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DCG Success Stories

Paul Prime

Paul Prime

Study Type: Adult and Community
Study Location: The Roundhouse
Subject Studied: Construction - Plumbing and Gas Training

Domestic gas course helps growing business

Taking a part-time domestic gas course with Derby College is enabling experienced plumber Paul Prime to grow his business.

Paul, who runs Prime Plumbing Services in Ilkeston, took the evening course in order to gain Gas Safe certification – the industry’s recognised safety standard for gas central heating engineers.

Holding a Gas Safe licence means Paul can now safely and legally undertake all aspects of central heating work alongside plumbing jobs.

Paul’s nephew and business partner Liam, already had the certification but having two Gas Safe plumbers on their books has increased the amount of domestic and light commercial work they can take on.

Paul was so impressed with the standard of teaching on his course that his firm installed an unvented cylinder at the college which can be used by students for test and inspection purposes.

Prime Plumbing Services – which is a proud member of the Derbyshire Trusted Trader scheme – is now looking to take on more plumbers, and when it does, Paul has every intention of sending them to Derby College to gain any further qualifications.

He said: “Having well trained people is important to us. As qualified plumbers and heating engineers, one of our main aims is to provide customers with a reliable, reputable service they can trust – and keep the rogue traders out.”

He is also in regular contact with his former lecturers to talk about latest changes in the plumbing and heating sector.

The course content and the quality of teaching was excellent – so much so that I've been back to the college since to talk to other people on the course about how it's benefited me and my business.