More and more young people in the Netherlands are opting for the plumbing trade. The training courses for sanitary installers are receiving more registrations and this means a turnaround, notes the industry association Techniek Nederland.
“The shortage of technical professionals is great, but there are bright spots. The number of young people opting for technical vocational training is growing. We are also seeing more lateral entrants entering the installation profession,” says chairman Doekle Terpstra in the run-up to World Plumbing Day (Saturday, March 11).
“That is good news, but not yet sufficient to compensate for the outflow that we are experiencing as a result of the aging population.”
The number of students with the technical profile Production, Installation, Energy (PIE) increased by 8 percent this school year. There are now 4,971 students in the third year of study.
Many lateral entrants are also interested in a job in technology. They now account for 70 percent of the influx into technology. Lateral entrants come from all kinds of sectors, but mainly from business services, trade, ICT, construction, metal sector, transport sector and other technology branches.
There is a shortage of about 2,500 plumbers in our country. Despite the attractive career prospects, the shortage of sanitary installers is becoming increasingly tangible. If you want to have a bathroom or toilet installed, you will soon have to deal with waiting times. The same applies to problems with the water supply or sewage system.
Plumbing companies are eager for professionals
Many sanitary companies are therefore eager for technical professionals and find it difficult to fill the vacancies. This problem affects the entire technology sector. In total, the sector is short of twenty thousand technical professionals.
A plumber is the first point of contact if something is wrong with the water supply or sewer system. They are also involved in installing, maintaining and repairing sanitary facilities.
Plumbing installers are also involved in preventing and remedying legionella infections in pipes and in making homes more sustainable. In addition, plumbers are increasingly working with digital tools, such as when designing bathrooms.