In the mid-1990s, few would have predicted that plumbing would become a lucrative business — and yet that is exactly what happened over the next few years, creating a new gold rush for trained personnel.
In Labour’s first term the party promised that 50% of young people would go into higher education by the end of the decade. The increasing numbers of young people heading to university contributed to a declining trend in terms of the number of people taking vocational training and becoming skilled tradespeople, resulting in a shortage. Naturally, profits and wages soared.
It's no surprise that many experienced plumbers set up or buy their own businesses
Fierce competition
Unfortunately for would-be plumbing entrepreneurs, however, the level of publicity the shortage of plumbers received a few years ago means that competition for a college place is now fierce.
“It is harder now than getting into university,” says Kevin Wellman, operations director at the Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineers (IPHE), who warns: “This has led to the rise of intensive courses, which may be suited to some disciplines, but not for those entering the plumbing and heating industry, where practical skill, along with the mass of theory and regulations knowledge, takes years to learn.”
Of the 26,000 people reported to be in training in 2006, only about 1,000 to 1,500 would have found employment, according to the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC). With so many people joining the dash for cash — including brain surgeons and city slickers, if some fanciful media stories are to be believed — and an influx of plumbers from new EU countries, the skills gap has been more than plugged.
Average wages, which were exaggerated in the first place, have fallen to an average of £24.5k according to the Office of National Statistics.
No surprise, then, that many experienced plumbers set up or buy their own businesses. After a few years’ hard graft, you’ll hopefully be able to employ other plumbers and concentrate more on administration and marketing — and then perhaps you can earn the sort of money the papers used to talk about.
Physically tough
In the meantime, says the IPHE on its website, “you will have to be prepared to get your hands dirty, have a head for heights, be willing to fit into small and cramped spaces, and you will also need to be ready to carry out physically tough tasks day after day.
“It is important to do the job right — especially considering a plumber doesn’t come cheap. You must be a ‘people person’ with good communication skills and you must take pride in your work. You have to respect people’s properties and uphold high standards in plumbing to protect the public health.”
