England

The PHSP supported the development of the new Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician Trailblazer Apprenticeship.

The high level standard for the Plumbing and Heating Apprenticeship has been developed and can be accessed below:

Some of the key features of the new apprenticeship are as follows:

  • It is a level 3 apprenticeship.
  • Typical completion for a new entrant is likely to be 48 months.
  • Alongside the core knowledge and skills requirements, there are 4 optional units to cover specialist areas, such as fuel and environmental technologies.
  • There is an opportunity to apply to register for EngTech status with the Engineering Council and to apply for a CSCS card.

The employer board have worked closely with various industry stakeholders, such as awarding organisations, professional bodies and representatives from the delivery network, to develop the content of the new plumbing qualification.

The assessment plan, assessment specifications and external quality assurance arrangements have been developed by the plumbing and heating employer apprenticeship board. The assessment plan can be accessed below.

End-point assessment organisations will be subject to external quality assurance to deliver national consistency across the plumbing and domestic heating industry which is overseen by the Plumbing and Domestic Heating Apprenticeship Board.

All assessment organisations listed on the Register of End-Point Assessment Organisations (RoEPAO) must follow the external quality assurance process in this plan. The external quality assurance will be overseen by a Plumbing and Domestic Heating Apprenticeship Board and conducted and managed by the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC) on a non-profit making basis and independent of commercial or other financial gain.

The project is being led by the APHC and supported by the CIPHE. For more information on this project please contact Graeme Dryden at the APHC ([email protected]).