A Guide To NVQ Plumbing

The salaries of Plumbers are often highlighted in the national press. It is this need for trained Plumbers that has led to salaries of 30-70k p.a. being advertised. So, is this the truth of the matter, or are we being lied to? To be certain, for the correctly qualified and experienced plumber, this level of salary is achievable and indeed attainable. To be fair, the higher earnings of 70-100k p.a. are generally for those working within the self-employed field.

If you are working for a traditional company within the UK, then the hours of Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm are normal. From UK companies comes the standard reward such as holiday pay and sickness allowance and a potential wage of between 15k and 30k p.a. That said it is by working longer than typically 9am to 6pm, Mon to Fri that self employed people achieve higher incomes than those adopting a traditional approach. This is especially the case where self-employed plumbers have opted to work in the domestic market, where their clients are at work during the day - requiring evening and weekend visits.

There is also the issue of self-employment itself - which definitely suits some people more than it suits others. By using 'good business sense', including getting your own cost per hour correct, items such as advertising and marketing can also be worked out. There are additional charges levied to people who work for themselves including legal and accountancy fees as well as those relating to materials and transport. Generally the payback outstrip those of the costs, to the extent that these charges should always be a small part of the earnings overall. And the benefits nearly always far outweigh the downsides!

Often customary work from employers attracts Student Entrants especially if it meets their needs training in working knowledge and experience. The Self Employed Entrant on the other hand will need to widen their list of plumbing accreditations and certifications as quickly as possible. Having said that, the majority of self-employed workers do not join the business sector but focus on the 'domestic' market. (Not all, just the majority!)

There does appear to be some union between certification relating to each path of Plumbing education and hence the industry. The issue of NVQ's (or SVQ's in Scotland) nevertheless appears to cause some difference.

To begin with the NVQ structure appears to be much more important to the Student Entrant than to the Self Employed Entrant. By calling upon a wider range of qualifications Self Employed Entrants will be able to meet their clients' needs from the start. The self employed person needs to consider the wishes of their household clients and use the relative domestic-centred qualifications to satisfy them. The Student Entrant will often carry on their studies in the workplace under an apprenticeship where the NVQ element can be assessed. Considering that it is a cheaper way to study then the Student can make practical savings from the start. It is often by gaining certifications faster, by being motivated by a more commercial standpoint that the Self Employed Entrant will achieve considerable financial benefits before a Student Entrant.

It is the required financial rewards that drive the urgency of clear careers discussions, whether they are overall study or certification requirements. It would generate serious hardship, for example, for an adult requiring 20k p.a. (to provide for their family,) to go back to college and spend 3 years in low-paid apprenticeship work. It should also be borne in mind that many young Student Entrants have their studies paid for them as part of their overall apprenticeships, whereas the self-employed student generally funds the course themselves. Depending on the level of certification sought and the course itself the costs for people can run into 3k to 10k+.

For the most part the private colleges are the domain of the Self Employed Entrant whereas the Student Entrant is required to study at recognised further-education colleges. Certain plumbing training companies deliver the accepted skill-sets and qualifications providing the basis for education. Of a key opportunity is the ability to train out of hours - evening, part time and self study classes that allows Self Employed Entrants to continue training whilst continuing with their job and maintaining their financial situation. Using the range of sources, it makes sense to gather as much detail as possible and through this be able to work out the training college that suits you best. Why not book mark this page (CTRL-D) and then you can come back and review your options from the links and adverts we have provided for you.

Plumbers 'marketability' is often increased through the use of additional courses. It is by training in areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical that Plumbers can gain extra certifications. A typically popular route for Plumbers is Gas training, especially as this forms part of the usual commercial and domestic heating system.

Gas Training, with subjects followed by a focus on NVQ's is recognised as an accurate and exact training program. For those who trained as a plumber these schemes offer many options for further development and can clearly seen to add additional skills to the table. From this idea the mature student works better with a fusion offered by Gas/Plumbing training. Indeed, the path for the Mature Student seems to be to drop the NVQ elements and to focus on the core subjects.

It is from this particular training program that the self-employed professional gains ground. There is a great empathy for earning money whilst learning a wider range of work skill sets. It is by removing the reliability on third party sub-contraction that results in the increase of the industrial package. Whilst sub-contracting can reduce the earning of a particular job perhaps more important is the deterioration of the value in a customer's eye as they have to wait for jobs to be handled by others before completion of the overall task. In order to offer more value to their relative clients Plumbers need to be more skilled in their job role.

In consideration therefore the Self Employed Entrant has the chance to earn considerably more and at a realistically higher pace than the Student Entrants, to do so they do have to develop both the range of certifications that they hold and consider the business elements as well. Note: The above information is solely relative to the UK market, industry requirements and policies.

Author: Scott Edwards. Go to Plumbing Qualifications or CareerProgression.co.uk/jcaprog.html.