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Gas engineer courses in Newcastle
The routes into gas work for people in Newcastle, from apprenticeships to ACS assessment, and what to check before you pay for a course.
Newcastle has steady demand for gas work. Around 92,000 households heat with mains gas only, and every landlord in the city's large rented sector needs a gas safety check every year.
Anyone working on gas in Newcastle must by law be on the Gas Safe Register. That requires passing ACS assessments, or holding an equivalent qualification, in each type of work you do.
Newcastle at a glance
- How homes are heated
- 74.8% of Newcastle households heat with mains gas only and 10.1% with electricity only. 2.3% (2,880 homes) are on a district or communal heat network. Oil-only heating covers 131 households, about 0.1%. Source
- Landlord gas checks
- Landlords must get every gas appliance and flue checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer every 12 months, give tenants a copy of the record and keep it for 2 years. Source
- Gas training
- Newcastle College runs a four-year Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician apprenticeship (City and Guilds Level 3 Diploma) that includes the Gas Safe CCN1 core safety and CENWAT boiler modules. Source
The apprenticeship route
Newcastle College runs a Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician apprenticeship. It leads to the City and Guilds Level 3 Diploma, takes four years and includes the Gas Safe CCN1 core safety and CENWAT central heating boiler modules. You need an employer, and the training is employer based with college sessions.
The national apprenticeship standard has a specialism for domestic gas fired heating, covering installation, servicing and fault-finding on appliances up to 70kW.
Adult career changers
Private training centres sell managed learning programmes that end with ACS assessment. Before paying, check that the course includes a supervised work placement with a registered engineer, because you need a portfolio of real jobs before assessment.
Compare the total price including ACS fees, and ask how many learners finish.
Where the work is in Newcastle
The city's landlords need an annual gas safety record for every let property, and with 22.8% of households renting privately that is a steady stream of jobs. Social landlords, who house 27.3% of the city, employ their own gas teams or contractors and recruit trained engineers and apprentices.
Newer gas engineers often start on servicing and safety checks before moving to installs. Each extra ACS appliance category you pass on top of CCN1 widens the jobs you can take.
Moving on from gas
With 10.1% of Newcastle homes on electric-only heating and 2.3% on heat networks, more skills are worth adding after gas. Heat pump installation and unvented hot water (G3) qualifications widen the work you can take.
Areas covered
Engineers who cover Newcastle work across areas including Jesmond, Heaton, Gosforth, Fenham, Byker, Benwell, Walker, Kenton, Westerhope and Denton Burn.
Questions people in Newcastle ask
Can I get funding?
Apprenticeships are funded through the employer. Adult learners may qualify for funded courses depending on age, income and prior qualifications, so ask the college.
How long does it take to qualify?
An apprenticeship like Newcastle College's runs for four years. Adult managed learning programmes are shorter but still need a portfolio of supervised work before you can sit ACS.
Sources
- Newcastle College: Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician Apprenticeship
- Skills England: Plumbing and domestic heating technician standard
- ONS Census 2021, table TS046 central heating (Nomis)
- HSE: Gas safety, landlords and letting agents
Also nearby: Gas engineer courses in Sunderland, Gas engineer courses in Middlesbrough