Plumbing Apprenticeship
Could you get a plumbing apprenticeship?
A plumbing apprenticeship is becoming very difficult to obtain and it is now rare to obtain places for apprentices at the current time.
It has been made worse by government legislation that states that all employees have to by law have a minimum level of pay and holidays, in addition to all the usual company benefits. So, the problem is mostly a financial one.
In an ideal world everybody should have a good level of pay and working conditions, but this was not the case in old days. Although this might be an ideal situation in the modern world most small employers do not have that level of resources to finance the apprentice; it really is that simple.
What has consequently happened then is that plumbing businesses do not offer plumbing apprenticeships at all; they have ceased.
The consequence of this is that there is now a shortage of highly trained plumbers over the whole of the UK.
The situation is not getting any better because rather than the government giving financial help to small companies to get the training back, they have chosen to adopt a policy of providing
subsidies for thousands of immigrants to the UK where more often than not poor quality trades people are welcomed with open arms. The eastern bloc countries especially are coming here in their thousands.
This has to a point filled some holes in the market, but at a huge cost. It is a shame because people already living here wanting to become plumbers here are being told there are no plumbing training jobs.
It is a growing problem because cheap labour from foreign countries does mostly have a negative effect. Many people coming here find that they are not able to survive without government intervention because the cost of living is so high. They are helped financially causing a further drain to the taxpayer.
In the old days somebody wanting to start a plumbing apprenticeship would work for very little money on the understanding that he or she would start at an early age, usually live at home, and be supported by mum or dad whilst the training was going on. The early sacrifice of money and benefits at work would be compensated at a later date once the training was complete. This way, the employer could afford to finance the apprentice plumber.
In fact, it was normal for the parents or guardians to also enter into the plumbing apprenticeship contract to provide living expenses whilst the training was carried out.
Five years later, a fully qualified plumber would emerge. Those days are long gone, and it seems that right now they will never return. People have different expectations nowadays and it is unlikely that people learning the plumbing trade would be prepared to sacrifice five years of wages just to learn a trade.
Of course, plumbing apprenticeships started early, usually when you left school at sixteen and it would follow that even aged twenty one, most firms would only allow newly qualified plumbers to carry out small works, and not large plumbing jobs.
When we take a look at some of the work carried out by plumbers of years ago we can see the quality and skills needed. They were artisans and it took years to become an expert.
It is fair to say that proper plumbing apprenticeships are almost dead. There are so few opportunities for people now that this route is almost just a pipe dream.
It is still possible to get started in plumbing but for the majority of people they will have to look at a different route.
Take a tour of this site and find out what your options are.
Plumbing - Plumber Training, Plastering, Bricklaying, Electrical and Other Trades or Courses at these Locations.
