Son thinking of plumbing after GCSEs. Any experience?

[OddGoingsOn]

My son has has had a last-minute chance of heart and is thinking of doing a plumbing course after his GCSEs. I obviously just want the best for him and for him to have the best chances in life after this. Have any of you had children who have done this? What did they do next? What are they doing now?

Thank you!

Does he have a route in to the trade in mind? I would check on that first. Not exactly the same but the heating engineer that looks after our boiler was telling me the last time I saw him that he had five or six lads asking for apprenticeships but he couldn't take them on.

Plumbing can be a well paid trade, it's mostly going to be working indoors. He could do a lot worse. If he's personable and likeable he'll be able to build up a client base.

There's currently a shortage of plumbers and heating and gas engineers. He could be setting himself up very nicely!

My DS did his level 2 but hasn’t been able to find an apprenticeship. If he wants to go down that route he’d be best to try and find himself an employer and do it that way.

Family member signed up and paid £hundreds for a course online which he thought was accredited, but it turned out to be a scam - they just sent him a textbook.
Now going to attend local college part- time.

Great trade skills to have. Always work around. Good on him

@Greatoutdoors Now this is my worry. He doesn’t want to go straight into work and so wants to complete a course. Can I ask what your son did after his Level 2 please? Thank you

The company I work for have 3 apprentices at the moment. One joined us age 16 and we sent him to college to do plumbing. He’s now doing a more advanced gas course. The other did a full time level 2 course at college and joined us age 18. He’s nowhere near as good as person 1 so we will start him off on a lower level. The last person is older and has experience in other areas.

there are loads of kids doing college based plumbing courses at the moment but a lack of employers willing to take them on so definitely start looking asap for work placements/apprentiships.

also those who are successful don’t just do plumbing, they do gas as well and/or pipe fitting etc

To be honest unless he treats it as a taster course to see if it’s what he wants to do then he’s wasting his time if he doesn’t go through an employer.

Honestly, I don’t want to be a harbinger of doom but he ended up out of work and education, so we paid for him to go and do an (outing) private course in one of his hobbies to keep him off the streets.
A lot of people will tell you there is a shortage of plumbers and it’s a great trade etc which is all true, but in my area at least, it’s very hard to get a foot in the door. If it’s what he wants to do I’d start looking for an employer that will take him on.

I absolutely agree.

You will not be ready to become a self employed plumber by simply doing a level 2 or even level 3 plumbing course at college. You have to build up experience in all the different aspects of the job working alongside someone more experienced.

My friends son did a plumbing apprenticeship, moved onto becoming a gas engineer. He is now 23 and earning nearly 50kpa (including overtime), has no student debt and saving a lot.