Overview
- City & Guilds reports a marked increase in plumbing study, with completed apprenticeships nearly doubling to 859 in the year to October 2025, while demand still outpaces supply.
- AI leaders Geoffrey Hinton and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang argue adaptable, physically skilled jobs like plumbing are likely to endure and will be needed to build new facilities.
- A Jobber survey found more than half of U.S. parents view trades such as plumbing, carpentry and electrical work as safer from automation, yet only 7% prefer that path for their children.
- Perceptions of prestige remain a barrier, with majorities of Gen Z and their parents viewing vocational college as less prestigious than academic routes.
- Access is tight and the work is strenuous, with oversubscribed apprenticeships reported in data center hubs and interviewees citing strong pay and debt avoidance alongside physically taxing hours.