Skimming Practice Day – £150
The Skimming Practice Day is an optional add-on day designed exclusively for learners who have already completed one of our...
Over 6 weeks you’ll skim walls and ceilings every day, refine your technique, build speed, and tackle more complex areas — you will also be assessed on whether you can skim approx 20m2 within 10 hours to a good standard – final assessment is assed by British Gypsum staff.
If you are still deciding which route is right for you, you can compare all options on our plastering courses page.
You’ll learn how to skim to a standard expected on real jobs, with the time and repetition needed to develop consistency, tidy corners, and better speed. You’ll also cover essential boarding and repair skills so you understand how to create the right background before you skim.
This is a hands-on course designed to maximise time plastering. You’ll work in your own training bay, preparing backgrounds, mixing plaster, and skimming repeatedly across different surfaces and shapes — building both technique and speed.
Post-course support: You can contact your tutor or the training centre by phone, email, WhatsApp, or visit in person if you have questions when working away from the centre. Support is included and there’s no charge.
Yes — during the final week you’ll be assessed by British Gypsum.
Refundable commitment deposit: To secure your place and show commitment, you’ll pay £250. This is refunded once the course is completed.
What to bring: work clothes, suitable footwear and your lunch. We provide everything else (tools, materials and training bay setup).
Course start dates:
Your training is delivered by an experienced plasterer in a practical, supportive setting. You’ll get demonstrations, feedback while you work, and the small technique improvements that make a big difference to finish quality and speed.
We ask all learners to complete feedback forms and publish results on our website.
All feedback forms are kept in the office at our training centre and you are welcome to read through them when you visit.
It’s best for beginners who want maximum skimming time, daily repetition, and a realistic route to improving speed and finish quality over 6 weeks.
Yes — the training is fully funded for eligible learners. To secure your place, you’ll pay a £250 commitment deposit which is refunded once you complete the course.
In the final week, a British Gypsum assessor will review the standard of your work. You’ll be assessed on completing your bay (around 20m²) within the allocated time window, to a finish that would be acceptable on real paid work.
No — we provide tools, materials and training bays. You just need suitable work clothes/footwear and your lunch.
You can contact your tutor or the training centre after you finish (phone, WhatsApp, email, or visit). Support is included and there is no charge.
Our success stories highlight the remarkable journeys of our learners — from enrolling in our courses to achieving tangible, real-world outcomes. Whether it’s a career change, skill development, or personal growth, their achievements inspire us all.
Success Stories
We value every voice. The feedback we receive helps us grow, improve, and continue delivering the best possible experience. Here’s what our learners have to say about their journey with us.
Feedback
Choosing the right training centre is key to reaching your goals. At Construction Skills College, we provide expert instructors, practical hands-on training, and tailored support to boost your success. When you compare our course content with others, you’ll see we cover more in the same or less time. We achieve this by minimizing classroom sessions and focusing on real-world practical work—not small, low-value projects that don’t prepare you for actual job sites.
Choosing A Training CentreNo prior experience is required for our 5, 9, or 10-day training courses, as they are specifically designed for individuals with little to no previous experience.
For NVQ assessments, you must be actively working in the trade, as assessments are conducted in the workplace.
There a couple of training centres who offer similar courses and qualifications which are cheaper than ours, but compare what is covered during the course. You will find these centres teach you what you need to pass an assessment rather than also teach you the skills needed to complete work in the real world. If unsure please contact us and we can discuss the course content of both centres and advice what is best for your future aims.
There are also some training centres offering courses which are longer in duration than ours and cost more than ours, but they don’t actually cover more than we do. They spend more time talking than doing.
We have designed our courses to be intensive and comprehensive with what is covered. We appreciate time is precious and so ensure we fit as much as we can into each course and give you after course support as well.
The courses are fairly priced, taking into account the amount of materials used on the courses and the high level of teaching by experienced trades people.
You are investing time and money to learn and develop your skill set and we are here to help you succeed. We have been helping people change careers and complete projects on their own properties for over 20 years.
