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How do I learn a Trade skill?

Hi TSR,

Finishing my A-levels soon and I am not planning on going to university as it doesn't really interest me and I would much rather go learn a trade.

I've been doing something research online, however, I am a bit confused about how it works.

So my questions are:

-where does one go learn a trade in the UK? (esp. London)
-How long does it take?
-Do people with trade skills work for a company or for themselves?

Reply 1

plokijuh

Original post by J-SP

Depends on the trade...
Depends on what level you get trained to
Depends on the individual

(Replying mainly for the first question I asked)

I'm looking into the plumbing or electrician trade.

Reply 2

plokijuh

Original post by J-SP

Typically via an apprenticeship

Still depends on the level you study. Most qualifications go from level 1-7 - but for traditional trades it tends to only go up to around 5. But you can have multiple qualifications for different technical skills even within a particular job like plumbing. A Level 2-3 is relatively straight forward so may only take you 9-12 months. A Level 5 would probably take a couple of years.

You’d generally be an employee in the early stages of your career while you gain qualifications and experience. But there’s the opportunity to go self employed at any stage really - just makes sense to only go self employed when you can rely on yourself running a business