Tag: plumbing and heating

Tap into a Better Future: SNIPEF Training Services calls for recruits

New opportunity to fill the ranks of the next generation of highly skilled plumbing and heating technicians

Places on the Modern Apprenticeship in Plumbing and Heating are filling up fast. Spaces are open to applications from anyone aged 16 and over for the Modern Apprenticeship in Plumbing and Heating programme, including existing employees and new recruits of plumbing firms.  

With demand already outstripping supply it is vital to attract new talent to the sector to avoid long term consequences for the plumbing trade. Even before the global pandemic, the industry was faced with a skills shortage.  

This skills deficit has now become more critical and to ensure that the plumbing industry is able to keep up with current demand and meet the government’s net zero ambitions, SNIPEF is urging individuals to consider a career in plumbing, and for plumbing employers to support them by offering apprenticeships. 

With training delivered both on-site and in a classroom environment, a plumbing apprenticeship offers individuals the opportunity to earn a wage while gaining the important skills, knowledge, and experience to become a qualified plumber.  

The programme is managed by SNIPEF Training Services Ltd (STS), the only industry recognised Management Agent and Training Provider in Scotland.

With 38 years experience in delivering Modern Apprenticeships, STS now work with 18 colleges across Scotland supporting training in four fuel pathways which include ACS Gas, Oil, Low Carbon Technology and Solid Fuel.  

In addition to fuel accreditation, participants will achieve an SVQ Level 3 (SCQF 7) Modern Apprenticeship qualification which also includes Water Byelaws and Unvented Hot Water.  

Fiona Hodgson, Chief Executive of SNIPEF, said: “Anyone looking for a satisfying career, whether a school-leaver or someone contemplating a career change, should consider the benefits of undertaking a plumbing apprenticeship.

“Starting, then working diligently to complete a plumbing apprenticeship, is an excellent option for anyone who hasn’t yet decided how they want to direct their working lives.

“As an employer, there are many benefits to recruiting an apprentice or offering a Modern Apprenticeship to an existing staff member. Not only will you be developing enthusiastic talent with the exact skills and experience the plumbing and heating industry and your business requires you will also be developing the workforce of the future.” 

Dale Thomson, Training Manager of SNIPEF Training Services Ltd, said “It is more important than ever that increasing numbers of people consider a career in the plumbing and heating industry.  

“There are skill shortages up and down the country and employers are desperately looking for competent and qualified plumbers to help with the work they have lined up.  

“In addition to this, we need to ensure that sufficient numbers of plumbing apprentices are being trained now to secure enough qualified plumbers in the future to work on low carbon technology such as heat pumps to meet the Scottish Government’s ambitious net zero carbon targets.  

“If you are an employer looking to recruit an apprentice or if you are interested in a career in plumbing please contact SNIPEF Training Services who will assist you every step of the journey.” 

STS has supported thousands of apprentices to complete their training to become qualified plumbers, guiding apprentices and employers from recruitment and selection through to workforce planning, funding and training delivery.  

College places are limited and with many plumbing employers already applying to enrol candidates for the 2021 cohort registering interest now is strongly recommended.  

Anyone considering a career in plumbing and heating or hiring an apprentice plumber, should contact Gillian Macaulay, Regional Support Officer at:

SNIPEF, Bellevue House, 22 Hopetoun Street, Edinburgh EH7 4GH. T: 0131 322 1245. E: training@snipef.org W: http://www.becomeaplumber.org/.  

T: https://twitter.com/snipeftraining 

FB: https://www.facebook.com/SNIPEFtraining/ 

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/snipef-training-services-ltd/ 

SNIPEF highlights a plumbing professional hero on World Plumbing Day 2021

As plumbing and heating professionals around the globe prepare to celebrate World Plumbing Day today (Thursday March 11), the Covid pandemic has vividly highlighted their importance as critical workers on the frontline of public health and safety.

While World Plumbing Day was inaugurated in 2010 to mark the link between quality plumbing and health, environmental sustainability and economic prosperity, the past year has also demonstrated the vital contribution of plumbing to clean water and sanitation systems.

SNIPEF, the Scotland and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation, recognises how PPE-clad engineers and plumbing professionals have held the line in the pandemic, putting themselves at risk to keep the taps running and the heating on.

Here, SNIPEF highlights one of the industry’s heroes and asks what it takes to make such an important contribution in an increasingly critical sector:

Name

Michael Cairns

Position

Managing Director, Celsius Plumbing and Heating, Edinburgh.

How many employees?

17, including two apprentices, the second of whom qualified just last month.

How long have you been a plumber and how did you get started?

I began serving my time in 2003, and unfortunately qualified just as the financial crisis hit in 2007/8. I was made redundant, so really circumstances dictated that I should have a go at starting my own business. I took on my brother as an apprentice and he now trains people himself and brings them on.

There was, of course, a lot of uncertainty in the economy when we started out – rather similar to the way things are now. But in many other ways, they were different days. The technology for self-employed people was much less developed, and we had to learn everything about business by ourselves.

What is your favourite part of the job?

I’m not really on the tools these days, but still muck in as and when needed, which I really enjoy.

Our company Value ‘willing to sweep floors’ means no matter your position in the company, everyone is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. I have worked really hard over the past four or five years to build a business that can run without me being continually involved in it.

I want to work on the business, rather than in the business. So, I have invested heavily in putting systems and processes in place which, for a trade-based business, is quite unusual. I did not want Celsius to be over-reliant on me.

What I enjoy most about the job at the moment is dealing with internal processes, how we automate and how we employ technology.

What is the greatest challenge in your job?

