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Course overview

Our 71-week Gas Managed Learning Programme is the UK’s most comprehensive and in-depth gas training course for adults.  As the course is completed part-time, this allows you to earn while you learn.

There are two variants of our part-time Gas Managed Learning Programme:

Variant one: Training is completed 08.30 – 16.00 every Monday and Tuesday for 25 weeks.

Variant two: Training is completed 08.30 – 16.00 every Thursday and Friday for 25 weeks.

You will then complete a 45-week part-time work placement, either on Mondays & Tuesdays or Thursdays and Fridays.

The next stage is your 1-week ACS assessment which will be completed full time.

Your final stage will be your 1-week Low Carbon Heating Week, which includes Air Source Heat Pumps.

We go the extra mile for all our students, ensuring that they’re not only fully qualified but the most employable as well. Our expert tutors have identified skill shortages within the industry through their years of experience. We have incorporated this knowledge into our training syllabus.

With a blend of classroom and workshop-based learning, we believe that ‘hands-on’ learning is essential to train for a career in the gas industry.

Qualification Overview

CCN1 – Core Domestic Gas Safety

CPA1 – Combustion Performance Analysis

CENWAT – Domestic Gas Central Heating Boilers & Water Heaters

CKR1 – Domestic Gas Cookers

HTR1 – Domestic Gas Fires & Wall Heaters

LCL Awards Level 3 Award in the Installation and Maintenance of Air Source Heat Pumps

 

Modules breakdown

 

 

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student undertaking gas boiler service training

Stage 1 - Core Gas Safety Training - 25 Weeks Part Time (2 Days Per Week)

Core Gas Safety training is mandatory content for any gas engineer training course and covers all the elements required to pass your final ACS assessments, allowing you to join the Gas Safe Register. These skills are the minimum criteria for becoming a gas engineer and form the foundations of our training programme.

Core Gas Safety Training Content:

  • Safety, Legislation and Standards
  • Gas Emergency Actions and Procedures
  • Products and Characteristics of Combustion
  • Ventilation for Domestic Gas Burning Appliances
  • Installation of Pipework and Fittings
  • Tightness Testing and Purging
  • Checking and/ or Setting Meter Regulators
  • Unsafe Situations, Emergency Notices and Warning Labels
  • Operation and Positioning of Emergency Isolation
  • Controls and Valves Checking and Setting
  • Appliance Burner Pressures and Gas Rates
  • Operation and Checking of Appliance Gas Safety Devices and Controls
  • Chimney Standards
  • Chimney Installation, Inspection and Testing
  • Re-establish Existing Gas Supply and Re-light Appliances
  • Domestic Pipework Installation

Core Practical Skills Content:

  • Installation and Maintenance of Installation Air Source Heat Pumps
  • Installation, Service and Repair of Domestic Gas Boilers
  • Installation, Service and Repair of Domestic Gas Cooking Appliances
  • Installation, Service and Repair of Domestic Gas Fires
  • Boiler Manufacturer Specific Training
  • Gas Appliance Component Replacement
  • Specific Electrical Controls Training
  • Electrical Testing of Gas Appliances and System Controls
  • Principles and Procedures of Fault Diagnosis
  • Intelligent Heating Controls
  • Safe Systems of Work
  • Sequence of Operation of Gas Appliances and Systems
  • Central Heating System Design
  • Landlord Gas Safety Certificates
  • Doorstep Protocol and Customer Journey
  • Unvented Hot Water Storage Systems
  • Basic Plumbing Skills

 

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student being trained on gas pipe bending

Stage 3 - Work Placement and Portfolio – 45 Weeks Part Time (2 Days Per Week)

All new entrants to the field must complete a portfolio of verified gas work. You are required to record a variety of topics in your portfolio.

Your gas portfolio is your opportunity to stand out from other new heating engineers. A high-quality portfolio demonstrates to potential employers that you have gained the gas safety skills necessary to work in the industry and become a productive member of their team, whilst working safely and effectively. We can’t give you years and years of experience, but we can offer you the best foundation knowledge and practical skills required to build a great career as a gas engineer.

