Re-assessment v Initial Assessment

This information is for Category 1 candidates renewing current ACS units.

Any candidate taking an ACS unit for the first time must take an Initial Assessment.

A Re-assessment is quite different from an Initial Assessment as it means that the engineer does not have to do full Initial Assessments again for any gas units being renewed. For example, specialist subject Re-assessments (CEN1, HTR1, CKR1, WAT1, DAH1, MET1 & LAU1) can be taken with CCN1 Re-assessment in 2 days, whereas Initial Assessment for all these units would take 6 days.

CONGLP1 is the only assessment we offer which must be taken as an Initial Assessment even when being renewed, although this may change in the near future.

A Category 1 candidates may choose to do an Initial Assessment instead of a Re-assessment in any units they are renewing.

Advantages of Re-assessment

• Less theory examined (e.g. Gas Safety Legislation is not assessed).
• Shorter time to complete and cheaper than Initial Assessments.
• All units are renewed on the same date in the future.
• Less time away from work.
• Second attempt, if necessary, can be taken at a later date rather than on the same day.

Disadvantages of Re-assessment

• Assessment regulations do not allow a second attempt of any part of the Re-assessment after is has been attempted twice (unlike Initial Assessments).
• CORGI is informed of unsuccessful candidates and a full resit would need to be taken

Advantages of Initial Assessment

• Assessment regulations allow a third attempt of the theory assessment after it has been attempted twice.
• Units can be renewed on their due date, rather than all together.
• An unsuccessful candidate has to retake only the failed parts of the assessment again, rather than the whole assessment

Disadvantages of Initial Assessment

• Takes more time to complete (e.g. up to 6 days as opposed to 2).
• More expensive, as assessments are longer.
• More time away from work/home.

Contact us for more details and advice on this.

ACS Gas Training & Assessment Courses

Guide to Candidate Categories & CORGI Guidelines

In order to guide you through your gas training and assessments we are required by regulations to categorise your qualifications and experience. These guidelines are laid down by CORGI and apply to all centres. We are fully approved by BPEC and considered to be one of the top UK centres.

We recognise that it is stressful enough for engineers to have to spend time renewing qualifications so we believe in keeping things as informal and comfortable as possible. The feedback we receive from candidates is excellent and you can talk to some of them online in our support forum.

Since new regulations were introduced in 2003, candidates are now categorised according to their qualifications and experience as follows:

Which of the following best describes you? Description Category Regulations Pre-requisites   A gas engineer who holds current ACS certificates and wishes to renew them. 1 Accepted for Re-assessment or Initial Assessment with or without training. A gas engineer who holds expired ACS certificates, ACOPs units or other relevant gas qualifications. Accepted for Initial Assessment with or without training. A gas engineer who holds foreign gas qualifications.   Someone who has relevant qualifications (e.g. Plumbing NVQ2 or equivalent/higher) 2 Accepted for Initial Assessment with MPK training and auditable evidence of at least 3 months’ work-based experience under the supervision of a CORGI registered engineer.   Someone who does not have 3 months+ documented work-based experience under the supervision of a CORGI registered engineer and relevant qualifications (i.e. a new starter). 3 Accepted for Initial Assessment upon the production of a portfolio to CORGI’s guidelines and MPK training (duration subject to experience).

The duration of training is dictated by the category.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us for clarification.

Gas Training & Re-assessment Courses

Category 1 Candidates - Renewing Existing ACS Units

Category 1 Candidates - Renewing Existing ACS Units ACS Unit Course Description Training Duration (Days) Assessment Duration (Days)   CCN1 Domestic Natural Gas Safety 3 2 CEN1 Domestic Natural Gas Central Heating Appliances Not Required DAH1 Domestic Natural Gas Warm Air Appliances CKR1 Domestic Natural Gas Cooking Appliances HTR1 Domestic Natural Gas Heating Appliances WAT1 Domestic Natural Gas Water Heating Appliances MET1 Domestic Natural Gas Meters Self Study LAU1 Domestic Natural Gas Laundry Appliances Self Study CONGLP1 Domestic Natural Gas Conversion to LPG 1 1 Also See Energy Efficiency & Part P Electrical Courses Training is not a pre-requisite of Assessment for Category 1 candidates and does not guarantee assessment success in any centre. Assessment Pre-Requisites (these apply to all assessment centres) For this category of candidate undergoing re-assessment we need to see original ACS certificates. If you do not have original certificates we may be able to obtain copies from certain awarding bodies. Please contact us for details. A Category 1 candidate may choose to do an Initial Assessment instead of a Re-assessment in any units they are renewing.

