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The work
As a plumber your work would play an essential role in people’s lives. You might be responsible for making sure a public building gets clean drinking water, or it might be your job to fix a central heating system in a family home.

The bulk of your work would be to install service and repair hot and cold water supplies, heating systems and drainage networks. Your exact tasks would vary from job to job, but you would typically:

• Fit and repair hot and cold water tanks, pipework, taps and valves
• Fit and service gas- and oil-fired central heating systems, boilers and radiators
• Install and repair domestic appliances like showers and washing machines
• Install and service air-conditioning and ventilation units
• Fit weather-proof sheeting, joints and flashings on roofs, chimneys and walls
• Fix and clear drainage and guttering.

You would work on plumbing systems in domestic, industrial or commercial premises. You may be able to specialise in sheet metal work on industrial, commercial and historical buildings. This type of job involves cutting, shaping and fitting sheeting materials made from aluminium, copper, lead and zinc.
Entry
To be considered a qualified plumber you will need the full NVQ Level 2 and 3 in Mechanical Engineering Services: Plumbing (Domestic). If you already work in plumbing but do not have the NVQ, please refer straight to the Training section below.
If you are not working in plumbing, you will need to gain:
the City & Guilds (6129) Technical Certificates Level 2 Basic Plumbing Studies and Level 3 Plumbing Studies
the City & Guilds (6089) NVQ Level 2 and 3 in Mechanical Engineering Services: Plumbing (Domestic)
The technical certificates do not prove that you are a qualified plumber, only the full NVQ qualification can do this. However, they do cover the theory and some of the practical skills you will need before you can move on to the NVQ. The technical certificates are are available to all age groups but competition for places is strong.
The certificates cover areas such as:

• Hot and cold water systems
• Sanitation systems
• Central heating pipework
• Health and safety.

Training
If you are already employed in the industry, you can work towards:
NVQ in Mechanical Engineering Services – Plumbing (6089) at Level 2 and NVQ Mechanical Engineering Services – Plumbing (6089) at Level 3. As well as assessing your practical skills, both NVQ levels include the technical certificate (6129). The NVQ is normally available on a part-time or day-release basis through colleges and training centres.
The Level 3 NVQ contains three extra assessments for:

• Water Regulations
• Unvented Hot Water Systems
• ACS gas safety (required for CORGI registration).

Annual Income
Starting salaries for newly qualified plumbers are between £16,500 and £21,000.
Experienced plumbers can earn between £21,000 and £30,000 a year.
Plumbers with supervisory duties can earn up to £35,000.
Rates vary regionally, with the highest average salaries in London and the south-east. Self-employed plumbers negotiate their own rates.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
Opportunities
You could work for a plumbing or mechanical engineering services company, a building contractor or a public sector body. You can work in a number of areas, including heating and ventilation, refrigeration and air-conditioning, gas fitting, and kitchen and bathroom fitting.

Call us on 01983 550 609 or email info@islandtraining.org for further information.

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The work
Bricklayers build and repair walls, chimney stacks, tunnel linings and decorative stonework like archways. Jobs can range from a house extension to a large commercial development.
They also refurbish brickwork and masonry on restoration projects.
As a bricklayer your work would involve:

• Measuring the work area and setting out the first rows (courses) and damp course, following the architect’s or designer’s plans
• Mixing mortar by hand or with a mechanical mixer
• Working from the corners inwards, building up the courses, laying the bricks on top of each other and applying the mortar with a trowel (for efficiency, bricklaying teams or ‘gangs’ often employ a labourer to keep up a constant supply of bricks and mortar)
• Shaping and trimming bricks using hammers, chisels and power tools
• Checking courses are straight with water or laser spirit-levels and plumb lines.

As the walls go up, bricklayers or scaffolders put up platforms to reach the higher storeys. Joiners usually follow closely behind fitting door and window frames in line with the design blueprints.
Bricklaying gangs may work on different sections of a job at the same time, depending on its size. Some bricklayers also specialise in stonemasonry work. See the profile for Stonemason.
Entry
To be eligible for an apprenticeship, you will need GCSE/S grades in subjects such as maths, English and design and technology, or vocational qualifications such as Edexcel Introductory Certificate or Diploma in Construction, which has bricklaying options.
You can also take college courses in bricklaying, which are open to all age groups. These can teach you some of the skills needed for the job but employers may still want to see some site experience.
The college courses include:
Edexcel First Diploma in Construction (bricklaying options)
City & Guilds Basic Skills in Construction award: Bricklaying (6211)
Intermediate/Advanced Construction Award (Trowel Occupations – Bricklaying).
Training
Once you are working as a bricklayer, you can take NVQ/SVQ qualifications. You normally work towards NVQ/SVQ in Trowel Occupations levels 1 to 3. This contains units covering:

• Setting out work areas
• Preparing mortars
• Laying bricks and blocks
• Building masonry structures.

Annual Income
A bricklaying labourer can earn up to £15,000 a year.
Qualified bricklayers can earn between £16,000 and £23,000 a year.
Experienced bricklayers, including instructors can earn up to £30,000 a year.
Overtime and various allowances can significantly increase income.
Self-employed bricklayers negotiate their own rates.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Opportunities
Bricklayers work for building contractors and local authorities, but many are self-employed and work on a sub-contract basis for companies as ‘labour only’, with the building contractor supplying the materials.
Your prospects as a qualified bricklayer are very good, due to the expansion of urban regeneration programmes, schools and hospitals building programmes and new development projects around the country. The construction industry estimates that it will need about 5,000 new bricklayers every year between now and 2011.
With experience, you can progress to supervisory jobs, for example site supervisor and clerk of works, or related areas, such as estimating and construction management. You also have the option to work as a bricklaying instructor at a training centre or college.

Call us on 01983 550 609 or email info@islandtraining.org for further information.

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