ACS gas training for caravan service engineers
Service technicians must have an ACS qualification and be registered with Gas Safe if they work with gas on any of the following:
- touring caravans and motorhomes that are hired out individually or as letting fleets by the owner;
- any unit that is used in the course of business by the owner or loaned by them for business purposes (e.g an office, staff accommodation, mobile catering vans); or
- static caravans on holiday or residential parks.
+/- How to access ACS training for the first time
Before a gas operative can begin their ACS training they must be able to demonstrate a minimum of 12 months on the job experience working with gas and hold a valid pre-learning gas qualification.
As caravan service technicians are able to work within the scope of an ACoPs certificate for the majority of service work, they can easily build a portfolio of works to demonstrate their gas experience. Their ACoPs certificate also counts as a pre-learning qualification; however the there must be a six month gap between completing their ACoP assessment and beginning ACS training.
Before you begin ACS you will need to take this ACoPs course, however, we recommend you contact us before booking on one of our ACoPs courses so that we can ensure the programme is right for you. If you are starting from scratch we can also help you plan your whole programme from start to finish and make sure you are recording your experience correctly.
ACS qualification units
An ACS gas qualification is made up of a number of mandatory core and optional appliance units. The minimum number an operative can take is 1 core unit and 4 appliances. The majority of service technicians will need a core unit in LPG gas for leisure accommodation vehicles and supplemented by 4-6 appliance units depending upon the type of work they intend to do; however, an extensive catalogue of units are available where required.
Cost and duration
The ACS programme is tailored to each learner; therefore, the duration and cost is reflective of their individual requirements and their chosen centre.
The standard package of training and assessment in mandatory and optional units takes approximately 5-8 days (not including weekends) and a typical charge is between £1100-1600 + VAT. We will advise you upon the units you require for the scope of gas work you intend to do and your final quote will be specific to the package designed for you.
Please note the above charge includes your training, assessment, handbooks and certificate; however, it does not include your Gas Safe registration which you must apply for individually. We will give you a specific quote based upon your requirements for your ACS but we strongly advise getting a quote from Gas Safe for registration before undertaking this programme.
Upon successfully completing the programme you will be issued with an ACS certificate and ID card with which you can apply to Gas Safe to become a registered gas operative. Your ACS certificate will be valid for 5 years, after which time, you will need to re-assess.
+/- ACS gas re-assessment
The ACS qualification is valid for five years, after which time, gas operatives will need to be attend a re-assessment programme.
Like the initial ACS gas training, the re-assessment is tailored to the individual technician’s requirements. A technician can chose to re-assess on their existing units with or without training (depending upon how confident they feel in the re-assessment), add additional units if their scope of work has increased (training is mandatory on additional/new units) or reduce the number of units if the scope of their work has decreased (a minimum number of core and appliance units is still required).
Cost and duration
The cost and duration of reassessment will depend upon the units the technician requires assessment on and whether they require training. Re-assessment typically takes between 3-5 days with prices starting at £800+VAT.
Technicans can begin their re-assessment up to six months prior to their existing certificate’s expiry date with the new expiry date being calculated from the originals expiry. This therefore allows the engineer to be re-assessed in plenty of time without losing any of their certificates validity.
+/- Course locations
We use 5 training centres across the
- Chepstow, Gwent
- Langport,
- Leeds,
- Sandycroft, Flintshire (static caravans only)
Each training centre has different training schedules, therefore, the exact duration of your training and or assessment will be affected by where you chose to go.
+/- Requesting a quote and availability
As a technician’s training package is tailored specifically for their requirements we are not able to list specific training dates. In the first instance we will discuss your requirements with you, when you want/need to do the course and which of our training centres you would like to attend.
Initial ACS training and new gas operatives
If you have no existing pre-learning qualification you will need to take undertake ACoPs first, however, please contact us before booking on a course so that we can ensure the programme is suitable for you and that you are building your portfolio of experience correctly.
If you already have a current ACoP certificate or other pre-learning qualification, please contact us so that we can ascertain your needs and advise you on your ACS units accordingly.
Existing ACS gas operatives
If you are looking to reassess on all or part of your existing ACS qualification, please contact us to discuss your requirements. Please send us a copy of your current certificate so that we can advise you accordingly.
Accepting your quote
Once we have discussed your requirements we will issue you with a training proposal confirming the recommended ACS units, dates and cost. If you are happy and accept the proposal, a £100+VAT non-refundable deposit is required to hold the booking.