Aberdeen Armagh Bangor Bath Belfast Birmingham Bradford Brighton and Hove Bristol Cambridge Canterbury Cardiff Carlisle Chester Chichester City of London Coventry Derby Dundee Durham Edinburgh Ely Exeter Glasgow Gloucester Hereford Inverness Kingston upon Hull Lancaster Leeds Leicester Lichfield Lincoln Lisburn Liverpool Londonderry Manchester Newcastle upon Tyne Newport Newry Norwich Nottingham Oxford Peterborough Plymouth Portsmouth Preston Ripon Salford Salisbury Sheffield Southampton St Albans St Davids Stirling Stoke-on-Trent Sunderland Swansea Truro Wakefield Wells Westminster Winchester Wolverhampton Worcester York
Bedfordshire Berkshire Borders Buckinghamshire Cambridgeshire Central Cheshire Cleveland Clwyd Cornwall County Antrim County Armagh County Down County Fermanagh County Londonderry County Tyrone Cumbria Derbyshire Devon Dorset Dumfries and Galloway Durham Dyfed East Sussex Essex Fife Gloucestershire Grampian Greater Manchester Gwent Gwynedd County Hampshire Herefordshire Hertfordshire Highlands and Islands Humberside Isle of Wight Kent Lancashire Leicestershire Lincolnshire Lothian Merseyside Mid Glamorgan Norfolk North Yorkshire Northamptonshire Northumberland Nottinghamshire Oxfordshire Powys Rutland Shropshire Somerset South Glamorgan South Yorkshire Staffordshire Strathclyde Suffolk Surrey Tayside Tyne and Wear Warwickshire West Glamorgan West Midlands West Sussex West Yorkshire Wiltshire Worcestershire
Aberaeron Aberdare Aberdeen Aberfeldy Abergavenny Abergele Abertillery Aberystwyth Abingdon Accrington Adlington Airdrie Alcester Aldeburgh Aldershot Aldridge Alford Alfreton Alloa Alnwick Alsager Alston Amesbury Amlwch Ammanford Ampthill Andover Annan Antrim Appleby in Westmorland Arbroath Armagh Arundel Ashbourne Ashburton Ashby de la Zouch Ashford Ashington Ashton in Makerfield Atherstone Auchtermuchty Axminster Aylesbury Aylsham Ayr
Bacup Bakewell Bala Ballater Ballycastle Ballyclare Ballymena Ballymoney Ballynahinch Banbridge Banbury Banchory Banff Bangor Barmouth Barnard Castle Barnet Barnoldswick Barnsley Barnstaple Barrhead Barrow in Furness Barry Barton upon Humber Basildon Basingstoke Bath Bathgate Batley Battle Bawtry Beaconsfield Bearsden Beaumaris Bebington Beccles Bedale Bedford Bedlington Bedworth Beeston Bellshill Belper Berkhamsted Berwick upon Tweed Betws y Coed Beverley Bewdley Bexhill on Sea Bicester Biddulph Bideford Biggar Biggleswade Billericay Bilston Bingham Birkenhead Birmingham Bishop Auckland Blackburn Blackheath Blackpool Blaenau Ffestiniog Blandford Forum Bletchley Bloxwich Blyth Bodmin Bognor Regis Bollington Bolsover Bolton Bootle Borehamwood Boston Bourne Bournemouth Brackley Bracknell Bradford Bradford on Avon Brading Bradley Stoke Bradninch Braintree Brechin Brecon Brentwood Bridge of Allan Bridgend Bridgnorth Bridgwater Bridlington Bridport Brigg Brighouse Brightlingsea Brighton Bristol Brixham Broadstairs Bromsgrove Bromyard Brynmawr Buckfastleigh Buckie Buckingham Buckley Bude Budleigh Salterton Builth Wells Bungay Buntingford Burford Burgess Hill Burnham on Crouch Burnham on Sea Burnley Burntisland Burntwood Burry Port Burton Latimer Bury Bushmills Buxton
Caernarfon Caerphilly Caistor Caldicot Callander Calne Camberley Camborne Cambridge Camelford Campbeltown Cannock Canterbury Cardiff Cardigan Carlisle Carluke Carmarthen Carnforth Carnoustie Carrickfergus Carterton Castle Douglas Castlederg Castleford Castlewellan Chard Charlbury Chatham Chatteris Chelmsford Cheltenham Chepstow Chesham Cheshunt Chester Chester le Street Chesterfield Chichester Chippenham Chipping Campden Chipping Norton Chipping Sodbury Chorley Christchurch Church Stretton Cinderford Cirencester Clacton on Sea Cleckheaton Cleethorpes Clevedon Clitheroe Clogher Clydebank Coalisland Coalville Coatbridge Cockermouth Coggeshall Colchester Coldstream Coleraine Coleshill Colne Colwyn Bay Comber Congleton Conwy Cookstown Corbridge Corby Coventry Cowbridge Cowdenbeath Cowes Craigavon Cramlington Crawley Crayford Crediton Crewe Crewkerne Criccieth Crickhowell Crieff Cromarty Cromer Crowborough Crowthorne Crumlin Cuckfield Cullen Cullompton Cumbernauld Cupar Cwmbran
