Licencing how would you expect to get one

[jay]

Just out of interest if you had to have a licence to tile in the UK,how would you be assesed ,

or in other words what would you have to do to get your ticket

Just interested in your views

What do you think

 

[Del W]

Theres already a type of licence for site work,but its not enforced,CSCS card.and I dont mean just the H&S part.Ive seen all types of trades(including sparks & gas fitters) at inductions show a bit of paper that says theyve passed the H&S test,its a 10 minute multiple choice, but dont have the card to say they have been assessed & can do their job correctly.Started out as a good idea but not enforced.

 

[nybor62]

i have been doing site work for many years, and have only had to produce my cscs card 2 or 3 times,
what i think might be a good idea for the the domestic side is some kind of certificate
which you give to the customer upon completion , just to say that your tiling was carried out by a qualified tiler, how this would work , i dont know

 

[jay]

But what would you need to show of your ability screeding leveling ect

 

[bobbynz]

Are you talking about a time served tiler who needs to be certified according to new regulations?

 

[jay]

Are you talking about a time served tiler who needs to be certified according to new regulations?

mainly in general time served or newbie what do you consider would be the best way to asses

 

[bobbynz]

I made inquiries about this a couple of months ago and our building trades training and certifiers offered me a customised short course to determine my knowledge and required contacts of jobs recently completed. It would cost me about $380 plus membership of $450. They knew I was off the tools so it was really just going through the exercise of evaluating my experience and knowledge together with actual jobs completed.
BCITO is the main organisation that provides apprenticeship for all our main trades.
New regulations mean it would take you 4 years to complete if you were a noob.
There was a short course but that was canned this year. About time I say.The building trades will be getting a shake up starting this month with only certified builders to carry out structural work in homes now. And I've heard that Tiling will go the same way in the next 18 months.

 

[jay]

Thats more like it Bobbynz

the question is if UK went licensed
1 would you expect to pull a licence out of a Corn flakes packet

2 or do a test of some sort physical or written

your opinions and what type of testing

 

[The D]

some of us have already got qualifications so to be honest I would not expect to have to do a lot in that respect but at the end of the day I am a tiler and I will do whatever I have to do to carry on making my living.

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

A practical test as well as a theory/ technical exam for me. Prep work, understanding varying substrates, expansion etc. the more involved the test the better.

 

[Stewart]

Will paste it from my computer so it works....

 

[Ian]

I remember reading that Stewart. You might need to edit the post, there are a few errors in it, probably from pasting from your phone.

 

[Ian]

Written and practical exams would both be necessary IMO, to prove that the person had the technical knowledge and also the ability to put that knowledge into practice. That's why the driving theory test was introduces 15 years ago, loads of people could drive a car but had no idea how to read the road signs or manage the themselves and their vehicles out on the open road, tiling is a little like this, in that there are loads of people who can stick tiles to walls and floors but, don't know a great deal about the other 90% of the job, the theory, safe working practices and correct installation materials/processes.

 

[andy8758]

Nothing wrong with professionalism in a trade, and the opportunity for trade professionals to gain qualifications if they wish to develop their skills. The NVQ system already provides some qualification, and a measure of knowledge and (probably) ability within that trade. No doubt tiling would benefit from a more structured system - IMO the NVQ does not prove ability to tile.

Licensing is politics. It has absolutely no benefit for professionals. It does not improve your skilll, does not increase your income, and it is simply a means for the Government to further interfere in our lives. If you believe the political bull that accompanies "licensing" it is about "professionalising" a trade. If you believe that then look at the CSCS system, Gas Safe and Part P electricians. It does nothing to stop the cowboys, the weekend tradesmen, the semi-retirees, the immigrating tradesmen. That still exists in all the so called "licensed" professions - including plumbing. And do you really want to add £3000 of your hard earned money to someones "licensing" scheme every 2 years?

Give vent to your frustrations about people doing unprofessional tiling work by all means. But dont invite the Government to meddle in your trade. You wont like it when they have finished - no one ever does!

 

[Ian]

Most people are aware of the necessary qualifications needed to have electrical and gas work done in their homes, so no one in their right mind would let someone do this type of work who didn't have the right certificates. Having a licence is not just about protecting our trade, but also protecting the general public from inferior workmanship. I for one would be more than happy to pay for a licence to offer even more reassurance to my customers, it would be an investment that could only benefit the trade and the individual businesses.