People reluctant to recommend their plumber

(04/11/2008)

According to a new study by Building Trade Skills Centres (BTSC), just one in three people knew a CORGI-registered plumber they would be happy to recommend - compared with 82 per cent who would refer their painter/decorator and 68 per cent a good electrician. Only double-glazing companies struggle for referrals more than fully qualified gas plumbers, with just 18 per cent happy to recommend them.

While the huge demand for plumbers may have allowed customer service levels to fall, experts believe that could create opportunities for those in service industries looking to retrain.

"There’s been a huge plumber skills gap for a few years now, with estimates predicting we will need 4,500 newly-trained plumbers every year until at least 2011 and plumbing positions are predicted to be the hardest to fill even in 2015," said BTSC's MD, Allen Jackson.

"Unfortunately, one result of that is that there appear to be some plumbers out there who don't feel they need to compete on service as there will always be enough work to go around. But as we head into a recession, we are seeing thousands of people looking to retrain into more secure careers which could help them survive the downturn. We think that those who are coming to us from backgrounds with high levels of customer services will do even better."

As well as CORGI-plumbers, the study found that kitchen fitters could rely on recommendations from just 36 per cent of people, with handymen being praised by 45 per cent, gardeners by 49 per cent, non-gas plumbers by 64 per cent and builders by 65 per cent.

BTSC runs intensive courses from its two centres in Manchester and Chessington, Surrey. They claim a 100% job placement record for their qualifying trainees. Like the fully-qualified plumbers it trains, the company has been experiencing its own boom in demand this year as workers look towards a seemingly recession-proof trade to protect them from the economic downturn.

"Since March, when people first began to really worry that the current downturn might be more than a short-term blip, we have been getting about 1,000 calls a week from people looking to retrain as plumbers.

"What has changed now is that while one or two of those calls earlier in the year were from people making plans in case things got worse, more and more of those contacting us now are determined to retrain and want to do so as soon and as quickly as they can. We always try to instil in them the fact that while being a good plumber is paramount, good manners and customer service are essential in making their new careers a success."

Related categories:  Residential applications   Training   Training