoon

Thanks for the reply,

I am just trying to get a cross section of the routes as I can i only write about my experiences.

Seeing as I have plenty of time on my hands

Cheers though it gives me somthing to work on

Danny
 
if i were you danny ...obviously you will have a fair bit of influence i'd push all courses that are free .....but if anyone wants to pay me 500 quid to put a few skim beads up and have a go on the trowel give them my number ill do it for 250 ;)
 
The trouble is guys that the plastering trade is very hard to get into, I struggled I had to work for nothing for a couple of weeks to prove I wanted to do it.

I was lucky and determined enough...

The other thing is is that I need the course owners to pay for the advertising, to enable this site to grow its gonna need more advertisers ect. I have spent a lot of time getting this site to where it is and I love the atmosphere on here its makes very fun reading .... almost like a comic.

all the best chaps

danny
 
dan dont know what area your at but it might be worthwhile speaking to the local education authority?
local gov are ploughing so much money into training and redundacy re training it might be worth a mail or two.
 
The trouble is guys that the plastering trade is very hard to get into, I struggled I had to work for nothing for a couple of weeks to prove I wanted to do it.

I was lucky and determined enough...

The other thing is is that I need the course owners to pay for the advertising, to enable this site to grow its gonna need more advertisers ect. I have spent a lot of time getting this site to where it is and I love the atmosphere on here its makes very fun reading .... almost like a comic.

all the best chaps

danny
Click to expand...
i like the atmosphere here mate theres no control issues ......were all adults and like to have a crack ...........when you want me to stop slagging courses of just say mate ;)
 
Started on the broom then progressed to the shovel, then i watched the plasterers an i thought (Man i want to do that) they made it look so easy! so i got a job with a small builder he set me to work with a plasterer (ohoo sh*t ) iv' heard about this type of animal ahaa! no it was OK, he was a very hard working man with immense knowledge of the game, liked a beer after work. Anyway this forum is the only place where us guys can chat, and gain good knowledge from us old gits. (my trowel is sharper than wilkinsons) ;)
 
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