Distinctive flooring/mflor

You need to go to a Cskills approved training centre and take a test ! You will have a practical test installing what ever you want a accreditation in (carpet, lvt, etc) and will also have a multiple choice test paper (takes 5 minutes) that you will have to score a certain amount on. The test itself you will be given a job sheet with what ever they want you to do. You have to complete the task with no help from a instructor. When you are finished a assessor will go over your work and try and find faults. They add up your score and its either a pass or a fail.

However ! at the moment you have to of completed previous training in what ever it is you want to be accredited in. The training has to be provided by Cskills approved training centre. Im disputing this at the moment tho as you might of done a karndean course for example and already had the training and might just want to be tested? Problem is Karndean , amtico, fita etc are not approved by cskills to give training.

The way they look at it makes sence tho. Would you send your kids to a reputable school or teh corner shop to be taught english by someone who just decided they could teach English? Training centres are also governed just like schools are. FloorSkills has been ridiculy tested and approved for the quality of training we give. We have ofsted etc checking us out but the others dont hence Cskills wont approve there training. (not saying there is anything wrong with there training but how do you no?)

 

Its slowly changing tho. Back when me and you and most others was trained you went out for many years and at the end of it you went on your own. Same for electricians, plumbers etc.

However we all know that you should use a qualified electrician or if you want a boiler installed you use a 'gas safe' engineer.

The flooring trade and many other trades are slowely starting to follow suit. The younger generation of customers know about qualifications etc and are looking for people who are qualified. They dont use the yellow pages to find a fitter, they use google!

This forum gathers data and google sends us data of what people search for to end up on this website. You would be supprised at how many people search " qualified " " approved " when looking for a installer.

As for NVQ's, personally i think its always been wrong how they class it. I think its wrong that a low quality installer is issued the same NVQ as a high quality installer. Personally i think the levels (1,2,3) should be awarded in how good you are. After all if you got a 'A' in maths and your mate got a 'F' in maths, well you dont both get the same grade do you? so why do we get the same level NVQ? Wrong if you ask me.

This is where the accreditation comes in. The accreditation has different levels and your awarded which ever level you try and pass at. If you want to go for a level 2 in lvt its a pass or fail, if you want to go for a level 1 in lvt its a pass or fail.

The accreditation will be getting published also. The public will become aware. Manufatcories are also aware of it and will be asking for you to become accredited. It might be that you get a extended warranty ??? manufactures are holding back at the moment tho. They are waiting for people to become accredited before they start advising the end consumer.

Think of Quickstep, they are publicly announcing that using a master installer gets you a longer warranty !

 

I don't mean the product I mean the accreditation ! Customers generally only recognise a manufacturer accredited fitter even though every one gets the certificate after 2 or 3 days ?

 

Totally agree but from what I've seen quick step are knocking out "master installers" quicker than you can book on the course ?

 

You need better design strips & more options ? Plastic is not good make a floor look "plastic" & cheap !

 

Only if they know the manufacturer brand and if the manufacturer promotes it to them (like quickstep)

Yep, thats the problem . You can be a taxi driver and get a certificate saying your approved to fit floors after a 2 day course on manufacturer training . VERY WRONG. Its like driving a new car in a car park and Ford, Renault, etc giving you a driving license !

Again this is where the Cskills accreditation will stamp that out. Its a pass or a fail and it is not manufacturer specific. Its all about a specific floor-coverings in general. Like passing a driving test. As above, who are the manufactorier to give out a accreditation? well they cant give out a official one unless they are approved to do so.

Im all for a manufacturer training and thinks great that they want there product fitted correctly, i think its wrong they nick name things 'accredited' tho when there is no one governing the quality of the training they are providing. The test bit needs to be left to some one else or one of there own trainers that is qualified and has a governing body over see the quality of there assessment to give someone a accreditation.

Thats why we went the route of doing it correctly. What we did is open ourselves up to quality assuarnce visits where someone turns up and checks our training quality, they pull out random files and go through pictures of peoples work and check that we was right to either pass or fail someone.

 

Yep, those feature strips should soon improve along with design options and different ranges. I have been speaking to Mflor about this for a while now and they are on the case of doing the requested.

 

Good stuff as always Matt ! You make me feel sane