As demand for gas engineers remains high — an ongoing trend that shows no signs of fading anytime soon — the sector continues to offer attractive career prospects for newcomers and experienced engineers alike. 

Gas continues to be among the sought-after construction skill sets throughout 2024, though this sort of demand is certainly nothing new to the industry. 

With that said, there are numerous routes to explore when it comes to both training and long-term progression, meaning two career paths will rarely look the same. 

Below, we’ve explored a few of the different options available when it comes to training as a gas engineer, and the various prospects a career in the industry can lead to. 

Initial training 

Given the industry’s strict regulations, rigorous training and assessments must be completed before you can begin taking on work. Whether you opt for an apprenticeship or a private provider, these first steps are vital in getting your career off to the best possible start. 

Apprenticeships are typically recognised as the ‘traditional’ pathway towards a career in gas, and can be appealing as they provide an opportunity to earn while you learn on the job. Different levels of gas apprenticeship require different levels of qualifications — you can find more information on the government’s apprenticeship finder here. 

Given that it can take around two years to finish an apprenticeship, completing a course with a private training provider is a more realistic option for many. This way, beginners undertaking an accredited Managed Learning Programme (MLP), which combines practical and theory learning, can expect to complete their initial training in eight weeks. 

This will be followed by the completion of your gas portfolio, which requires the logging of 150 hours of supervised work, and taking your domestic ACS assessment, which typically takes around five days. 

Advanced training

Once you’ve completed your domestic gas training and assessments, you may want to consider pursuing your commercial gas qualifications, too. 

Able Skills offers a commercial gas changeover course to help make this process as efficient as possible. Over two weeks, you will learn in depth about the commission, service, repair and breakdown of commercial gas appliances, before completing your commercial ACS assessment. 

A boiler fault finding course is another valuable advanced package of learning, and is a great way to build an intricate understanding of boiler maintenance, fault finding and repair. 

Potential career progression

Along with moving into commercial gas, other career progression opportunities could include the supervision and management of a team of engineers, setting up your own business or becoming a commissioning manager responsible for the planning and development of large-scale construction projects. 

There is always the option of stepping away from the practical side of things entirely, and using your expertise to build a career in sales.

At Able Skills, we offer a range of gas courses designed by time-served experts to suit all levers of experience. Whether you’re stepping into the industry for the first time, are an experienced engineer needing to complete an ACS reassessment or you want to add commercial gas qualifications, we have a course for you. 

If you’d like to come down and see our gas facilities before committing to a course, you’re more than welcome. Drop by anytime we’re open and one of our team will be happy to show you around.