Yes, you’re welcome to arrange a visit to our training centre whilst a course is running. If possible, visiting near the end of a course is ideal, as you’ll see the quality of work produced by people on the course. Whilst at the centre we can explain what is completed during the course and answer any questions you may have.
After completing your course you could progress into employment or self-employment. A number of our learners are now working for a company completing work related to trades they studies at our training centre.
Many more have progressed into self-employment, either in a trade specific role such as a plasterer or a plumber, or combining their skills to become a bathroom installer, a kitchen installer, property developer or working in property maintenance.
Others have progressed into further education to gain gas-safe qualifications, further electrical qualifications and NVQs.
Please feel free to contact us to discuss your aims after completing your course.
Support provided when choosing a course
We will provide you with as much information, advice and guidance as we possibly can and if we are not able to offer you the course that best suits your needs or give you the information you require we will signpost you to somewhere that is able to. We do not pressure you to book onto any course and if we feel that you would be better suited to a course we do not offer then we will give you the contact information of a college that does.
Hopefully the majority of the information you require is available on this website but if you have any questions at all then please contact us and we will help in any way we can.
We would like to invite you to attend the training centre to view the facilities and discuss the course with both the tutors and current learners. We suggest if possible that you visit our centre towards the end of a course as people in general are always happy at the beginning of training and you want to make sure that they are as happy at the end of the course. When you visit you will be free to discuss the course with current learners on a 1-to-1 basis, if someone has paid good money or used limited funding to attend a course and they are not happy they will definitely tell you. If you visit towards the end of a course you will also be able to see the standard that everyone on the course has achieved.
One of the most popular comments we receive on questionnaires is that people did not expect to reach the high standard that they do on a course, it is also one of the most popular negative comments that we receive by people who are not aware of what we offer as they will say ‘you won’t be any good after 10 days’, if you yourself are unsure then why not pop down for a pressure free look around.
During Training
During your time with us every member of staff will do their best to help you achieve your aims. You will be provided with supporting literature relating to your trade and have access to further reading to research the trade further in your own time.
If you struggle on any element of the course then we will provide additional training at no extra cost to ensure that you reach the required standard.
If you have any learning difficulties or disabilities or have any physical difficulties or disabilities then we will support you throughout and this additional support will remain between the centre and the individual. The majority of the training courses are practical based but if you do have any concerns then please contact the centre.
We will also provide you with additional information, advice and guidance relating to progression routes available after completing the course including further training, finding employment and starting to work for yourself. Whilst on a course please contact a member of staff if you require any further in information. Whilst you are at the centre there may be other courses running so if you have any questions relating to another trade please feel free to speak to the relevant tutor – they are all here to help you.
After Training
We will continue supporting you after you have completed a course with us and you can contact us either by email, phone, WhatsApp or in person to discuss any aspects that you covered on your course. For example you may wish to contact us to clarify how to complete a job or how to price a job or maybe to ask for information on writing a business plan.
Your tutors will give you their contact telephone numbers and email address so if you have any questions at all you can give them a call. It is invaluable to have this continuous support available and will give you the confidence to complete work away from the centre.
If you have access to ELC funding, we are an approved ELC learning provider.
Funding is currently available for our 6-week plastering course—please contact us for details.
Unfortunately, we do not offer funding for our other courses at this time.
Absolutely, our courses are hands-on and focused on equipping you with the practical skills needed to perform jobs independently outside our training centre. While there is some theory included, it’s kept minimal and directly relevant to the trade you’re learning—not theory for its own sake. The only entirely theory-based course is the Level 1 Health and Safety in a Construction Environment, which is an online course completed at your own pace.
We have one training centre located in Stoke-on-Trent. We are not affiliated with any other training centres in the UK.
We are honestly worth travelling too. Nearby there are hotels, B&Bs, Airbnb, campsites, etc. You can stay from £125 a week.
You can enrol by contacting us directly at 01782 837007, emailing us at enquiries@tradeteacher.co.uk, or using the “Book Now” option on our website.
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