Becoming a Plumber

Welcome to part 2 of the guide, if you missed part 1where we covered Apprenticeships and Adult Trainees [click here]

Those Working as Unqualified Plumbers

If you are already some way into your plumbing career but want to get qualified you can skip the certificates mentioned in the previous post and get straight on the City and Guilds Plumbing (6089) NVQ Level 2 and 3. These courses can usually be completed part time or fast track plumbing courses. Its definitely worth thinking about as from 2010 any tradesman working on a building site will have to have a CSCS card to prove they have an NVQ (or SNVQ for scotland) in their trade, valuable info for those wanting to become a plumber.

Fast Track Plumbing Courses

Fast track courses offer you the option to get qualified quickly and some even offer home study. The qualification won’t be industry recognised unless it is City and Guilds accredited; it must also lead to Technical cert 6129 or the NVQ 6089, more on these soon. You can achieve this in 6 months.

The thing the worries me about fast track courses is their fast track nature, is seems almost gimmicky to me. Learning to be a good plumber will take time, would you want an airline pilot flying you across the Atlantic when he has only a fraction of the real world experience of other pilots? I feel that people may be cheating themselves by taking these courses; it’s all very well getting the qualification but is it a recognised qualification? Have you really learned what the claim to teach? Can you absorb information that quickly? Are they worth the hefty price tag? You should ask yourself all these questions.

It is worth noting that opinions are quite polarised on this subject. Some people swear by fast track courses for becoming a plumber, I have heard people say they are ideal for people looking to go the self employed route. They give you the skills you need to get out there earning money as quickly as possible. The availability of this type of course is also much greater that college placements.

None of these courses are very affordable, if you can only afford cheap plumbing courses you will need to compete to enrol at a local college.

I guess my advice would be do your own research and make up your own mind! Personally I am undecided on fast track plumbing courses.

Plumbing Sponsorship and Grants

At the time of writing there seems to be little about in the way of plumbing grants. It’s worth checking with local companies in your area as well as some larger companies. Certain banks may offer start-up loans for plumbers but deals change all the time so it would be pointless to list any. Depending on where you live there may be government grants that cover a percentage of the course fees. Some courses allow you to pay by instalments but watch out for obscene interest charges, banks are always looking to scam people, especially those wanting to become a plumber.

Google and the yellow pages are your best friends for this task. Good luck!