Introducing Plumbing Training

The figures explaining how much Plumbers can earn is often talked about in the papers. Figures of 30-70k p.a. are touted, alongside much talk of the profound shortage in the number of Plumbers within the UK. So, are we being told a story or is this the genuine picture? For the competent and correctly skilled person, this level of salary is realistic. In fact, earnings in excess of 70 – 100k p.a. are achievable – but that is solely for those who work within the self-employed market-place, rather than those who work within established employment routes.

If you are working for a traditional company within the UK, then the hours of Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm are normal. Approximately wages of 15k and 30k p.a. are reasonable within the UK, along with standard benefits such as holiday pay and sickness allowance. A self-employed person can earn more money than this traditional approach, but will often need to work outside of the Mon- Fri, 9am to 6pm example. Without a doubt in the domestic market many clients require evening and weekend visits and self employed plumbers have to meet that need.

Also there is the factor of self-employment and whether it goes with some people more than others. Finally there is good ‘business sense’, such as getting the hourly rate correct, advertising and marketing budgets spot on which are all important. Equally, most self-employed people will need to pay additional costs to cover their materials and transport, alongside legal and accountancy fees etc. Although it is expected that these can be relatively small in relation to the earnings overall they can mount up, but then so can the benefits. Plus the profits nearly always beat the odds!

Often customary work from employers attracts Student Entrants especially if it meets their needs training in working knowledge and experience. On the other hand, the Self Employed Entrant needs to increase their list plumbing credentials as soon as possible. Having said that, we should bear in mind that the majority of self-employed workers tend to migrate towards the narrower ‘domestic’ market, rather than the commercial sector. (At least most of them do)

There does appear to be some union between certification relating to each path of Plumbing education and hence the industry. It is when the issue of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland) is considered that a considerable discrepancy becomes clear.

To begin with, the Student Entrant appears to rely more heavily on the NVQ structure than the Self Employed Entrant. By calling upon a wider range of qualifications Self Employed Entrants will be able to meet their clients’ needs from the start. In order to be able to meet the needs of the typical household, self-employed persons will need to rapidly gain key domestic-centred qualifications. In a similar way to an apprenticeship the Student Entrant will, once the core learning tools have been learned, enter the workplace and be able to carry on the NVQ element of their study. As it is cheaper form of study overall then the Student Entrant can make financial savings from the beginning. But the Self Employed Entrant will gain certifications faster (motivated by a more commercial viewpoint) and will therefore be achieving considerable financial reward long before the Student Entrant.

To be sure the financial returns required is the result of clear careers discussions covering certification and the overall study requirements. It is often the issue of spending time at college and then having to go back to an apprenticeship for up to 3 years that proves difficult to many adults especially those that have a family to look after. Normally, self-employed students to pay for their courses themselves whereas the younger Student Entrants have the majority of their courses paid for them as part of their apprenticeships. The level of certification sought by the student drives the course structure and can result in costs of between 3k through to 10k+.

Self Employed Entrants can consider a wide range of private technical colleges as opposed to the reliance on further-education colleges and that differentiates them from Student Entrants. Often through the use of established training schemes many commercially oriented plumbing courses are now able to deliver the necessary skill-sets and qualifications. This method offers key advantages to Self Employed Students, allowing them to train evenings, part-time or on self-study classes thereby continuing with their existing jobs and maintaining their financial situation. Considering so many options on hand it is clever to gather data from as many sources as one can. To review your options why not book mark this page (CTRL-D) and you can come back and review the links and adverts we have provided for you.

To increase their ‘marketability’ many plumbing students will go on to utilise extra courses. Courses in areas such as Gas, Electrical and Green Energy can provide added certifications. Gas training has always been a route for Plumbers to consider, as this forms part of the common domestic and commercial heating system.

Gas Training is considered a dedicated training program with key subjects followed by important NVQ’s. It also features many options for on-going training, especially for those who trained as a plumber first and are now looking at some extra skills to add to their stable. In review it is often felt that the mature student responds well to the blend of Gas/Plumbing training. For the Mature Student the emphasis appears to be reducing the NVQ elements and focussing on the core subjects.

The self-employed professional appears to benefit from this distinct training mixture. Without a doubt the appeal is to learn a greater range of skill-sets and at the same time earn money from them. This adds to their overall package rather than having to rely on sub-contraction of key skills to third parties. Of equal concern is the lowering of customer value as they have to wait for essentials to be handled by others and the reduction of the overall earning potential that ensues from sub-contraction. The more professional a Plumber is within their field the more that they have to offer their relative client base.

It is by working at their broader range of certifications alongside business skills that Self Employed Entrants can achieve much higher income streams that their Student Entrant counterparts. Note: This information reflects the needs and requirements for the industry and policies of the UK market alone.

(C) S. Edwards 2009. Try Click HERE or Plumbing NVQ.