Plumbers

Plumbers apply the essential knowledge they acquire in schools to their jobs in the following ways: 

Plumbers apply key knowledge they learn in schools to their jobs in the following ways:

• Mathematics are super important because plumbers have to figure out how much time and materials they need for a job. If they mess up the maths, the job might cost too much or take too long.
• Digital Skills: Nowadays, heating systems can be controlled with smartphones and the internet. So, plumbers also need to be good with technology to handle these systems.

In a nutshell, plumbers use what they learned in school to make sure your water and heating systems work correctly and efficiently.

Most plumbers often work as part of teams, joining forces with electricians, builders, and other plumbers to tackle various jobs. This teamwork is essential for plumbers who work for themselves.

Being a successful plumber also means having an entrepreneurial mindset. If a plumber doesn't want to learn about heat pumps or how to install internet-controlled devices, they might miss out on big business opportunities and end up with fewer jobs.

Plumbers also need to be resilient. They might have to work long hours to finish a job, listen to customers' complaints about their work, and handle tricky situations with suppliers or other workers. It's not always easy, but it's part of the job.

Plumbers must have a range of skills to do their work. They must be good at problem-solving – nothing focuses the mind of a customer like a leak in their ceiling. Problem-solving is also critical to deal with houses with old plumbing systems or conversion from a gas boiler to an air-sourced heat pump.

Communication is also vital for plumbers: customers need to know when their work will be complete, understand if there are issues, and have any problem explained to them.

Although plumbers often work for themselves, they need awareness of the broader systems and organisations they may interact and work with. At the heart of a plumber’s work are: 

• Providing competitive (and profitable) estimates. 
• Working with a variety of suppliers and contractors. 
• Understanding government systems, such as grants from the government for heat pump work. 
• Using the right tools to install and the processes to buy a new heating system. 

Lots of plumbers start as apprentices, which means they learn from more experienced plumbers for a while. This informal training helps them get the hang of the basics. But there are also formal qualifications and rules that they have to follow by law.  

These rules are important, especially when it comes to doing things like working on gas boilers, setting up air source heat pumps, or putting in drainage systems in houses. Each of these tasks needs specific knowledge or qualifications, sometimes both.