According to the The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) - the professional body for the UK plumbing and heating industry - there are approximately 120,000 people who call themselves plumbers in the UK, but sadly not all of these plumbers hold qualifications or experience and so the industry is experiencing a shortage of skilled professionals.The Institute wants all cowboys stopped. While cowboy trades-people are still in a minority, those that do operate tarnish the reputation of professional plumbers, endanger the public health and can cause damage to properties at much cost.

The Institute is campaigning to government for compulsory registration of all plumbers in the UK. The IPHE believes that registration will help make the cowboy element obsolete, as all Registered Plumbers will have to meet a certain criteria before being allowed to operate as a plumber. It is believed compulsory registration will raise standards of plumbing in the public interest and raise the image, standing and reputation of plumbers and plumbing in the UK.Unfortunately the problems consumers face in trying to find a competent plumber will only get worse as the shortage of skilled tradespeople deepens. Those looking to train for a plumbing qualification face many problems. There are not enough college places to take on students and not enough plumbing companies able to take on apprentices or students for work based experience. Due to a lack in funding the average plumber may not be able to afford to take on a trainee. To make matters worse, there is little financial help for students over the age of 25 wanting to train in the plumbing industry.

The route to obtaining a fully approved City & Guilds Plumbing NVQ is to undertake an officially accredited training course. To kickstart the process off, you can learn the basic theory plumbing theory at home. AbleSkills unique fully illustrated Home Study manual covers all you need to know for the 6129 Level 2 requirement. The accompanying self-assessment section is an invaluable memory aid - PLUS- you get DVDs which are packed full of demonstrations.

With these invaluable teaching aids, you will immediately be able to see and understand exactly with reference to the manual contents. By answering the self-assessment questions covering the specific knowledge areas, you will be able to memorise and complete the theory learning much faster than you thought you ever would!

The secret is that you are able to learn at your own pace and in your own time! Only when you are absolutely 100% certain that you ready, you can go on to the practical workshop training and put theory to the test! Within no time at all , you will discover that suddenly, you have become a fully -fledged, qualified and legitimate plumber!

Able Skills is an approved training provider and has accreditation to offer qualifications on behalf of:City & Guilds, Construction Awards Alliance, NICEIC & EAL for Domestic Installer qualifications and CITB for gas training and assessment.

Able Skills has dedicated training centres for each of the construction skills available and we employ full time Instructors, Assessors and Internal Verifiers to oversee the training and any required assessment processes. AbleSkills will also help with course funding and accommodation whilst training.