Closing the global skills gap: how strategic partnerships are transforming plumbing education
The global plumbing workforce is facing a critical skills shortage. Limited access to high-quality training is restricting the supply of competent professionals at a time when demand for safe water, housing and sustainable infrastructure continues to grow.
This challenge aligns closely with the World Plumbing Conference’s focus on addressing the skills gap through global collaboration and investment in technical and vocational education and training (TVET). Apprenticeships, educator development and clear progression routes are essential to building capacity at scale1. The partnership between City & Guilds and the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) provides a practical response to shared global challenges and issues.
Evidence from across the sector highlights the urgency of action. Concerningly, the City & Guilds Construction report found that 76% of construction firms are struggling to recruit the skilled workers they need2. Other published research also shows that almost a quarter (24%) of construction training providers are finding it hard to recruit learners, further limiting the industry’s ability to replace an ageing workforce and meet future demands.
CIPHE’s 2024 Education and Training survey reinforces these concerns, while also suggesting solutions to the issue. More than 90% of respondents expressed strong support for new level 2 and level 3 plumbing apprenticeships alongside experienced worker routes to formally recognise existing skills4. With the development of the new apprenticeship standards expected in 2026, the sector has a golden opportunity to strengthen both access and consistency of outcomes.
Without decisive action to build training capacity and quality, skills shortages will constrain housing delivery, infrastructure investment, and public health & safety outcomes worldwide.
The City & Guilds-CIPHE partnership is designed to address these challenges across the skills training pipeline. Core priorities include capacity building through co-sponsored train-the-trainer programmes, supporting bursaries to learners in priority areas, and shared digital resources via the CIPHE Online Academy.
The partnership also focuses on ensuring qualifications and assessments align with industry-recognised competence frameworks, supported by co-developed qualifications, learning materials , and regular product reviews. Career awareness campaign outreach aims to attract new talent and improve understanding of plumbing career pathways among young people and career changers.
The City & Guilds–CIPHE partnership is a model for collaboration, combining educational expertise with industry insight to deliver sustainable skills pipelines. By aligning training, qualifications and career pathways with real-world needs, it helps ensure a competent, mobile workforce ready to meet tomorrow’s challenges.
We’re looking forward to continuing the conversation about closing the skills gap at the World Plumbing Conference alongside CIPHE and other industry leaders.
Connect with City & Guilds at WPC 2026.