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PLUMBING CONNECTION
SUMMER 2016
COVER STORY:
INDUSTRY FUTURE
After talking to many people within the industry, all hypothesizing and postulating what school students think about the plumbing industry, it only seemed
natural to get feedback from the students themselves.
The year 10 students from Mazenod College gave us an indication of where the plumbing industry can improve to change perceptions of the industry.
Currently the split of students between Government secondary schools and independent/private schools is 59% / 41%.
1.
MOST STUDENTS AT MAZENOD AIM TO GO TO UNIVERSITY.
Our survey showed over 80% of surveyed students aimed to go to
university. Only two students planned to do a TAFE course.
1.
THE INDUSTRY NEEDS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION RESOURCES TO
SCHOOLS, STUDENTS AND PARENTS.
It is hard for careers teachers to know the ins and outs of every possible
career choice out there. To help careers teachers, the plumbing industry
needs to create resources for careers teachers to provide to students and
parents.
“The meat industry for example has a really good website about careers in
meat and the benefits of being in the industry. It shows the meat industry is
not just about being a butcher and there are many different roles available in
the meat industry,” says Vivian Seremetis.
“It would be great for the plumbing industry to provide careers teachers with
printed materials we can hand out, videos we can show and websites we can
give links to, all providing information on the many benefits of working in the
plumbing industry and the career paths plumbing can lead to.”
HEARING FROM THE KIDS
WHAT THE RESULTS OF THE SCHOOL SURVEY TOLD US.
We spoke to Mazenod College careers coordinator Vivian Seremetis and VCAL coordinator Matt Johnson to find out what the plumbing industry can do
to better engage the students at Mazenod. They made two critical suggestions:
FIVE KEY POINTS
WHAT THE INDUSTRY CAN DO
3.
DOING PRACTICAL CLASSES AT SCHOOL IS A MAJOR INFLUENCE ON
CAREER CHOICE
When asked, ‘are there any other trades that are more interesting to
you than plumbing?’ many students said carpentry. Year 8 students at
Mazenod do a compulsory year of wood work/metal class. In later years
students can choose to do a more advanced class.
2.
PARENTS PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN INFLUENCING STUDENT DECISIONS.
If the plumbing industry wants to get more school students to choose
plumbing as a career, it has to work on informing parents of the benefits
of the industry. Paul Naylor from MPA and Careers Advisers Association
secretary Jenine Smith both said parents are crucially important in career
choices for school leavers. This was confirmed by the survey results with
over 40% of students surveyed indicating parents were the main influence
on their career direction.
2.
THE INDUSTRY NEEDS AN APPRENTICESHIP OFFICER TO ASSIST
STUDENTS WHO WANT TO DO WORK EXPERIENCE IN PLUMBING,
DIRECTING THEM TO PLUMBING COMPANIES THAT ARE HAPPY TO TAKE ON
WORK EXPERIENCE STUDENTS.
“We've been struggling for many years to get students placed in plumbing
businesses,” says Matt Johnson.
“We had a student who really wanted to be a plumber, he was very proactive
and wrote to many plumbing companies but he just couldn't get a spot. He
got frustrated trying tirelessly to get his foot in the door but couldn't.
“I had a boy who wanted to be a bricklayer. I went to the association
of bricklayers and asked if they had a list of brickies who are taking on
students. Their response was: ‘No we don't’.
“I would have thought that would be the first thing they had.
“We need a better way of matching students who want work experience with
workplaces willing to give students that opportunity.”
Ideally a nationwide system should be put in place to help match school
students and plumbing workplaces.
After finishing high school, which direction appeals to you most?
Answered: 22 Skipped: 0
Universty course
TAFE course
Straight to the workforce
Other
0%
25%
75%
50%
100%
Who/what are the main influences on your career direction?
Answered: 22 Skipped: 0
Parents
Your own research
Your friends
Teachers
Other
0%
25%
75%
50%
100%
4.
SCHOOL STUDENTS DON’T KNOW THE CAREER OPTIONS PLUMBING CAN
LEAD TO
Not a single student surveyed was aware of the career pathways plumbing
can lead to. This presents the industry with an avenue to do a better job at
marketing the career opportunities for plumbers.
Many students also said they would be more inclined to choose plumbing
as a career if it had a name such as ‘plumbing engineer’ or ‘environmental
consultant’that indicated a wider industry than what is generally promoted
5.
SCHOOL STUDENTS HAVE A NARROWMINDED VIEW OF THE PLUMBING
INDUSTRY
When asked, what comes to mind when you think about plumbing as
a career, the majority of responses were along the same lines. Here is
a sample of paraphrased responses that give an indication of student
perceptions of the industry: “pipes and waste”, “working with toilets”,
“smells, dirt, pipelines, toilets”, “fixing pipes, installing pipes and
unclogging pipes”, “toilets, sinks, clogged pipes, human waste”, “clearing
blocked drains, sorting out piping of a house.”
Not one respondent talked about environmental services, gas fitting or
running a business.