 A completed portfolio is your access to your final ACS assessments.

As part of your course, we will guarantee you a work placement with a Gas Safe registered company. We are one of the few companies in the UK who can offer this to our students. 

One of the major benefits of the work placement companies we use is that many of them lead to our candidates being offered full-time employment after training.

 

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Stage 3 - ACS Assessment – 1 Week (Monday - Friday)

The final part of your gas training course involves sitting your ACS assessments. On successful completion of your ACS assessments, you will be eligible to work under the Gas Safe Registration, either for yourself or for an employer.

We have a 98% first-time pass rate for these assessments. If a resit is required, we will identify where you require extra training and provide a re-assessment free of charge.

 

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student being trained on gas boiler fault finding

Stage 4 - Low Carbon Heating Week – 1 Week (Monday - Friday)

Your low carbon heating week will give you the qualifications to install, service and repair air source heat pumps.

We leave this week until after you have successfully completed your ACS. We don’t want to overload you with information before your ACS assessments. After all, that’s the most important week of your course, as it’s your entry to the Gas Safe Register.

Once you’ve completed your ACS, book onto one of our public air source heat pump courses for free.

Qualifications gained:

  • Water Regulations Certificate
  • LCL Awards Level 3 Award in the Installation and Maintenance of Air Source Heat Pumps

 

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some of the best employers from this course

student working on a boiler
British Gas engineers during their gas training course

What are your career prospects at the end of this course

When students complete our heating engineer course, they enter a well-established field that offers:

A Competitive Salary

Depending on your experience level and area of expertise, typical salaries for gas engineers range from £30,000 to up to £50,000 a year. By working overtime or running your own business, these figures can increase dramatically.

A Secure Career

Because of the many regulations that require people to hire registered ‘Gas Safe’ engineers, your skills will always be in demand, offering access to a range of career prospects and opportunities. As you gain experience, new opportunities will become available. It’s so much more than just a job – it’s a lifetime career.

Once qualified you could:

  • Install, service and repair gas central heating boilers, water heaters, fires, cookers and meters.
  • Install and maintain air source heat pumps
  • Work for gas engineering companies, insurance companies, housing associations and much more.
  • Complete Landlord Gas Safety Certificates.
  • Complete maintenance work for letting agents.
  • Provide boiler cover plans.
  • Apply to work as a subcontractor for British Gas, Boxt, Corgi Homeplan and many other companies.
  • Provide out of hours emergency call-outs at premium rates.

 

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hydrogen gas boiler
air source heat pump

What does the future hold for gas engineers?

The future for central heating engineers is extremely exciting and lucrative. The UK Government has committed to green alternatives to replace natural gas heating which is certain to create a vast amount of work in our industry.

The two primary technologies for reducing emissions to zero by 2050 are Air Source Heat Pumps and Hydrogen Gas boilers.

In the run up to net zero 2050, we’re going to see a transformation in the way we heat our homes. The challenge is sizable – over 20,000 homes every week will need to switch to a low-carbon heat source between 2025 and 2050. – National Grid

According to studies, installations of air source heat pumps must soar to as many as 600,000 per year by 2028 and an estimated 69,500 installers will be needed by 2035.

Air source heat pumps, however, don’t go without their issues. They’re more suitable for new build properties that are extremely well insulated in order for them to be efficient.

This paves way for hydrogen boilers, which are expected to be the main fuel source for heating by 2035. You can view the hydrogen timeline here.

According to the hydrogen competency framework report, the qualifications to work on hydrogen are only open to gas engineers to train in, due to similarities between natural gas and hydrogen gas. Natural gas engineers can upskill in only 25 hours (3-days).

A booming, UK-wide hydrogen economy could be worth £900 million and create over 9,000 high-quality jobs by 2030, potentially rising to 100,000 jobs and worth up to £13 billion by 2050. – UK Government

 

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safe isolation during a gas course
training on gas fires during gas engineer course
gas boiler training theory on a whiteboard

What to expect on the course

Skills Training Group’s 71-week gas engineer course focuses on high quality, employer-led training that focuses on making you employable. Our training curriculum is designed to not only teach you the requirements to pass your course, but also to be competent enough to confidently use your new skills.

