It’s an understatement to say it but we live in a competitive world, in virtually every way.
Like it or not that includes putting a strong argument to today’s youth to convince them to enter the plumbing sector, in preference to a host of other career options.
The plumbing industry would be wise to face the reality of there being far more vocational options than ever for today’s youth.
Not only are vocational options increasing, other service industries are investing in pro-actively marketing themselves to youth.
So for the plumbing industry to grow its apprentice base, it has to embrace the challenges of dynamically promoting itself to attract the best young people with the practical and intellectual capabilities needed.
This will ensure a high industry standard is maintained and the ever-increasing demand for plumbers can be met.
Overall, the demand for plumbers is increasing due to economic growth and (baby-boomer) workers retiring at an ever increasing rate. However, national data suggests the amount of plumbers coming through the ranks appears to be either stagnant or decreasing.
This is despite the great selling points that are bandied about for a plumbing career.
It generally pays well; there is an abundance of work in most areas, job security and transferable skills.
For those interested in a more academic path, an initial ‘on-the-tools’ plumbing career could lead to opportunities in hydraulic systems design, environmental services, estimating and project management to name a few options.
We decided to do a small survey to get a feel of where plumbing sits in the lives of students about to make some serious decisions about their future.
Some businesses are feeling the strain of not having apprentices to hire, making it difficult to grow their business, accept bigger projects and meet demand.
If the industry may seem like a herculean task (as part of the industry keeps re-enforcing that) but the industry can take inspiration from companies that have managed to successfully shift public perception. Employment rates and income are the two main things that will sell the industry but the challenge is still to provide parents with information on the wide scope of the industry and the value a plumbing career can bring for their children.
“Throughout this process we try to find the best fit for the student which closely aligns with their abilities, strengths and interests.”
The plumbing industry should be working on increasing the interest among the youth. Work can also be done to help students with the attributes, skills and interest in plumbing, to find their way to doing an apprenticeship and not be steered off course by external pressures along the way.
Plumbing connection wasn’t able to find evidence of there being a national strategy in place by the plumbing industry to ensure it is effectively monitoring these issues across the sector.
Meanwhile, many plumbers have engineering backgrounds, and plumbers can often be more accurately categorised as business owners who, after working as plumbers for several years, started their own businesses that employ several other plumbers.
Importantly, there is a wide range in the cost and quality of trade schools, impacting how much the return on an investment in trade school may be.
For-profit programs can often cost more than colleges, while many public universities offer affordable options with low costs that can be hard to beat.
