Are plumbing courses just a pipe dream?

There are plenty of training providers whose plumbing courses might steer you towards rewarding and impressively paid professions, yet is this just a pipe dream? We explore the diverse sorts of plumbing courses out there and the people likely to sign up.

Are the riches, flexible hours and job satisfaction of a plumbing career all just a pipe dream? Plumbing courses and the media have been the first to point out the positives of enrolling on plumbing courses, but do these promises actually check out?

There is definitely some truth in media tales that claim a number of plumbers are making £90 an hour, but in order for this to be deemed news, it must be at least slightly uncommon. In London especially, the general higher cost of living mixed with a lower quantity of plumbers per resident, means that experienced plumbers who have worked through plumbing courses can demand very high rates, but this isn't necessarily the norm in other cities around the UK.

The cause can be followed back to the 80s and 90s when an economic downtu
meant there was just not enough plumbing demand to share around. As firms shed staff and cut back on their apprentice intake, numerous plumbers hung up their wrenches to go after a more secure living elsewhere.

This might suggest caution at the start of a fresh recession, yet university students, school leavers, mature students and ex-army personnel, among others, are all registering on plumbing courses which they believe will open the door to very respectable earnings, regular work, flexible hours and a whole host of other tempting benefits.

The lack of a young generation of plumbers is partially thanks to a real prejudice in education against vocational courses, such as plumbing courses, and against practical trades. In a number of cases it looks more impressive for schools to get their students into university and few bright young things even think about vocational options.

One worry for the providers of plumbing courses is teaching. With increasing numbers of students enrolling on plumbing courses, there is a clear dearth of good teaching staff. Very simply, teaching staff make an awful lot less than experienced plumbers, so only a few high-quality plumbers are going to become plumbing teachers.

With the excellent plumbing courses currently on offer delivered by lots of high quality private training providers, the situation is beginning to alter. If you asked students a few years ago what they aimed to do when they were older they would rather be dealing with computers, and would have a somewhat dim view of the trades. As word spreads conce
ing the potential salaries you can expect from a career in plumbing, coupled with the costs now associated with higher education, many are viewing a career in plumbing in a totally different light.