Our gas workshops are well equipped with all the latest technology, but also with older appliances that you will come across in the workplace. To date, we’ve invested over £250,000 to create the best possible training facilities, incorporating real-life practical scenarios to prepare you for the workplace.

Furthermore, all of our expert training staff are fully qualified industry experts with a minimum of 15 years of experience working with some of the UK’s most accomplished gas engineering employers.

a student being taught on our plumbing course training rig

Key Learning Areas

The key learning areas for our gas engineer course focus on both practical and theory training on the industry recognised qualifications below.

CCN1 & CPA1 – This is the core gas safety certificate that all gas operatives must have to work in the domestic gas industry.

CENWAT – Installation, servicing, repair and commission of domestic central heating boilers and water heaters.

CKR1 – Installation, servicing and repair of domestic gas cooking appliances.

HTR1 – Installation, servicing and repair of gas fires and wall heaters.

LCL Awards Level 3 Award in the Installation and Maintenance of Air Source Heat Pumps.

Unvented Hot Water Storage Systems – Installation, servicing and maintenance of unvented hot water systems from 15 to 500 litres.

Water Byelaws

System Design and Fault Finding – Our own system design and fault-finding course aimed at giving you a better understanding of how to repair central heating systems and boilers.

Electrical Safe Isolation

 

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Gallery

Some pictures of our gas safety training facilities, students and teachers.

Gas pipework training
a student being taught on our plumbing course training rig
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student being trained on gas boiler fault finding
our training teaching a student on an oftec oil course
Combi Boilers
System Boiler
inspection and testing course

Very positive feedback from all staff who were on the training, great trainers and they made the topic interesting and easy to understand.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is your course Accredited?

Yes, our course is accredited by LCL Awards.
LCL Awards is one of the Building Services Engineering (BSE) sectors foremost certification bodies, offering qualifications via a network of approximately 200 approved centres located nationwide.

Do you offer any distance learning courses?

No - We don’t believe that you can be trained sufficiently on a self-learning or self-study course within the heating industry because there will be many topics that are too complex to pick up from simply reading a book. There is also a huge amount of practical training required to become a gas engineer, which is not available doing distance learning.

Am I eligible to join the Gas Safe Register after successfully completing the course?

After you have passed your assessments you will be eligible to join the Gas Safe Register and hold the mandatory qualifications to work within the domestic gas industry.

How much does it cost to join the Gas Safe Register?

If you are working for an employer, they will pay this for you. If you start your own company this initial cost will be around £400 and requires to be renewed every year for approximately £120.

Will I gain any hands-on experience during this course?

Of course. Our gas safe course is one of the longest courses available for new entrants. This gives us plenty of time to spend in our practical workshop concentrating on skills that are going to make you employable. You will also spend 7 weeks with a Gas Safe Registered company where you will build up a portfolio of work which is a mandatory requirement before you can be assessed.

Am I guaranteed a job?

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee you a job. Just like a university degree, there is no guarantee of employment after completing your training, however, by completing your training with us you will have an advantage over other students entering the industry due to our reputation in this sector.

What is the industry standard salary for a gas engineer?

The industry standard salary for a gas engineer ranges between £27,000-£35,000. If you include overtime & standby allowance, it is not uncommon for an engineer to earn well over £45,000 per year. This, however, can be significantly higher if they decide to work as a self-employed gas engineer. Please, read more here.

Do you think I would be able to go self-employed right away?

Many of our students have gone self-employed. It would be much easier if you already come from a technical background as naturally you will pick things up much quicker. If you aren’t from a technical background, you can still go self-employed but we would recommend working with an employer for at least 6 months first to build up your experience.

Do I need to buy anything?

We will supply you with all your PPE, Workwear and tools while in the centre. When on placement you will share your engineer’s tools, however, once you gain employment an employer will expect you to have your own basic tool kit which could cost around £200.

How do I book?

Call one of our customer service team on 0808 164 2780 and they will walk you through the booking process.

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