Gas Training & ACS Initial Assessment Courses

Category 1 & 2 Candidates - Taking ACS Units for the First Time

Category 1 & 2 Candidates - Taking ACS Units For The First Time ACS Unit Course Description Training Duration (Days) Assessment Duration (Days)   CCN1 Domestic Natural Gas Safety 4 2 CEN1 Domestic Natural Gas Central Heating Appliances ½ ½ DAH1 Domestic Natural Gas Warm Air Appliances 1 ½ CKR1 Domestic Natural Gas Cooking Appliances ½ ½ HTR1 Domestic Natural Gas Heating Appliances ½ ½ WAT1 Domestic Natural Gas Water Heating Appliances ½ ½ MET1 Domestic Natural Gas Meters Self Study ½ LAU1 Domestic Natural Gas Laundry Appliances Self Study ½ CONGLP1 Domestic Natural Gas Conversion to LPG 1 1 Also See Energy Efficiency & Part P Electrical Courses Training is not a pre-requisite of Assessment for Category 1 candidates and does not guarantee assessment success in any centre. Once a Category 2 candidate has successfully completed CCN1 they are classed as a Category 1 candidate. Assessment Pre-Requisites (these apply to all assessment centres) For Category 1 candidates taking CCN1, we need to see original expired ACOPs/ACS certificates or equivalent (e.g. CORGI card).   For Category 2 candidates taking CCN1, we need to see original certificates of relevant qualifications (e.g. Plumbing NVQ2 or equivalent/higher) and auditable evidence of at least three months' work-based experience under the supervision of a CORGI registered engineer.   For all other units we need to see an original and current CCN1 certificate unless you did your CCN1 with MPK.   If you do not have original certificates we may be able to obtain copies from certain awarding bodies. Please contact us for details.

Gas Training & ACS Initial Assessment Courses

Category 3 Candidates - New Starters

Category 3 Candidates - New Starters ACS Unit Course Description Training Duration (Weeks) Assessment Duration (Days) Assessment Pre-requisites   CCN1 & CEN1 Domestic Natural Gas Safety & Domestic Natural Gas Central Heating Appliances 28 2½ Portfolio of Evidence Once a Category 3 candidate has successfully completed the portfolio of evidence, they are classed as a Category 2 candidate.

This course is run in accordance with CORGI’s guidelines and has two parts to it: Off-The-Job and On-The-Job Training.

The feedback we have received from CORGI Inspectors is that we are “streets ahead”, “10 times better than anywhere else” and that “we [CORGI] have never had any problem with anyone trained by MPK”. The candidates in question will back this up and can be contacted online via our support forum.

Off-The-Job Training (at MPK)

We provide all the paperwork needed to build a portfolio in NVQ format, for handwritten or computerised versions, during Off-The-Job Training.

During the 28 week period of On-The-Job training, it is normal for an inexperienced candidate to spend one day per week at MPK to complete the training requirements that would not normally be covered when working and to ensure that the portfolio is progressing adequately.

Optionally, there are two situations where the amount of training at MPK can be reduced:
Where the candidate has been working as a plumber or has equivalent experience in pipework. This normally reduces the MPK training from 28 to 18 days.

Where the candidate has sufficient gas experience that extended training is not required (i.e. a refresher course is sufficient). This is quite rare but would reduce the MPK training from 28 to 4 days.

In any of these situations, the candidate would still have to prepare a 28 week portfolio of evidence and any time saved would be spent undergoing “On-The-Job Training”.

On-The-Job Training (Work-Based)

Category 3 candidates need to work under the direct supervision of a CORGI registered engineer for a minimum period of 28 weeks whilst they build a portfolio of evidence. This means obtaining a work placement.

A CORGI registered gas engineer needs to be willing to sign job sheets during the period of training, prior to the candidate being able to undertake ACS assessment (CORGI guidelines).

Obtaining a good work placement is often the hardest part of this training. We cannot guarantee to find placements for candidates but we can help by distributing information to engineers/employers and advising on how to approach employers as they have their own concerns regarding trainees.

We encourage anyone considering training into this fulfilling and interesting industry to arrange to come and see us to have a look at a completed evidence portfolio.

Gaining a placement for this part of the training is not an easy task. We can advise on the best course of action to maximise your opportunities with employers.

Warning: A Note on CORGI Guidelines

Due to a loophole in regulations, some centres will:

• allow a candidate to undergo Off-The-Job training and ACS assessments without requiring the completion of an auditable On-The-Job training portfolio as evidence, or
  
• accept candidates as Category 2 entrants after 3 months’ work-based experience without any appropriate qualifications.

Not only do we consider this unethical (i.e. taking money without the candidate being able to take full advantage of their new qualifications, passing under-experienced candidates into the workplace and/or producing non-competent engineers), it is against CORGI guidelines and not acceptable by them for independent registration.

If you have no option other than to try and gain access to the gas industry by the above means due to time or cost then please talk to us; we are able to accept a candidate on any basis that any other approved centre can and we will always try to come to some arrangement to give you the best option to do things according to the guidelines, the way they are intended and now being enforced.