The Scotland and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF), the trade association for plumbing and heating businesses based in Scotland and Northern Ireland, is reporting a markedly increased diversity among its most recently recruited cohort of apprentice plumbers.
Alongside a record number of new apprenticeships for 2021/22 – 400 compared to 150 in 2020/21 – the proportion of female apprentices rose to 2.24% of the total, compared to 1.34% in the previous year. Similarly, the proportion of apprentices of Black and Ethnic Minority (BAME) heritage has moved up from 0.67% of the total, to 0.75%.
Dale Thomson, apprentice training manager at SNIPEF, comments: “Nine female apprentices, compared to just two in the previous year and three BAME apprentices compared to only one in 2020-21 is a clear indicator that we are slowly but surely moving in the right direction to improve the diversity of our sector. There is clearly still a long way to go but we find it encouraging that women, in particular, are increasingly enthusiastic about training to become qualified plumbers.
CEO Fiona Hodgson adds: “It is highly encouraging to witness a clear trend towards greater diversity in our sector. I am confident that as more and more individuals from diverse backgrounds elect to undertake a plumbing apprenticeship, they will act also as a spur to yet more women and people of BAME heritage to embrace the satisfaction and long-term earnings potential of becoming qualified to undertake such a socially responsible role.”
