After an intensive three-day practical, promising young plumber, Connor Cruden, has been named the SkillPLUMB champion for 2019 at the WorldSkills UK LIVE event in Birmingham.

Runners up included 21-year-old Kyle McGeoghie of Perth College UHI and 22-year-old Anthony Iacovazzo of City College Norwich, who achieved second and third place respectively.

Boiling Point

While the plumbing trade probably isn’t the first industry that springs to mind when you think of awards, honours and prizes, it’s that fact that makes the SkillPLUMB gong all the more prestigious in the world of professional plumbing.

Primarily aimed at apprentices and young tradespeople, finalists were tasked with completing a number of tricky practical assessments in order to test their skills and separate the best from the rest.

As part of the final trial, contestants were asked to install a sealed domestic central heating system with expansion vessel, pump and ancillary equipment. This included a radiator, unvented hot water cylinder and a boiler, along with the relevant copper pipework.

To further add to the intense pressure of this demanding task, all of this was to be completed under strict time constraints and ultimately scrutinised by expert judges against a challenging criterion.

Beating out competition from other regional finalists, Cruden will now be given the opportunity to compete in the Grundfos Installer Championship in Milan in March of next year.

Role Models

In addition to booking his place in the 2020 Grundfos Installer Championship in Italy, Cruden’s win also puts him into contention to be part of Team UK at the global WorldSkills 2021 competition in Shanghai, China.

Following the triumph, Cruden had these words to say:

“The competition has been brilliant and I am really proud to be leaving with the gold medal. It was really challenging working under pressure but I just did my best.”

Chairman of the British Plumbing Employers Council also spoke of the victory:

“The standard of work this year has been exceptional. The finalists are all excellent ambassadors for the industry and brilliant role models for other young people who are considering a plumbing career.”

Become a World-Class Plumber with Access Training UK

While such an achievement may seem out of reach for anyone thinking of entering the world of plumbing, it’s important to remember that every journey begins with that single first step.

At Access Training UK, we can help you achieve that first step and help you come on leaps and bounds with our wide variety of plumbing courses.

Whether you’re a complete novice or an experienced pro looking to add to your repertoire of skills, Access Training UK has the plumbing course for you.

Read on for a quick rundown of the various plumbing courses we have on offer at ATUK:

Essential Plumbing Course

Learn the basics needed to become a domestic plumber (no experience required).

Professional Plumbing Course

A comprehensive course to become a fully-qualified plumber (no experience required).

Premier Plumbing Course

Combined course allowing you to earn plumbing and gas qualifications simultaneously (no experience required).

Bathroom Fitting Course

This course will equip you with all the skills and knowledge needed to install bathrooms (no experience required).

Unvented Hot Water Storage Systems

If you’re already a plumber or heating engineer, this course teaches you how to install and maintain unvented hot water storage systems

WRAS - Water Regulations Advisory Scheme

Completion of this course provides you with ‘approved contractor’ status by your local water authority- a pre-requisite for many employers.

NVQ Level 2 Certification – For Experienced Site Plumbers

This fast-track NVQ programme is designed for experienced plumbers looking to gain NVQ Level 2 Diploma quickly with minimal fuss.

For more information on any of the plumbing training courses available at Access Training UK, why not drop us a line today? Call now on 0800 345 7492 or click the button below to get in touch online.

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Recent research has once again highlighted the overwhelming lack of female electricians currently in the UK electrical industry.

According to TradeSparky, out of over 250k British electricians, only around 2000 are female. This figure equates to a shocking 1% of the entire contingent of electricians in the UK.

A Man’s World?

The figures highlight the fact that the tradesperson industry is a male-dominated field and one that is severely lacking in female participation.

Worse still, the pattern of a predominantly male workforce does nothing to spark female involvement and continues this trend further, as female uptake remains minimal.

However, the shocking stats don’t stop there. In addition to the inequality in gender employment, the imbalance also extends to the pay scale as well.

Further to the incredible disparity between male and female participation figures, there is also a gender pay gap of just over £3.5k.

Also according to TradeSparky, men receive an average annual wage of approximately £34.5 while women walk away with just under £31k.

Crossed Wires

Despite these male-skewed statistics, the tide is turning with each passing year with regards to equality in the workplace and the electrical trade does actually pose a great deal of opportunity for women looking to get into the manual trades profession.

In fact, when compared to average annual salary figures published by the Office of National Statistics, the average female electrician earns more than many other professions, such as legal associates (£29k), graphic designers (£27k), police community support officers (£27k), ambulance staff (£23k) and dental nurses (£18k).

What’s more, Direct Line for Business also revealed that 29% of UK adults would prefer to hire a woman to work on their home plumbing, if given the choice.

Electrician Training with Access Training UK

If you’re a woman looking to take those first steps into a career in the electrical trade, Access Training UK can help you get where you want to go.

With a wide variety of courses for all skill levels, our electrician courses are fundamentally designed to help you achieve your electrical goals at a pace that suits you.

Whether you’re a total novice that’s completely new to the business or an existing professional looking to add a few strings to your electrical bow, we have the course for you.

Check out the below for the full rundown of exactly what electrician courses we have available at Access Training UK.

New Career Courses

Perfect for those with little to no experience, our beginner courses include the following:

Essential Electrical Course

Professional Electrician Course

Premier Electrical Course

Trade Professional Courses

For the more seasoned professional, we offer the following courses, designed to expand your existing knowledge:

Part P Domestic Electrical Installer

18^th Edition

Part P & 18^th Edition

PAT Testing

Initial Verification

Periodic Inspection & Testing

Fundamental Inspection Testing

Combined Inspection & Testing

Electrical Design Course

For more information on any of the electrician courses listed above, why not drop us a line today? Call now on 0800 345 7492 or get in touch online by clicking the button below.

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