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Plumbing Trade

The plumbing route from first interest to running your own jobs: subjects, training and apprenticeship hours, core pipework skills, licences, pricing, self-employment and specialist water systems.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Then open the Marketplace in the app, search for Plumbing Trade, and click Install. It goes into your own files, and works offline from then on.

What it installs.

1

Pillar

1

Area

50

Projects

200

Starter tasks

🧰 Professions & Trades

Plumbing Trade

Learning the plumbing trade: training, apprenticeship, water and drainage systems, certification, tools, pricing jobs and working for yourself.

  1. Testing whether plumbing is the trade for you
  2. School subjects for a plumbing route
  3. Mapping plumbing training routes where you live
  4. Finding a plumbing apprenticeship or trainee post
  5. Paying for plumbing training
  6. Building a starter plumbing tool kit
  7. Site safety induction and protective equipment
  8. Finding the plumbing code that governs your work
  9. Identifying pipes, fittings and valves by sight
  10. Apprentice hours and competency logbook
  11. Weekly tool, van and stock check
  12. Job sheets and photo records for every job
  13. Callbacks, warranties and customer follow-up log
  14. Monthly money check for a working plumber
  15. Licence, insurance and certificate renewal calendar
  16. Continuing training and code change record
  17. Body care for crawl spaces, lifting and noise
  18. Supplier accounts and trade price review
  19. Copper pipework, soldering and compression joints
  20. Plastic pipe systems, PVC, CPVC, PEX and push-fit
  21. Drainage falls, traps and venting
  22. Hot water heaters, including solar water heaters
  23. Pumps, pressure tanks and household water storage
  24. Reading plumbing drawings and taking off materials
  25. Leak detection and fault finding on call-outs
  26. Pressure testing, flushing and disinfecting new pipework
  27. Plumbing calculations, pipe sizing and flow basics
  28. Employed, subcontractor or self-employed decision
  29. Pricing method for plumbing jobs
  30. Quote and terms of work document
  31. Choosing a work vehicle
  32. Choosing a plumbing specialism
  33. Registering a plumbing business
  34. Public liability insurance and workmanship guarantee
  35. First month on site as an apprentice
  36. Trade test or practical assessment day
  37. Plumbing licence or journeyman examination
  38. First solo call-out
  39. Full bathroom refit from survey to handover
  40. Hurricane season readiness for a plumbing business
  41. Supporting a teenager into the plumbing trade
  42. Changing career into plumbing as an adult
  43. Women building a career in plumbing
  44. Working abroad as a plumber
  45. Returning home to the Caribbean with overseas plumbing experience
  46. Gas fitting qualification as an add-on
  47. Hotel and commercial building plumbing systems
  48. Rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse systems
  49. Septic tanks, soakaways and onsite wastewater
  50. Master plumber status and training your own apprentice

Where it starts.

Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.

Testing whether plumbing is the trade for you

Plumbing pays steadily and is needed in every town, but the daily reality is crawling under sinks, lifting cast iron, working in heat and taking calls when a pipe bursts at night. Spending a few days finding out what the work is really like, before you sign up for a two to four year route, saves money and gives you honest answers for an apprenticeship interview.

First tasks

  • Write what you think a plumber's working day involves in 15 minutes
  • Ask two working plumbers for a short conversation about their week
  • Arrange a day labouring or shadowing on a plumber's jobs
  • Record your decision and the reasons behind it

School subjects for a plumbing route

Most training providers and apprenticeship schemes ask for passes in mathematics and English, and a science or technical subject helps. In the Caribbean that usually means CSEC Mathematics, English A and Physics or Integrated Science, with Technical Drawing or Building Technology a strong addition; in the UK the equivalent is GCSE maths and English, and in the US and Canada a high school diploma with maths.

First tasks

  • Look up the entry requirements of two plumbing courses or schemes near you
  • List the subjects you have passed or are taking
  • Ask the school guidance counsellor about Technical Drawing or Building Technology
  • Book a resit for any missing maths or English pass

Mapping plumbing training routes where you live

Routes into plumbing differ sharply between countries. In the Caribbean, technical institutes and national training agencies run plumbing programmes leading to a Caribbean Vocational Qualification; in the UK, college diplomas and apprenticeships lead to an NVQ; in the US, union or contractor apprenticeships lead to a journeyman licence; and in Canada, provincial apprenticeship leads to the Red Seal.

First tasks

  • Find the body that certifies or licenses plumbers in your country or state
  • Compare two training routes on fees, length and qualification gained
  • Ask the certifying body whether your preferred course counts
  • Draw your route to qualification on one page

Make it yours.

Install Plumbing Trade, then tell Aurum the date you're aiming for. It checks whether the plan fits the weeks you actually have.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Blueprints are general information to help you organise your own work. They are not medical, financial, legal or other professional advice. See the Terms.