The UK’s plumbing and heating sector is struggling to fill vacancies as demand for skilled workers outpaces the supply of apprentices, according to a new report. The ‘Apprenticeship Gap Report’, compiled by power tool specialist DART Tool Group, found that the sector currently faces a deficit of nearly 2,000 positions, with 79 job openings for every available apprentice.
The research analysed data from the Department for Education, the Office of National Statistics (ONS), and job board site Reed across six UK trade sectors, revealing where the skills crisis is most severe, why training pathways are under strain, and what strategic actions employers can take to strengthen their future workforce.
Across all trades analysed, there are just 809 apprenticeship openings to fill over 86,000 current job vacancies, a ratio of 106 jobs competing for every single apprenticeship place.
Hardest hit are refrigeration engineers, with 150 vacancies for every one apprentice. Requiring a broad technical skillset, starts are also down by 17% year-on-year with only 21% of apprentices completing their programme in 2024/2025.
Plumbers face a smaller labour gap at 30:1, yet starts have fallen 37% since 2021/2022. While the gap is smaller, there is still concern when looking ahead, as the sector is expected to need 41,600 new plumbers by 2033 to meet both net zero and housebuilding targets.
Both trades remain critical to infrastructure and climate-focused projects, highlighting an opportunity for support to turn interest into qualified talent. With a modest annual employment growth of 2.4%, this reinforces the urgency to make trade roles more attractive to new entrants, especially amid tougher competition from other career pathways.
Within the plumbing and heating industry, the report’s data shows that less than a quarter of the apprentices completed their programmes on average in 2024/2025, however this is a notable increase from the 16% that completed the previous year.
Ryan Paterson, MD at DART Tool Group, says: “The findings from our ‘Apprenticeship Gap Report’ have demonstrated that, with a stronger, more effective apprenticeship system and active encouragement and promotion of trade industry jobs, the risk of a widening skills gap can be reduced.
“The plumbing and heating sector is facing some of the toughest shortages in recent years, with our data finding a deficit of 79:1. By partnering with local colleges, addressing misconceptions about trade roles, and providing flexible on-site learning, businesses can gradually fill the positions needed to meet sector targets.
“Bridging the labour market gap demands smarter workforce planning, better training frameworks, and professional-grade site tools that enable apprentices to complete their programmes, master technical skills, and build a stronger and more confident workforce without delaying projects further.”
Read the report here.
