i have been in the trade for twenty years and i reckon i've seen the lot, great work, bad work and even work that my budgie would have done better, i dont agree that an nvq is just another piece of paper as leatherface puts it, i took that course last week just because it was available, if your a chancer then you wont get through the practical side never mind the theory, you have 7 hours to complete the test, i did it in 4 hours and fifteen minutes, you have to go on a health and safety awareness course that you pay for but that is common sense when you do it. site work is unvailable to those who do not have the relevant cards and h&s paperwork, gas fitters have to be corgi registered, electricians have to take part p, the day will come when anyone who works in domestic houses will have to show that they have taken the required courses and are competent to carry out the work, the goverment want it, trading standards want it and all genuine tradespeople should want it to, it will get rid of the rouge traders and chancers and clean up a dirty industry, all i can say is "bring it on",