Dalbeattie Dalkeith Darlington Dartford Dartmouth Darwen Daventry Dawlish Deal Denbigh Denton Derby Dereham Devizes Dewsbury Didcot Dingwall Dinnington Diss Dolgellau Donaghadee Doncaster Dorchester Dorking Dornoch Dover Downham Market Downpatrick Driffield Dronfield Droylsden Dudley Dufftown Dukinfield Dumbarton Dumfries Dunba Dunblane Dundee Dunfermline Dungannon Dunoon Duns Dunstable Durham Dursley Easingwold East Grinstead East Kilbride Eastbourne Eastleigh Eastwood Ebbw Vale Edenbridge Edinburgh Egham Elgin Ellesmere Ellesmere Port Ely Enniskillen Epping Epsom Erith Esher Evesham Exeter ExmouthEye Eyemouth
Failsworth Fairford Fakenham Falkirk Falkland Falmouth Fareham Faringdon Farnborough Farnham Farnworth Faversham Felixstowe Ferndown Filey Fintona Fishguard Fivemiletown Fleet Fleetwood Flint Flitwick Folkestone Fordingbridge Forfar Forres Fort William Fowey Framlingham Fraserburgh Frodsham Frome
Gainsborough Galashiels Gateshead Gillingham Glasgow Glastonbury Glossop Gloucester Godalming Godmanchester Goole Gorseinon Gosport Gourock Grange over Sands Grangemouth Grantham Grantown on Spey Gravesend Grays Great Yarmouth Greenock Grimsby Guildford
Haddington Hadleigh Hailsham Halesowen Halesworth Halifax Halstead Haltwhistle Hamilton Harlow Harpenden Harrogate Hartlepool Harwich Haslemere Hastings Hatfield Havant Haverfordwest Haverhill Hawarden Hawick Hay on Wye Hayle Haywards Heath Heanor Heathfield Hebden Bridge Helensburgh Helston Hemel Hempstead Henley on Thames Hereford Herne Bay Hertford Hessle Heswall Hexham High Wycombe Higham Ferrers Highworth Hinckley Hitchin Hoddesdon Holmfirth Holsworthy Holyhead Holywell Honiton Horley Horncastle Hornsea Horsham Horwich Houghton le Spring Hove Howden Hoylake Hucknall Huddersfield Hungerford Hunstanton Huntingdon Huntly Hyde Hythe
Ilford Ilfracombe Ilkeston Ilkley Ilminster Innerleithen Inveraray Inverkeithing Inverness Inverurie Ipswich Irthlingboroug Irvine Ivybridge Jarrow Jedburgh Johnstone Keighley Keith Kelso Kempston Kendal Kenilworth Kesgrave Keswick Kettering Keynsham Kidderminster Kilbarchan Kilkeel Killyleagh Kilmarnock Kilwinning Kinghorn Kingsbridge Kington Kingussie Kinross Kintore Kirkby Kirkby Lonsdale Kirkcaldy Kirkcudbright Kirkham Kirkwall Kirriemuir Knaresborough Knighton Knutsford
Ladybank Lampeter Lanark Lancaster Langholm Largs Larne Laugharne Launceston Laurencekirk Leamington Spa Leatherhead Ledbury Leeds Leek Leicester Leighton Buzzard Leiston Leominster Lerwick Letchworth Leven Lewes Leyland Lichfield Limavady Lincoln Linlithgow Lisburn Liskeard Lisnaskea Littlehampton Liverpool Llandeilo Llandovery Llandrindod Wells Llandudno Llanelli Llanfyllin Llangollen Llanidloes Llanrwst Llantrisant Llantwit Major Llanwrtyd Wells Loanhead Lochgilphead Lockerbie Londonderry Long Eaton Longridge Looe Lossiemouth Lostwithiel Loughborough Loughton Louth Lowestoft Ludlow LurganLuton Lutterworth Lydd Lydney Lyme Regis Lymington Lynton
Mablethorpe Macclesfield Machynlleth Maesteg Magherafelt Maidenhead Maidstone Maldon Malmesbury Malton Malvern Manchester Manningtree Mansfield March Margate Market Deeping Market Drayton Market Harborough Market Rasen Market Weighton Markethill Markinch Marlborough Marlow Maryport Matlock Maybole Melksham Melrose Melton Mowbray Merthyr Tydfil Mexborough Middleham Middlesbrough Middlewich Midhurst Midsomer Norton Milford Haven Milngavie Milton Keynes Minehead Moffat Mold Monifieth Monmouth Montgomery Montrose Morecambe Moreton in Marsh Moretonhampstead Morley Morpeth Motherwell Musselburgh
