Tradesmen law

[Mudman]

Does anyone know what the law is on 'time served' tradesmen?
I've recently had dealings with an unqualified plumber and wondered if he could be insured without being qualified.
How much experience do these people need to class themselves as 'time' served tradesmen and what proof can you expect to recieve?

[paddywak]

I don't know how they go on these days but when I started as an apprentice with British Coal (in 1966) it was a for a minimum of four years, the first year of which was full time at the local technical collage, doing basic engineering for four days and your specialisation (in my case electrical engineering) we then returned to the colliery and for the next hree years it was on the job training. At the end of the four years it was off to the coal board training centre for a couple of days for a trade test trade. if you passed that, after a interview with the Unit Engineer you got your grading and away you went as a fully trained sparky, though I did an extra four years on day release to get my tickets. In addition to this barely a year went by without different courses to bring us up to date with new advances, in equipment, safety standards etc. It annoys me somewhat that kids do a few months on a government scheme and then announce they're "Tradesmen" as any body of my age who did an apprenticeship will tell you, you dont really start learning your job till you start doing by your self and the better prepared for it you are the better you'll do it. We were also "Indentured" with a legal contract laying out just what the NCB were prepared to do as regards to wages training etc and what they expected in retun from the apprentice

[buildersmate]

It doesn't quite work like that with some plumbing tasks because it depends what work he actually did. ANY work on oil, gas or the mains electrical aspects of plumbing components require separate registration quite apart from any time-served aspect.
It is also not obligatory to have tradesman indemnity insurance (though it may be for the above scenarios).
It is also not illegal to offer oneself as being a plumber without having qualifications - again apart from the above scenarios.
So what precisely are you after?