If you’re ready for a great new career, one that will help you earn a good income and that will provide you with day-to-day work that is actually interesting and rewarding, plumbing training is a great option. Not just anyone can become a plumber, though.
When it comes to working in the field of plumbing, training is essential. Plumbing is a skilled trade, but if you have the right education and you get those skills through hands-on training, you can expect to have a lucrative career with excellent job security. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that careers in plumbing are growing faster than the average, with an increase of 12 percent between now and 2022.
At Florida Technical College, you can now join the ranks of those in the skilled trades by completing the plumbing training program to get your diploma. With convenient class schedules and hands-on plumbing training, you will learn all the technical skills needed to land your first job as a plumber.
Get an Introduction to the Construction Craft
Your training in the plumbing trade begins with introductory construction skills. Plumbing is an essential part of construction, both new construction and maintaining buildings, and to work in the industry you need to understand the basics. Learn how math is used in construction, how to read technical drawings, and how to handle construction materials.
Safety and communication are also essential basic skills in construction and not to be taken for granted. There are real technical skills to understanding how to work safely and how to communicate with others within a construction site. Your education in plumbing training will include everything you need to know about being safe and keeping others safe around you as you work.
Learn about the Basic Tools and Techniques of Plumbing
Every skilled trade has its tools and during your plumbing training you will learn what they are and how to use them. Even if you have never lifted a power tool before, you can learn. From basic construction tools that all workers need to use, to the ones that are specific to plumbing, you will get all the basics first.
In your plumbing courses you will learn skills and techniques too, like pipe cutting and fitting, and how to identify and use different types of plumbing fixtures. You will learn how to work with different types of pipes, from PVC to metal, how to fit them and how to bend the metal pipes using specialized tools.
Plumbing Training Includes Hands-on Work
Plumbing is a skill and a craft. You can’t learn it simply by reading about it or watching someone else do it. This is why FTC makes sure you get your hands dirty and practice the real techniques using actual tools that you will need on the job. Instead of just learning plumbing theory during your training, you will also be getting hands-on experience using the tools and practicing the methods of pipe cutting and fitting, installation, and making repairs. You’ll also work with water-based appliances, like dishwashers and washing machines to learn how to install and make repairs in these important applications.
Learn How to Troubleshoot and Fix Problems
As a plumber you may work in new construction, installing pipes, fixtures, and appliances, but you may also work in existing buildings, fixing leaks and other problems. In both situations, but especially while making repairs, you will be expected to evaluate a situation, figure out where the problems are, and come up with a solution to fix them.
In your coursework during plumbing training, you will learn how to figure out the source of a problem, find a leak or a clog, and make the right fix mending broken pipes, replacing defective parts, and more. You will get a chance to troubleshoot real plumbing problems so you will be ready to do the work out in the real world.
Understand and Apply Building Codes
While it may not be the most interesting part of the job, when plumbers work they have to follow the rules, known as the building codes. In your plumbing training you will learn how to read those codes, how to read the blueprints for a building, and how to interpret them so that you can install and make repairs that fit within the right codes and ensure the integrity of the building.
Plumbing work requires a lot of technical skills, well beyond fixing that leaky faucet in your bathroom. Plumbers need to understand a lot of details about construction, specialized tools, and specific skills. To start learning those skills, check out Florida Technical College’s Plumbing Diploma Program. In just nine months you can complete the program, receive your diploma, and set out on an exciting and lucrative new career path in the construction and trade industry.