Nailsea Nailsworth Nairn Nantwich Narberth Neath Needham Market Neston New Mills New Milton Newbury Newcastle Newcastle Emlyn Newcastle upon Tyne Newent Newhaven Newmarket Newport Newport Pagnell Newport on Tay Newquay Newry Newton Abbot Newton Aycliffe Newton Stewart Newton le Willows Newtown Newtownabbey Newtownards Normanton North Berwick North Walsham Northallerton Northampton Northwich Norwich Nottingham Nuneaton
Oakham Oban Okehampton Oldbury Oldham Oldmeldrum Olney Omagh Ormskirk Orpington Ossett Oswestry Otley Oundle Oxford
Padstow Paignton Painswick Paisley Peebles Pembroke Penarth Penicuik Penistone Penmaenmawr Penrith Penryn Penzance Pershore Perth Peterborough Peterhead Peterlee Petersfield Petworth Pickering Pitlochry Pittenweem Plymouth Pocklington Polegate Pontefract Pontypridd Poole Port Talbot Portadown Portaferry Porth Porthcawl Porthmadog Portishead Portrush Portsmouth Portstewart Potters Bar Potton Poulton le Fylde Prescot Prestatyn Presteigne Preston Prestwick Princes Risborough Prudhoe Pudsey Pwllheli
Ramsgate Randalstown Rayleigh Reading Redcar Redditch Redhill Redruth Reigate Retford Rhayader Rhuddlan Rhyl Richmond Rickmansworth Ringwood Ripley Ripon Rochdale Rochester Rochford Romford Romsey Ross on Wye Rostrevor Rothbury Rotherham Rothesay Rowley Regis Royston Rugby Rugeley Runcorn Rushden Rutherglen Ruthin Ryde Rye
Saffron Walden Saintfield Salcombe Sale Salford Salisbury Saltash Saltcoats Sandbach Sandhurst Sandown Sandwich Sandy Sawbridgeworth Saxmundham Scarborough Scunthorpe Seaford Seaton Sedgefield Selby Selkirk Selsey Settle Sevenoaks Shaftesbury Shanklin Sheerness Sheffield Shepshed Shepton Mallet SherborneSheringham Shildon Shipston on Stour Shoreham by Sea Shrewsbury Sidmouth Sittingbourne Skegness Skelmersdale Skipton Sleaford Slough Smethwick Soham Solihull Somerton South Molton South Shields South Woodham Ferrers Southam Southampton Southborough Southend on Sea Southport Southsea Southwell Southwold Spalding Spennymoor Spilsby Stafford Staines Stamford Stanley Staveley Stevenage Stirling Stockport Stockton on Tees Stoke on Trent Stone Stowmarket Strabane Stranraer Stratford upon Avon Strood Stroud Sudbury Sunderland Sutton Coldfield Sutton in Ashfield Swadlincote Swanage Swanley Swansea Swindon
Tadcaster Tadley Tain Talgarth Tamworth Taunton Tavistock Teignmouth Telford Tenby Tenterden Tetbury Tewkesbury Thame Thatcham Thaxted Thetford Thirsk Thornbury Thrapston Thurso Tilbury Tillicoultry Tipton Tiverton Tobermory Todmorden Tonbridge Torpoint Torquay Totnes Totton Towcester TredegarTregaron Tring Troon Trowbridge Truro Tunbridge Wells TywynUckfield Ulverston Uppingham Usk Uttoxeter Ventnor Verwood
Wadebridge Wadhurst Wakefield Wallasey Wallingford Walsall Waltham Abbey Waltham Cross Walton on Thames Walton on the Naze Wantage Ware Wareham Warminster Warrenpoint Warrington Warwick Washington Watford Wednesbury Wednesfield Wellingborough Wellington Wells Wells next the Sea Welshpool Welwyn Garden City Wem Wendover West Bromwich Westbury Westerham Westhoughton Weston super Mare Wetherby Weybridge Weymouth Whaley Bridge Whitby Whitchurch Whitehaven Whitley Bay Whitnash Whitstable Whitworth Wick Wickford Widnes Wigan Wigston Wigtown Willenhall Wincanton Winchester Windermere Winsford Winslow Wisbech Witham Withernsea Witney Woburn Woking Wokingham Wolverhampton Wombwell Woodbridge Woodstock Wootton Bassett Worcester Workington Worksop Worthing Wotton under Edge Wrexham Wymondham Yarm Yarmouth Yate Yateley Yeadon Yeovil York
|
From the team at www.plumbing-courses.org
Resources for Plumbing Apprenticeship
|
