The plumbing and heating community on Twitter has reacted strongly against recent reports that the sector is failing to attract sufficient numbers of young people into the profession and a crisis is looming. Many on Twitter expressed considerable scepticism, with some claiming that if there is stagnation in the sector, then the real problem lies with employers.
@BETAteach, a lecturer at Suffolk New College, tweeted: “It is NOT that we need to inspire more young people into apprenticeships, but rather we need to inspire more employers to offer them. We have over 40,000 students on plumbing courses with no employers to take them on.”
Please RT @pbplumber @daleyplumbing @reddyplumbing @irbheating @HpmMag @PHAMNews @LeePeakHeating @IanPlumbing @TapMedic @SafetySuperhero pic.twitter.com/KKCc2o28bJ
— BETAteach (@betateach) October 30, 2017
@anekgasworks expressed a similar view:
1/2 The reality is there are an excessive no. of students studying plumbing on FT courses with very few going on to apprenticeships.
— ???? Mandeep ???? (@anekgasworks) October 20, 2017
Simon Reddy backed up these views with some hard numbers:
40k + figures for people doing plumbing courses 2005-2010 are robust, but actually way under because self-funded students not included! pic.twitter.com/58OorPmEWV
— Simon Reddy (@reddyplumbing) November 1, 2017
Some installers say the problem is rooted in the current college-based system.
Agree, the best installers I ever came across never set foot in college, learnt everything on site by paying attention listening & asking
— Vietec Heating (@VietecHeating) November 3, 2017
Experience, by definition, takes time. This is not compatable with “wonder courses providing “bums on seats ….. #e5
— nemesis (@partpnemesis) November 10, 2017
There has been and still is a continuous de-skilling of the trades for numerous years. Teaching to exam papers is a major issue.
— paul williams (@wpaul880) November 6, 2017
The standard bar has be lowered too far, now a hamster could pass. I my day people did fail. Now no one fails as their budget will be cut !
— Alonline (@Alonlineni) June 9, 2017
Just back in the conversation and reading the thread. Clearly the opinion is more hands on training and less ‘plastic college’??
— Rob Berridge (@HeatingConsult) November 4, 2017
Now we owe it to others to pass down the knowledge.. collage can’t do this.. because some guy in a suit makes the guidelines
— Hancock and Brown (@Hancocknbrown) November 4, 2017
Others expressed the concern that there is not enough support provided to SMEs to take on the responsibility of an apprentice.
Lack of support to small businesses for taking on new apprentices is part of the problem
— PAUL DALEY #Captainbackflow (@daleyplumbing) October 23, 2017
That why no one wants to take on apprentices. You get no help educational wise or money. Apprenticeships should be taken more seriously
— AC plumbing&heating (@plumbing_ac) June 13, 2017
