Bournemouth, Dorset & Poole is short of 173 plumbers
By 2008 Bournemouth, Dorset & Poole will be short of 173 plumbers* unless 35 plumbers join the profession every year. Nationally, it is estimated that there will be a shortage of between 25,000 and 30,000 plumbers by next year.
The main reasons why we are short being that colleges do not have the capacity to address the problem, courses are oversubscribed and the average age of plumbers is quite high, therefore, more are leaving the industry than joining it. Nationally, colleges are estimated to have less than 3,000 trainee vacancies a year of which only 50% actually go on to work as plumbers.
New Career Skills (NCS) the nationwide provider of training in plumbing, carpentry and electrics for mature career changers, has launched a new, flexible learning plumbing course to address this, enabling men and women of any age to change career with ease and have opened branches in Romsey and Hythe to manage course applications in the area.
Launched in response to the withdrawal of City & Guilds 6988 plumbing qualification, NCS’s course is an updated and expanded version and has been accredited by the Open College Network (Western Region)*.
As well as offering a complete change in lifestyle, plumbers’ hours of work are flexible as opposed to the regimented 9am-5pm of office jobs. The financial rewards of becoming a plumber have been well documented. Plumbers typically earn between £25,000 and £50,000 a year.
Commenting, Tim Adderson, managing director, NCS, said: "The UK shortage of plumbers is a huge problem that effects us all. Younger students aren’t as enthusiastic about learning a trade and are more interested in entering office-based careers or studying for vocational degrees.
“There are other training providers offering plumbing courses such as the C&G 6032, but as anybody in the industry knows, these certificates do not offer the breadth and depth of training to work to the NVQ2 or to add real value to most employers. We have answered the needs of both industry and mature career changers, many who have work and family commitments and can’t afford to take weeks off work to train.”
Historically, training to become a plumber for over 25 year olds was virtually impossible as most employers and colleges wouldn’t consider taking mature students on. Also, the traditional method of training (via day release college courses, taking from two to five years to complete with low wages until graduation) was unsuitable for mature students.
NCS offer a flexible, blended learning programme which allows students to complete the theory part of their training at home using interactive materials and tutor support. Then, when ready, students can complete four separate one-week practical sessions at one of NCS’s nationwide centres of Plumbing Excellence.
*(Construction Industries Training Board)
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