Plumbing is known to have started with the Indu Valley Civilizations by 2700 B.C; they developed a system of standardized earthware plumbing pipes with broad flanges making use of asphalt to prevent leakages.

Others defend the theory that Plumbing originated during the ancient civilizations such as Greek, Roman, Persian and Chinese, these civilizations developed the public baths and needed to provide potable water, and drainage of wastes.Over the centuries innovations and improvement in plumbing were very slow, not much progress was made from the time of the Roman system of Aqueducts to the lead pipes of the 19th century. Worth noting that the development of separate underground water and sewage systems eliminated open sewage ditches and cesspools.During the past century was when plumbing evolved; before water systems relied on gravity for the supply of water, using pipes or channels, nowadays water systems are a network of high pressure pumps supplying water to all the house of a city or village.Another thing that evolved with time was the materials used to make the pipes, ancient civilizations used to make them with clay, lead or stone. With the arrival of the high pressure pumps these pipes were replaced by pipes made out of copper, brass or plastic. With all these new inventions and developments a new career emerged, the plumbing career. The plumber is a work man who installs and repairs piping, fixtures, appliances, and appurtenances in connection with the water supply, drainage systems, etc., both in and out of buildings.Nowadays to become a professional plumber you will need certain qualifications and courses according to the area you live in. Today there are many colleges and private institutions that offer Professional Plumbing Courses.What you need to pay attention is if the plumbing course cover all the legal requirements needed to work as plumber in your area, especially in the US where laws can vary from one state to another.

It’s probably time you reconsidered your plan to attend trade school for a plumbing retraining yet again.
The median hourly pay for pipe layers has gone up considerably since the last time it was analyzed in 2004. At the time, the lowest rate was 9.19, while the highest 10% earned more than 25.07. The average rate was around 13.68.
When considering these figures, one has to keep in mind the fact that these statistics apply to plumbers who work for plumbing or associated companies. That is, these plumbers do not work independently. The rates are much higher for independent plumbers who can earn as much as 130 an hour. Of course, being independent means they have to think of the overhead costs of the business-it may happen that these plumbers have several others working for them, who they have to look after. Thus, it’s not as if independent plumbers are making a lot of money.
The wages of trained plumbing employees depends on the industry that they’re engaged in. Those who choose natural gas distribution as their occupation receive the maximum hourly wages @ 23.86 per hour. Those who’re engaged in the construction industry for non-residential buildings earn 21.55 on an average hourly basis. Sometimes contractors in the building equipment industry employ plumbers who get 19.85 an hour on an average, while plumbers who’re engaged in building utility systems make 18.29 on an hourly basis.
The lowest wages are undoubtedly earned by those working for the local government. They earn 16.30 on an hourly basis. Novices, or those who’re still undergoing their plumbing training on-the-job, earn the lowest wages. Their average wage is usually half of the average rate earned by a professional, ie, a pipe layer, a steam fitter or a pipe fitter. The wage of a trainee increases as they acquire superior skills and experience.
Some of the best institutes for plumbing retraining are listed below:
- New England Institute of Technology in Warwick, Rhode Island.
- Everest institute in Houston, Texas.
- National Institute of Technology in Long Beach, Texas.
- Wyotech in Fremont, California.
- Pennco Tech in Bristol pa.
- Vatterot colleges (consisting of the two campuses in Missouri).
- Vancouver Career College (consisting of 7 campuses in British Columbia in Canada.)
- Eastwick Colleges in Patterson, New Jersey.
- Professional Career Development Institute (PCDI), which is based online.
- Penn Foster Career School. This institute is also based online, thus working on a correspondence basis.
Institutes like the New England Institute of Technology offer either a Bachelors degree or an Associates degree in plumbing technology.
Here, plumbing retraining students can acquire skills in blueprint reading, drafting, pipe fitting, heating and plumbing, draining, waste management, vent and troubleshooting. Completing a course here allows you to work as a pipe fitter, a plumbing contractor or as a technician for the water supply.
Institutes like PCDI will allow you to undergo plumbing retraining at your own pace and you will be able to qualify at a steady pace and affordable rates.

Become a plumber, why not? There has never been a better time to enrol on one of the many plumbing training courses available throughout the UK. There is a general shortage of skilled plumbers in the UK and their skills are in high demand so your earnings potential has never been higher, a fully qualified plumber can earn up to £40,000 per year!

With the availability of purpose built training centres its never been easier to start a course and be on your way to becoming a plumber.

These intensive courses will train you to the level of a fully qualified plumber in as little as 6 weeks, you could actually be working as a self employed plumber when you successfully complete your course, and it does not matter what your previous job experiences are the training instructors will teach you everything you need to start on your new career.

Plumbing courses have little if any entry requirements other than an eagerness to learn your newly chosen career path. The average cost of these courses are between £3000 – £6000 which is a considerable amount but you should consider it an investment in your future and you should easily recoup these costs when you start working as a qualified plumber.

The plumbing courses take you through everything you will need to know to become a fully qualified plumber from the theory of plumbing through to putting what you’ve learned into practise. This process really helps you to quickly absorb what you are being taught, this is the unique way of learning with these intensive plumbing courses.

Plumbing courses are normally Monday to Friday am – 5pm and right from day one you will be learning the jobs that plumbers do day in day out, so when you complete your plumbing training you will be capable of tackling any job that may come your way once your in the workplace.

On successful completion of your plumbing course you will of gained the national recognised City & Guilds(6129) Plumbing Certificate. The next step to becoming fully qualified is to have a practical assessment of the plumbing skills you have learned, this will take place at a place of work by a City & Guilds examiner. If you pass this assessment you will have awarded to you the NVQ Level 2 Plumbing Diploma, you could now consider yourself a fully qualified plumber. (check with your plumbing course provider if they can arrange a place for you to be assessed.)