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Plumber Green Job

Plumbers install and repair water and heating systems in residential households and commercial properties.

Annual Salary

£21,000 to £40,000

Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

37 to 42 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; as customers demand

1.1%
Future employment

There will be 1.1% fewer Plumber jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

As a plumber, you'll:

  • install and repair water, heating and drainage systems
  • cut, shape and join pipes and fittings
  • service gas and oil-fired central heating systems and radiators
  • respond to emergency call-outs, like broken boilers or blocked drains
  • fit weather-proof materials and flashings to roofs, chimneys and walls

Possible green job

This job could help the environment.

For a plumber to be a green job, you could:

  • install solar powered hot water systems
  • replace old copper piping and joints with recyclable components
  • fit heat pumps in households to reduce reliance on fossil fuels

Find out more about green careers

Working environment

You could work at a client's home, at a client's business or on a construction site.

Your working environment may be cramped, at height and outdoors some of the time.

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly
College

You could complete a college course which may help you to find a trainee position with a plumbing company.

Courses include:

  • plumbing studies
  • plumbing and domestic heating
  • T Level in Building Services Engineering for Construction

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
For more information
Apprenticeship

You can apply to do a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship to learn the skills needed to become a plumber. Apprenticeships include:

  • Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician
  • Building Services Engineering
  • Gas Engineering Operative

You could also do a Low Carbon Heating Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, if you want to become a heat pump engineer.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
For more information
Work

You may be able to start as a plumber's assistant or 'mate' and train on the job to qualify.

You'll usually need some GCSEs, including English and maths, along with good practical skills.

Direct application

You could apply directly for jobs if you've got qualifications and several years' experience from related industries, like building services or heating and ventilation engineering.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

More information

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering for professional development training and industry news.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a plumber from the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering and Go Construct.

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With experience, you could:do further training to become a heat pump engineer; work with ventilation and air-conditioning systems, or renewable energy technologies like solar powered heating; get certified with the Oil Firing Technical Association (OFTEC); become a master plumber or move into building services engineering; teach and assess trainee plumbers in a further education (FE) college or training centre.

Find out more about working in FE from Teach in further education.

Go Construct has more information about careers and qualifications in plumbing.

How does this job help to address the impacts of climate change and protect wildlife and nature in the West of England?

Plumbers specialising in the installation and servicing of heat pumps are needed to work on the retrofitting of existing heating systems and installations for new low carbon buildings across the West of England region.

Examples of post-16 courses you could study at local schools or colleges

  • Level 1-2 Plumbing Studies at Bath College

Click here to find a local provider

Apprenticeships you may be able to take with local employers

  • Level 3 Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician (Environmental Technologies)

Click here to search for a local apprenticeship

For more information on the different routes you can take to get into working as a plumber, take a look at the 'Routes into this job' section above. 

Click here for an explanation of the different course and apprenticeship levels.

Local employers 

  • Local plumbing firms

For more local employment opportunities see the 'Live job vacancies by region' section above.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
  • knowledge of building and construction
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • knowledge of maths
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • customer service skills
  • physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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