[Helen]

Not sure if I have read some of these postings correctly, so sorry if I have.
To gain some sort of qualification whther it be HNC/NVQ etc etc is good, but surely you get them for a particular subject/trade As the title says "NVQ level 2 window cleaning" As a propsective employer of a window cleaner, if I had 2 applications, 1 with a NVQ in WC and 1 with a NVQ in electrics,I would be looking at the first and not the second. Shoe on other foot I would be looking at the second and not the first. So by gaining a qualification in WC'ing doesn't demean others who have gained "technical" qualifications surely?

[Moderator David@stives]

Apologies to ChrisyG i have accidently deleted one of your posts.

Once again Apologies

[chrisyg]

Apologies to ChrisyG i have accidently deleted one of your posts.

Once again Apologies

: 

[windowwashers]

unfortunately nvq's are here!
We had cse's and O level's and A levels (then more advanced, university etc)
everyone knew where we were!

Now people don't want to be a "Loser" so everyone is a winner!

A have an Advanced City & Guilds in Carpentry & Joinery (with distinction!)
To think a W/C can have a EQUAL certificate in preposterous and an insult to the hard work & high standards I had to achieve to get those qualifications!

I think it's distasteful to say the least!

Having said that, any qualification held by anyone shows dedication/devotion to the work he has chosen.  This shows he cares about his standards!

Can I ask why you would think it being prepostrous and an insult, I personally think saying that is insulting to window cleaners

[Chameleon]

unfortunately nvq's are here!
We had cse's and O level's and A levels (then more advanced, university etc)
everyone knew where we were!

Now people don't want to be a "Loser" so everyone is a winner!

A have an Advanced City & Guilds in Carpentry & Joinery (with distinction!)
To think a W/C can have a EQUAL certificate in preposterous and an insult to the hard work & high standards I had to achieve to get those qualifications!

I think it's distasteful to say the least!

Having said that, any qualification held by anyone shows dedication/devotion to the work he has chosen.  This shows he cares about his standards!

Can I ask why you would think it being prepostrous and an insult, I personally think saying that is insulting to window cleaners

Yes, I don't mind at all!
Firstly it took me 2 year and 3 months (with 18 months gap/in working environment)
(so 18 months for c&g's,  then back to work/job for 18 months then a further 9 months for advanced c&g's)
IMO that's REAL training/apprentice!
Are you or anyone else going to tell me it will take the best part of 3 years to learn W/C?

1-3 days more like!
1 day paperwork
1 day blading/squeegy training
1 day wfp training

oh sorry 4 days...
1 day H&S training!

Yer! their the same all right!

NO INSULT INTENDED... AFTER-ALL I AM WINDOW CLEANING MYSELF!
It stands to reason, I wouldn't be insulting myself, now would I?

[chrisyg]

well window cleaning is a lot easier than Carpentry & Joinery...lol so what do you expect?

NVQ L2 is an intermediate level, yours was an advance level.

I have a GNVQ L2 & L3 in Engineering which took me 3 years at college 5 days a week 9-5..

obviously had much more to learn than how to clean windows properly.. 

[windowwashers]

unfortunately nvq's are here!
We had cse's and O level's and A levels (then more advanced, university etc)
everyone knew where we were!

Now people don't want to be a "Loser" so everyone is a winner!

A have an Advanced City & Guilds in Carpentry & Joinery (with distinction!)
To think a W/C can have a EQUAL certificate in preposterous and an insult to the hard work & high standards I had to achieve to get those qualifications!

I think it's distasteful to say the least!

Having said that, any qualification held by anyone shows dedication/devotion to the work he has chosen.  This shows he cares about his standards!

Can I ask why you would think it being prepostrous and an insult, I personally think saying that is insulting to window cleaners

Yes, I don't mind at all!
Firstly it took me 2 year and 3 months (with 18 months gap/in working environment)
(so 18 months for c&g's,  then back to work/job for 18 months then a further 9 months for advanced c&g's)
IMO that's REAL training/apprentice!
Are you or anyone else going to tell me it will take the best part of 3 years to learn W/C?