Very early on in the pandemic, we recognised that although people’s confidence was low, we still had to have access to their homes and workplaces.

But we were only carrying out essential work and anything non-essential had to be placed in a backlog of work. This was quite difficult, since we are a reactive company – work comes in, we get it done and we invoice.

Once we came out of the first lockdown, we were very busy clearing the backlog and once we emerge from this one, we will use the lessons we have learned to catch up with the work we have had to postpone.

How has the pandemic changed your day-to-day?

Safety has always been an over-riding priority, but the last year has placed an emphasis on making sure that our customers, as well as our team, feels safe.

Early last year, we created a Covid Response Video which is communicated to our customers when our engineers are on the way to them so that they know what to expect.

We have to go into a lot of elderly people’s homes and it is vital that they feel safe and confident in us. I am super-proud of the team – you just have to look at our reviews.

Have you implemented any changes during the pandemic that you will continue after?

We knew that cashflow was going to take a hit because we could only do essential work. One solution we have implemented, and it has been really successful, is that we now take payment in advance for work.

It is not normal in the trade. It shows a remarkable degree of trust from our customers, who have been very supportive of our situation. We will continue to do this after Covid.

Have you done anything to help during this difficult time?

As key workers, we have managed to keep most of the team in full-time employment, but when people were furloughed we felt it was really important to keep in touch with them to make sure that they were coping. Tradespeople are naturally busy, and suddenly, overnight, they were confined to the house and not doing anything.

We wanted to let them know that they were not forgotten about and, as well as Zoom meetings, we instituted a Friday check-in. We all know that mental health in isolation has been a major issue over the past year and the feedback from the team has said that our efforts have been very helpful.

International Women’s Day has just passed. How are you helping females into the sector?

Women are valued members of the team. They are an integral part of our organisation, and we couldn’t do without them.

We have three with us at the moment: Monique is an engineer, who specialises in water and Legionella testing and certification; Ailsa, who is a senior maintenance co-ordinator; and Ailie, who started as an apprentice junior administrator and is now a maintenance co-ordinator. We have a blog on our website about their contribution.

What advice do you have to people starting out or thinking about becoming a plumber?

For a small business, we try to do our bit for apprentices. We have helped 10 youngsters in the 14 years we have been going, and we will continue to be ambassadors for apprenticeships.

Obviously, we cannot take on every applicant, but when young people approach us, we always get in touch with them and offer advice about what they could be doing to find an employer. We are going to have an apprentice page on our website, to which we can direct people, and other people in the industry can send applicants to it.

We would advise would-be apprentices to establish a LinkedIn page – it’s free to use and connects you to people in the industry. They should be aware that four years can seem like a long time, and like hard work, but once they are qualified, they have a skill for life. A qualified plumbing and heating engineer should never be out of work.

What has being a SNIPEF member brought to you?

Credibility, in a word. The team at SNIPEF is always on hand to answer any difficult questions we may have and their support for apprentices is first class. When we were taking people on at first, SNIPEF’s advisers were able to guide us in areas such as contracts and employment law. We wish we had joined sooner.

Industy body warns ‘clock is ticking’ for plumbers operating under ‘Grandfather Rights’

Plumbing and heating professionals in Scotland who are operating under historic grading “Grandfather Rights” are being warned that time is fast running out for them if they want to retain their Grading Card, without which they will be ineligible to work on sites.

As part of a shake-up by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), significant changes are being made to the Scottish and Northern Ireland Joint Industry Board (SNIJIB) Grading Card Scheme with effect from January 1, 2021.

The changes mean that plumbers will not be able to renew their SNIJIB/CSCS Plumber, Advanced Plumber and Technician Plumber cards without being able to show that they have attained an SVQ Level 3 Certificate or a City and Guilds Certificate in plumbing.

Industry sources are concerned that the new regime will hit experienced workers who have obtained their SNIJIB/CSCS cards on the strength of an employer’s recommendation rather than the achievement of an Industry recognised qualification.

Stephanie Lowe, Industrial Relations Manager for the Scotland and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF) and Secretary of the SNIJIB, said that her team had written to each individual concerned at the end of last year, but that the response had been disappointing.

She said: “The industry’s Grading Cards carry the CSCS recognised hologram and CLC imprimatur, so the Joint Industry Board needs to meet their criteria. These bodies want to ensure that everyone on site is appropriately qualified so that customers, as well as other personnel, can feel safe and confident.

“Active registered plumbers who previously qualified under ‘Grandfather Rights’, must now achieve and submit plumbing occupational qualifications before the expiry of their current Grading Card if they wish to renew it.

“For anyone who cannot provide evidence of qualifications, the last opportunity to seek a Grading Card will be at the end of this year and the card will expire in 2025, since current Grading Cards have a five-year lifespan.”

The SNIJIB team is also urgently engaged on an industry-wide pilot study to help identify levels of experience in the “Grandfather Rights” cohort in order to see if the SNIJIB can create an Applied Prior Learning scheme for them.

It has already gained qualifications for some 300 active plumbers, but there remain around 1000 plumbers without proof of qualifications who, if they do not act on their Grading Cards by December 31, will not be allowed on site”.

Fiona Hodgson, Chief Executive of SNIPEF, said: “SNIPEF has made great efforts to maintain communication with its 750 member firms which employ 3500 plumbing and heating professionals. If companies are concerned about the changes to the SNIJIB Grading Card Scheme, they should get in touch with the SNIJIB now.

“CSCS cards are proof of training and qualification to work on construction sites. A card-carrying workforce ensures that a business is compliant with safety standards and regulations. For workers, it is an easy way to display the ability to perform certain jobs on a construction site to a specific standard”, she said.