Got any good advice?

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Saffscaff

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Hi, I'm 33 and been working as a labourer for a small compnay for the last 3 years. I started off carrying all the scaffolding to the scaffolders. The main bulider has now retired and I have moved up to helping build and strip the scaffold (kwickstage and some tube too). I'm paid as a labourer but when I asked around I got told that I'm working as a Scaff labourer and as a Part 1 scaffolder.
Yes ah got a toolbelt and all. Thing is, i really want to go on with the scaffolding but my boss won't put me through my tickets, nothing personal against me, seems he doesn't like any of us that work for him, not just me.
Thing is, I been saving money and got enough to put mysel through the Part1, got told it's best to do tube and fittings part1 but I mainly work with kwickstage. Don't want to fail the course and loose all that money cause I'm doing the wrong course but don't want to pay for the kwickstage course that is seems very limited as far as scaffolding is concerned.
Maybe after 3 years experince I could get a job with a scaff company and they'll put me through my tickets but then I have to start right at the bottom again.
Anybody please give me a few ideas or at least point me in the right direction, tired of just being a lab and sick of not getting paid/qualified but having to do the work.
 
Welcome saffscaff.
First thing you should do is find out whether their is any funding in you area for you part1 and don't worry even with 3yrs exp with quickstage you should pass. Whilst many prefer quickstage I think you may be better to find employment with a firm that mainly uses tube and fit then you will have the best of both worlds in experiance. Best of luck
 
Alright mate,
Your best off doing your part 1 tube and fitting, they cover quickstage in that course, or they did when I did it. Then do 6 month on site and go for your part 2. You will have many more options available to you this way. You can always do your advanced after that if you want to.
The quickstage course is only a couple of days and you will be extremely limited if that's all you do. If you can get on with GKN they will prob put you through the quickstage course anyway. They put me through when I worked for them.
But regardless give simian a call or contact them on here before you spunk any money on courses, they will tell you if there is any funding available to you. They're a great bunch of lads on here.
Good luck with it mate
 
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Hi SaffScaff, welcome to the forum. I take it you have explained all this to your employer, I can never understand why employers still refuse to send hard working loyal employee's for their tickets. I notice you are from Edinburgh who claim to be very stringent in the safety department ensuring all street works are erected by properly trained personnel. Even as a labourer you should at least have a card to kick the process off. It's an awkward one mainly because at 33 you can't waste any more time. Usually I would say don't pay out your own pocket but squeeze the employer harder to get this sorted but as I had to eventually pay for my own part 2 and advanced to try and better myself I think you might well have to do the same. The advantage to this is you can then go and graft for who ever pay's the most with a clear concious as you wont owe anyone your loyalty.

As for the course, don't waste your time with product knowledge tickets, they are ok for a bolt on but not much use for a stand alone qualification. Get yourself booked on the t&f course at the NCC but bare in mind that you are unlikely to get very far on part 1 alone.

What ever you decide to do good luck.

Aom
 
Saffscaff said:
Hi, I'm 33 and been working as a labourer for a small compnay for the last 3 years. I started off carrying all the scaffolding to the scaffolders. The main bulider has now retired and I have moved up to helping build and strip the scaffold (kwickstage and some tube too). I'm paid as a labourer but when I asked around I got told that I'm working as a Scaff labourer and as a Part 1 scaffolder.
Yes ah got a toolbelt and all. Thing is, i really want to go on with the scaffolding but my boss won't put me through my tickets, nothing personal against me, seems he doesn't like any of us that work for him, not just me.
Thing is, I been saving money and got enough to put mysel through the Part1, got told it's best to do tube and fittings part1 but I mainly work with kwickstage. Don't want to fail the course and loose all that money cause I'm doing the wrong course but don't want to pay for the kwickstage course that is seems very limited as far as scaffolding is concerned.
Maybe after 3 years experince I could get a job with a scaff company and they'll put me through my tickets but then I have to start right at the bottom again.
Anybody please give me a few ideas or at least point me in the right direction, tired of just being a lab and sick of not getting paid/qualified but having to do the work.
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Hi pal it is not good to say but nobody fails a scaffold course even the ones that don't deserve a ticket, and believe me there are plenty of them, so if i was you i would do your course and take it from there, at least if you have a card it makes you more employable if you want to move on. To be truthful a scaff can tell if your worth helping or not, thats when you start to learn not in classroom best of luck shagga
 
