Insight

It’s no secret that there is an ongoing skills shortage within the construction industry, including the plumbing and heating sector. According to the UK Trade Skills Index, 73,700 new plumbers are needed by 2032. In addition, SNIPEF’s State of Trade Report for Q4 2025 confirmed that 67% of surveyed firms across Scotland and Northern Ireland reported low availability of skilled plumbing and heating professionals.

The industry, including manufacturers, should be doing everything possible to encourage apprenticeships and help facilitate upskilling of existing engineers. It’s great to see initiatives such as the FUTURES trail at InstallerSHOW 2026 providing students and apprentices with opportunities to meet industry leading brands and discover real career opportunities. When learning a trade, practical experience is invaluable. This is one of the reasons we continue to invest in our Instantor Mobile Training Academy, to provide hands-on training at colleges as well as at merchant trade counters and trade association events.

As well as helping to facilitate learning, we also believe that our industry should be actively engaging with young people while they are still in school. Encouraging awareness of the plumbing and heating sector at an earlier age can play a crucial role in shaping future career choices. Many students simply aren’t exposed to the breadth of opportunities within our industry, whether that’s hands‑on technical roles, design and innovation, product development, sustainability-focused roles, or sales and commercial pathways.

By reaching young people before they make key decisions about subject choices or post‑school routes, we can highlight just how rewarding and future‑proof a career in this sector can be. Engaging with schools not only helps challenge outdated perceptions of what the plumbing and heating industry looks like, but also showcases how essential our work is to delivering modern home and industrial solutions.

Instantor is currently participating in the Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) Student Mentoring Programme. We host students at our head office to discuss topics such as career potential or direction, approaches to study, CV writing and interview preparation. The opportunity for students to develop their career paths in a workplace setting is proving invaluable. It not only helps them build confidence and communication skills, but also gives them real insight into the types of roles they may want to pursue after school.