As students across Scotland receive their exam results the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers' Federation (SNIPEF) has encouraged school leavers to consider a career in the plumbing and heating sector.

According to the organisation, the prestige of a university course is being progressively devalued and significant numbers of school leavers are looking at alternative pathways to a rewarding and satisfying working life, such as apprenticeships.

The subtle shift in attitude towards a career in the industry, it said, is being influenced by a variety of factors:

• Reward – Plumbers are among the top earners, with "celebrities" such as Charlie Mullins of Pimlico Plumbers – son of a factory worker and a cleaner, who started as an apprentice – building a business now worth £70 million.

• Status – Because of the rate of technological advances and the need for a clear understanding of maths and science, the sector is increasingly being regarded as a top career choice, with the four-year apprenticeship course being as challenging as many university degrees.

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• Social contribution – As the country transitions to net-zero carbon emissions, plumbers and heating engineers are in the front line of move from fossil fuels to the installation of sustainable heating for buildings, such as heat pumps. 

Fiona Hodgson, SNIPEF's CEO, said: "It can take years to become a successful plumbing or heating engineer and it requires lifelong learning as the pace of technological change continues to accelerate.

"It is gratifying to see the levels of interest in the industry at the moment and SNIPEF and other trade associations are strongly supportive of apprenticeships – as are employers, who want to future-proof their companies with qualified, skilled and enthusiastic employees.

"The plumbing industry opens up a huge diversity of career paths, it pays very good wages and it creates the opportunity for individuals to run their own businesses or move into senior management positions, as many SNIPEF members have done.

"Many plumbers progress to design, consultancy, teaching and management, making the plumbing and heating industry a career with a future, with opportunities for both males and females."

The commitment to apprenticeships by plumbing employers was demonstrated over the course of the pandemic when they took on a flood of apprentices as the recovery began to gather momentum. Recruitment has exceeded all industry expectations.

Dale Thomson, training manager at SNIPEF, said: "There is a widespread recognition that apprentices are the future of the industry and that they should be valued and rewarded accordingly. 

"This recognition is reflected among potential candidates who are increasingly aware that a career in the sector can be financially attractive, personally fulfilling and socially very worthwhile." 

SNIPEF said it has been at the forefront of support for companies to ensure a vibrant and dynamic industry staffed by professionals versed in the complexity of the technologies which are underpinning renewables and meeting the demand for clean energy in an age of climate change.