Safehands is right. I thought I was mr super scaff at college but when I got out to work in the real world found that I knew next to fook all !!!
It wasn't till I was working with the old boys that I began to actually learn the job. Even though your labouring at the moment it's best not to stay on the ground watchin the scaffs. Get everything loaded up for next lift and jump up and help
Good luck mate
 
Zotsey said:
Safehands is right. I thought I was mr super scaff at college but when I got out to work in the real world found that I knew next to fook all !!!
It wasn't till I was working with the old boys that I began to actually learn the job. Even though your labouring at the moment it's best not to stay on the ground watchin the scaffs. Get everything loaded up for next lift and jump up and help
Good luck mate
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Whilst I agree with learning from the old boys, I cannot help but say a Labourers place should be feeding the scaffs. Yes by all means help, but you can learn a lot from WATCHING.

I was a Labourer for 12 years (only been "qualified for 3 years") and I got an apprenticeship through CITB. I was the oldest in the class!!:)

---------- Post added at 06:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:21 PM ----------

Contact Construction skills about a modern apprenticeship and it wont cost you a penny for the courses.
I was a similar age to yourself when I chose to do my tickets and lucky for me my employer arranged it all.

He never paid for anything and neither did I. It is government backed. The only thing that costs you is the wages you lose for the time at NCC
 
You will never learn to anything unless you do it , you can always spot the keen lads because your always chasing them of the scaffold. I always make my lads wear spanners ALL the time you aint got a spanner on then you are never going to learn how to use it.
in my opinion a System ticket is a waste of time , go for the T/F and like AOM says you can go where you like because you are a scaffolder .
 
Dont it bother you when some fool starts messing with fittings and dont know what they are doing? I guess it does because you know your stuff but I still think that a Labourer should not wear a belt. An apprentice, or a wannabee scaff yes; but a Labourer no.
 
allan666 said:
fail and scaffold course should never be used in the same sentence , money
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Yes it should. Too many young kids getting rushed through tickets and now they are scaffolders. 19 year olds with a nice shiny badge that says "Scaffolder" and a 50 year old man who doesn't have his badge.

Put the two of them together and 9 times out of 10 the more experienced man will carry him.

If someone wants to learn the trade then let them. If they don't then keep the belt off.:)
 
bloody hell i find it strange what your saying about labourers when it takes you 12 years to get a belt .A average man should be holding is own after 2 years max and then learning complex parts after other 2 to 3 years under a good chargehand full stop ,so what was your chargehand doing all this time he certainty was not as your name says a busy bee .remember its only scaffolding not rocket science .
 
I did say, get the next lift loaded up, then jump up. Obviously I mean if you want to learn/are learning. Watch and do what the old guys (time served,old school) do, & ask. An old boy will always be watchin anyway and will soon tell you or get pissed and do it himself !!!! Lol
That's the way to learn.
If your happy being a labourer then that's a different story
 
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doglegscaff said:
bloody hell i find it strange what your saying about labourers when it takes you 12 years to get a belt .A average man should be holding is own after 2 years max and then learning complex parts after other 2 to 3 years under a good chargehand full stop ,so what was your chargehand doing all this time he certainty was not as your name says a busy bee .remember its only scaffolding not rocket science .
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When I first got into scaffolding as a Labourer it was only a job. It paid the bills. For the first year I found it interesting then it got boring. I had no interest in become a scaff. For the past 15 years I have been searching for a job that pays the same as this, but unfortunately for me I am not qualified enough for better salary.

I went through my tickets a few years ago because I did not want to leave after 15 years with nothing to show for it. Scaffolding is ***** full stop and if I could get out tomorrow then I would.

By the way my chargehand told me to go for my tickets after about 2 months but I simply was not interested.
 
Thats it busy bee to some it is just a job no real interest,If you cannot motivate yourself you are as well out of the game

I was chomping at the bit to learn and progress from labourer to chargehand in a fast a time as I could, think it took me about 4 years The training in my day was quite different from today ;) I was a foreman scaffolder in seven years.
 
i don,t know about busy bee you sound like a queen bee to me :bigsmile: i thought you jocks were made of tougher stuff you should try for work at busy bees day care for under fives:laugh:
 
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