Plumbing Courses

The plumbing profession employs both graduates of formal plumbing courses and people who have gained their experience on the job. This profession, however, is changing. Increasingly, governments are mandating that trades be regulated and licensed: all individuals entering the professional in an area where such legislation exists will have to have formal education in the trade and pass exams to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. At this time, anyone considering a career in plumbing should regard a training program as mandatory.

Plumbing school is comprehensive education in all aspects of the trade. Students learn how to read blueprints and follow the specifics of construction code. Construction of plumbing systems, including hot and cold water supplies, plumbing fixtures, waste water systems, venting techniques, and troubleshooting of leaks and other plumbing problems, is basic to the training. Plumbing courses also consolidate background knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology that the plumber needs to do the job with competence.

Plumbing school is a good career move at this time as the profession is growing and is expected to expand considerably more in some areas over the next five to seven years. Overall, an increase in demand of about 16 percent is expected across the United States. According to America's Career InfoNet, the states of Idaho and Nevada, meanwhile, expect to need 40 percent more plumbers or more, with other states in that area also expecting large increases. Tradespeople, including plumbers, are also in great demand in many areas of Canada due to cutbacks in plumbing courses and other trades training programs in recent years.

Plumbers work for large and small construction firms, commercial and government complexes where constant maintenance is required, various industries, and many are self employed. On average, a plumber in the United States earns about $42,000 a year, with the scale ranging from around $23,000 to $70,000 annually. Graduates of plumbing courses have an obvious advantage in the job market: even where the profession is not regulated, prospective employers will often choose an educated individual over one they would have to train themselves.

Stats used from PayScale, America?s Career InfoNet, and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

R. Drysdale is a contributing editor to Plumbing Courses at Accredited Online University, your one stop resource for the very best online college degree programs.