1-3 days more like!
1 day paperwork
1 day blading/squeegy training
1 day wfp training

oh sorry 4 days...
1 day H&S training!

Yer! their the same all right!

NO INSULT INTENDED... AFTER-ALL I AM WINDOW CLEANING MYSELF!
It stands to reason, I wouldn't be insulting myself, now would I?

I do not know how long the course is, I I doubt it would take anywhere near three years full time if it did then I would be very surprised, I had to do my city and guilds over 2 years for plumbing, and my nvq again was 2 years 5 days a week, I did not do the advanced part as I could see that wasting more of my time for not that good money so I got out of that. Why did you start window cleaning after doing all that hard graft getting paper work ??

[matt]

A have an Advanced City & Guilds in Carpentry & Joinery (with distinction!)
To think a W/C can have a EQUAL certificate in preposterous and an insult to the hard work & high standards I had to achieve to get those qualifications!

I think it's distasteful to say the least!

i agree, i have the same said C&G in C&J also with distinction, i then as i said went onto do a HNC in building studies

that C&G took me 3 years of college and work on-site

i am not sure any1 would see a NVQ in window cleaning in the same light as the above , would they ? ? ? seriously ? ? ? ?

[Moderator David@stives]

Matt

The way things are going in the commercial sector, you wont be allowed on any major building without showing a training matrix for your staff, or you wont get by the "What health and safety training have your staff got " box.

[Chameleon]

Matt to answer your question... who knows?
To answer your question windowwasher (sorry don't know your name!)
Stress!
Mistakes are made so easily when under pressure to perform!

Life too short, window cleaning is "Nice" no boss no time tables/ dead-lines!
No stress!

[matt]

unfortunately nvq's are here!
We had cse's and O level's and A levels (then more advanced, university etc)
everyone knew where we were!

Now people don't want to be a "Loser" so everyone is a winner!

A have an Advanced City & Guilds in Carpentry & Joinery (with distinction!)
To think a W/C can have a EQUAL certificate in preposterous and an insult to the hard work & high standards I had to achieve to get those qualifications!

I think it's distasteful to say the least!

Having said that, any qualification held by anyone shows dedication/devotion to the work he has chosen.  This shows he cares about his standards!

Can I ask why you would think it being prepostrous and an insult, I personally think saying that is insulting to window cleaners

Yes, I don't mind at all!
Firstly it took me 2 year and 3 months (with 18 months gap/in working environment)
(so 18 months for c&g's,  then back to work/job for 18 months then a further 9 months for advanced c&g's)
IMO that's REAL training/apprentice!
Are you or anyone else going to tell me it will take the best part of 3 years to learn W/C?

1-3 days more like!
1 day paperwork
1 day blading/squeegy training
1 day wfp training

oh sorry 4 days...
1 day H&S training!

Yer! their the same all right!

NO INSULT INTENDED... AFTER-ALL I AM WINDOW CLEANING MYSELF!
It stands to reason, I wouldn't be insulting myself, now would I?

I do not know how long the course is, I I doubt it would take anywhere near three years full time if it did then I would be very surprised, I had to do my city and guilds over 2 years for plumbing, and my nvq again was 2 years 5 days a week, I did not do the advanced part as I could see that wasting more of my time for not that good money so I got out of that. Why did you start window cleaning after doing all that hard graft getting paper work ??

mine was the ability to be able to work for myself with the advantage of working 3 days a week, its not very good when you rip out a kitchen in a house and say after wednesday " i will be back on monday now " it wouldnt go down too well

thus the 3 days a week for now it done window cleaning

when the children are both in school 5 days a week, who knows what i will choose to do ?  ? ?

[Thomas Ecclestone]

A have an Advanced City & Guilds in Carpentry & Joinery (with distinction!)
To think a W/C can have a EQUAL certificate in preposterous and an insult to the hard work & high standards I had to achieve to get those qualifications!

