To become a plumber there are several qualifications you will need. As well as qualifications you will also require certain personal skills to be successful as a plumber.
Some of these different skills and interests as well as the qualifications you will need are explained below.
Qualifications Required to become a Plumber
There are several qualifications you will need to become a plumber and there are courses for people at all levels of education. So with there being so many different routes into a career in plumbing it is possible for people of all ages to gain the qualifications needed to become a plumber.
It is required that you gain an NVQ in MES : Plumbing (Domestic) to become a recognised qualified plumber but this is just the first qualification you gain before becoming a fully qualified plumber.
After you have this qualification you can then move onto a higher level with qualifications such as the MES : Plumbing (Domestic) Level 3. There is also another NVQ which is Basic Plumbing Studies at both levels 2 and 3.
The difference between the two is that with the basic plumbing studies you don't need any work experience to take the course, where as with the MES you would require some work experience before taking it.
Skills and Interests Required to be a Plumber
There are certain skills and interests you should have before considering plumbing as a career path.
Some of the different attributes you should have include the following.
- You need to be able to understand technical drawing plans.
- Have a great understanding of the legal and safety regulations surrounding plumbing standards.
- You'll have to be good at problem solving and determining problems in an efficient manner.
- For some of the work you may have to carry out you would need normal colour vision, this is for safety reasons.
These are just some of the skills you will require when considering plumbing as a career but it helps to have these as well as the qualifications.
If you feel you have the required skill set to succeed in plumbing then there are plenty of colleges that provide Plumbing Courses at all levels.
As well as the college route there is also the option to enter an apprenticeship scheme, although there is usually an age restriction of about 16-19 but some places are known to take those up to the age of 24.