Are plumbing courses just a pipe dream?

Sizable numbers of prospective plumbers have been investigating plumbing courses, prompted by promises of steady, enviable pay. Is there any truth behind the suggested riches plumbing courses offer?

Are the riches, flexible hours and job happiness of a plumbing career all just a pipe dream? Plumbing courses and the press have been the first to make a fuss about the positives of enrolling on a plumbing course, but do these promises actually check out?

It is true that a number of plumbers are currently charging an incredible wage. London is one region in particular where there are unfortunately not enough plumbers to meet demand. A basic grasp of economics identifies the laws of supply and demand, and at the moment in London, industry forces are thoroughly in the favour of the plumber, so much so that some are charging in excess of £90 per hour. But why is there the current shortage of plumbers?

The reason there are so few plumbers in London and other cities is the past recession which occurred in the 80s and 90s. During this period many plumbers were forced to find more stable jobs as the demand for their abilities dramatically decreased Plumbing companies themselves were forced to make redundancies and cut the apprenticeships they could offer.

This may suggest caution at the front end of a fresh recession, yet university students, school leavers, mature students and ex-services personnel, among others, are all signing up for plumbing courses which they believe will open the door to incredibly good earnings, predictable work, flexible hours and a whole ream of other fantastic benefits.

One of the difficulties facing the industry is the encouragement young people are getting from their teachers to aim for higher education instead of a vocational path such as plumbing. With the steep hike in tuition fees it is thought that this will be different in the future, with many unable to pay for university.

One more issue facing some plumbing courses is the shortage of experienced teachers, caused by the substantially higher wages plumbing teachers can make by doing real plumbing work instead. To explain this point; why would someone settle for £25,000 a year as a plumbing courses teacher when they can earn double that working as a real plumber?

Of course, there are fantastic plumbing courses and brilliant plumbing courses teachers available, you just need to know where to find them. Meanwhile, the plumbing world continues to do well and the young blood which the trade desperately needed is beginning to flow once again. There are great plumbing courses around, but you have to be smart when you pick your plumbing courses provider.