Summary
- SNIPEF is calling for targeted support towards apprentice wages during college attendance and early supervision costs.
- Its survey of 188 plumbing and heating employers found 53% of those giving a definite answer expected to recruit apprentices over the next three years.
- The federation estimates four-year apprentice wages at approximately £82,500, before wider employer costs.
- Some 81% of survey respondents supported the established four-year apprenticeship model.
Full Article
SNIPEF is calling for targeted financial support for plumbing and heating employers training apprentices, after research identified costs and financial risks as barriers to recruitment. The federation wants assistance towards wages paid during mandatory college attendance and supervision costs in the early years.
Its report, The Forgotten Side of the Apprenticeship Triangle, draws on a survey completed by 188 employers and five regional working groups held in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Inverness during March and April 2026.
Some 84% of survey respondents had employed apprentices over the previous five years. Among those giving a definite answer, 53% expected to recruit over the next three years, while 24% of all respondents said it was too early to say.
Those figures cover different periods and respondent groups, rather than measuring a like-for-like fall in recruitment. The report also acknowledges that the survey reflects employers who chose to respond and that the working groups were not intended to be statistically representative of every Scottish plumbing and heating business.
SNIPEF estimates that apprentice wages amount to approximately £82,500 over four years, based on nationally agreed rates and a 40-hour working week. That is a wage estimate, not the full cost of training, which also involves supervision, college release and limited early productivity.
Fiona Hodgson, chief executive of SNIPEF, said: “Our research shows that employers remain committed to training the next generation. What is changing is their ability to afford that commitment. They pay the wages, provide supervision, absorb lost productivity and carry the financial risk over four years, yet receive too little direct support towards those costs.”
Some 78% of survey respondents rated Scottish Government apprenticeship support as inadequate or poor, while 93% identified increased funding as an incentive to recruit. However, 81% supported the established four-year apprenticeship model.
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Alongside targeted assistance, SNIPEF wants nationally agreed apprentice wage rates recognised in public grants and support schemes. It also calls for apprenticeship commitments in public contracts to be explicitly costed and funded, and for the profession to examine flexible, accredited routes for people with relevant experience without weakening competence and safety standards.
The federation is seeking meetings with ministers, public bodies and parliamentarians to advance its recommendations. Hodgson said: “We are not asking for standards to be weakened or employers to be relieved of their responsibilities. We want a fairer, more sustainable partnership.”