An Advanced City & Guilds is not equal to the NVQ Level 2 in WC. An Advanced City & Guilds diploma is equivalent to 3 1/2 a Levels, with a distinction that would be 3 1/2 A levels at A standard. In other words, you could  proceed onto a degree without problems. An NVQ Level 2 is equivalent to 5 GCSE's, and so would qualify you to go onto a City & Guilds diploma but certainly not a degree.

[Neil Williams]

This sort of topic cracks me up 

I left school having struggled to get one GCSE pass (that would be a grade 'C' not not a 'D' or 'E' as it is now). Although all those 'D's and 'E's which were fails apparently are passes now.

I then spent two years at an Army apprentices college and after a few more years attending a 6 month course where I came out with an advance C&G in mechanics.

Are you really telling me that is the same as 2 real passes at A level....I don't think so.

Anyway, I don't have a single qualification in window cleaning but have been doing it for for about 7 years now.

So if I found out that I couldn't get a commercial window cleaning job because I haven't got a VOCATIONAL piece of paper in window cleaning then I'd be off to one of those smart ar*e no win no fee lawyers to make some money out of said company discriminating against me.

Afterall by current understandings I have 2 A Levels  and a damned sight more experience than someone waving a piece of paper based on 5 days experience of cleaning a piece of glass.

[mark dew]

I only left school with cse's so i might be a bit thick at times but can this nvq2 be done without doing nvq1?
The good thing is it's free for peeps like me. 

[Moderator David@stives]

Neil
it might crack you up, but training and especially H&S is the way forward.

Just ask Charlie Price and some of the other big players, they all have one thing in common.

Well Trained staff,

 coincidence ? No.

 They all know what it takes to win big contracts.

Just have a look at any government tender document and you will know what I mean.

Have a look at abseiling anyone can do it, you could even gain an irata level, but i guarantee if you havent got a level 3, no one will let you hang over the side of there building.

[matt]

I only left school with cse's so i might be a bit thick at times but can this nvq2 be done without doing nvq1?
The good thing is it's free for peeps like me. 

yes, the NVQ level 1 consists of :

can you spell your name
can you get dressed in the morning
can you get to course
can you walk around without bumping into things ( this is the safety side of it )
can you hold a squeegee


i am sure i might have missed something

[rhys11]

I only left school with cse's so i might be a bit thick at times but can this nvq2 be done without doing nvq1?
The good thing is it's free for peeps like me. 

yes, the NVQ level 1 consists of :

can you spell your name
can you get dressed in the morning
can you get to course
can you walk around without bumping into things ( this is the safety side of it )
can you hold a squeegee


i am sure i might have missed something

lol funny

[Thomas Ecclestone]

Are you really telling me that is the same as 2 real passes at A level....I don't think so.

I've been involved in A level marking...  A Levels are not what they used to be.  Yeah, I would certainly say that an advanced city & guild is far more difficult than the A levels I did and passed. Getting A levels isn't so much a matter of understanding the subject, but understanding the system.  If you know how grades are awarded, you could easily get a pass after a few months effort. Plus, a lot of people game the system. There are schools in london where every answer is practically identical down to having comprehension errors in the same place, you get the feeling some doofus was standing up front dictating the answers.

[mark dew]

I only left school with cse's so i might be a bit thick at times but can this nvq2 be done without doing nvq1?
The good thing is it's free for peeps like me. 

yes, the NVQ level 1 consists of :

can you spell your name
can you get dressed in the morning
can you get to course
can you walk around without bumping into things ( this is the safety side of it )
can you hold a squeegee

i am sure i might have missed something

Cheers matt. That sounds easy enough.
H&S paperwork of any sort is a good thing to have. I will look into this.

[Dean Taberner]

Dean

Where did you attend the course as you are from stoke & J V Price south (london?)

Gary

Hi Gary,

Weve been on the course in watford,

Hows business?

Dean