Hands on - Plumbing

Philip Sykes, managing director of Step to Training, views the industry and the opportunities it offers for Service leavers.

Introduction

Rarely a month goes by without an article about some aspect of the plumbing industry. It may be how much a plumber typically makes in a year, how hard it is to find one, or how bad a job was done. No other skilled trade attracts such discussion or controversy. But it can still be hard to get a clear picture of the industry.

Overview

Plumbers provide essential services such as quality water supplies for drinking, washing and bathing, and sanitation systems for the removal of waste products. Most of us have had dealings with a plumber at some time or another. For the unfortunate few this was the result of some household emergency which arose at the worst possible time. But, apart from these reactive services, plumbers are required for a variety of other activities from new building to remodelling and everything between.

The core knowledge of a plumber is understanding water regulations. This will include what type of pipe to use and when, and the systems throughout a premises. Once the basics are understood, it is possible to develop an expertise in specialist areas like:

• bathroom and kitchen installation
• gas and oil engineering (CORGI or OFTEC)
• heating systems.

Clearly for some of these areas additional training and experience is necessary, but often this can take less time than one would think to be able to carry out the work competently. Additionally, a plumber may seek to attain plastering or tiling skills which not only cut down on costs which they would otherwise have to outsource but add marketability to their services.

The demand for qualified plumbers in the UK remains strong. Government figures have estimate that by 2006 the industry will need to have added 29,000 new plumbers. Yet, still any plumbing businesses report difficulty with recruiting.

Qualification and training

Historically, the plumbing industry offered plumbing training and apprenticeship programmes to 16 to 24 year olds and the only certifying body was City & Guilds. However, as the demand for qualified plumbers and awareness of the earning potential has grown increasing numbers of people are seeking a career in plumbing outside the formal apprenticeship system. Moreover, over the last twenty years, the number of apprentices decreased as government resources were directed towards higher education.

Given the importance of plumbing it is surprising that no formal qualification system is in place. Indeed many plumbers in family businesses may be highly experienced but will have gained little or no formal qualification. Until recently, the only route available for the mature career changer involved a part-time foundation course at a local college. (These are few and far between as shown by the 2,000 people who applied for 36 spaces recently at Bristol College’s plumbing course.) The alternative is to fast track the same qualification with a shorter intensive residential programme. There are several private organisations offering such training, but it is essential to find out about what the training will cover and the qualification available.

The City & Guilds foundation course was ideal for the mature career changer. However, this has been discontinued and not been replaced. Step to Training has developed an alternative which is theOpen College Network (OCN) Accredited Plumbing Programme for Mature Career Changers which leads on to NVQ level 2 and 3. No doubt other training providers in this field either have or will develop their own programmes to address this need.

Employment

How you want to work will depend very much on your own demands. Many plumbers work as sole traders or in companies with less than five people. Many others work as part of a franchise, benefiting from the resources and name of a larger company, while others work as part of large teams on building sites.

On completion of a foundation course you will need to find work preferably with a fully qualified plumber so as to build upon your skills. Over time and building up the right sort of experience you can work towards NVQs and other awards.

As you advance in the plumbing industry it is possible for the Service leaver to access other funds available through the MoD. Enhanced Learning Credits can be used for qualifications at Level 3 and above; so they can be used for appropriate training in gas and oil that lead to CORGI (Council for Registered Gas Installers) or OFTEC (Oil Firing Technical Association) registration.

The most important skills will be those which you will probably have learnt already – a practical approach and a drive and willingness to satisfy customer’s demands.

For further information on the OCN and other courses from Step to Training visit the website at www.steptotraining.co.uk or email at info@steptotraining.co.uk .