Plumbers and heating and ventilating engineers

£31,286

Average salary

Average annual salary UK 2020 | Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

46 hours

Average weekly hours

Average weekly hours UK 2019 | Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

2.07%

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate UK 2020 | Labour Force Survey

Definition: Plumbers and heating and ventilating engineers

*SOC Code (Standard Occupational Classification): 5314

Jobholders in this unit group assemble, install, maintain and repair plumbing fixtures, heating and ventilating systems and pipes and pipeline systems in commercial, residential and industrial premises and public buildings.

Common tasks include:

examines drawings and specifications to determine layout of system;
measures and cuts required lengths of copper, lead, steel, iron, aluminium or plastic using hand or machine tools;
installs fittings such as storage tanks, cookers, baths, toilets, taps and valves, refrigerators, boilers, radiators and fires;
tests completed installation for leaks and makes any necessary adjustments;
attaches fittings and joins piping by welding, soldering, cementing, fusing, screwing or other methods;
repairs burst pipes and mechanical and combustion faults and replaces faulty taps, washers, valves, etc.

Qualifications

There are no formal academic requirements although GCSEs/S grades are advantageous. NVQs/SVQs in Mechanical Engineering Services are available at Levels 2 and 3. Apprenticeships are available for plumbing and lead to an NVQ/SVQ at Level 3.

*Introduced in 1990, SOC is a multi-purpose common classification of occupations in UK. Jobs are defined in terms of skill level and skill content, including qualifications, training and work experience.

Employment status: Plumbers and heating and ventilating engineers

Regional employment: Plumbers and heating and ventilating engineers

Future employment: Plumbers and heating and ventilating engineers

Top 12 industries: Plumbers and heating and ventilating engineers

Alternative & related job titles: Plumbers and heating and ventilating engineers

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Equality focus:

Breaking down the official government big data sources by gender, age and region. Hours and pay data based on full time equlivalent roles.