SNIPEF has appointed Steve Craig as its 102nd President, with apprenticeship reform, skills development and greater member engagement set to be key priorities during his term. Craig takes up the role as the plumbing and heating sector continues to face recruitment and training challenges, alongside increasing demand for skilled workers to support housing delivery and [...]
West College Scotland has been selected to host the 51st annual Scottish Plumbing Apprentice of the Year (SPAY) competition at its Paisley campus on 12 June 2026. The event, organised by the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF), is a long-established fixture in Scotland’s construction and building services calendar, showcasing emerging talent in [...]
Plumbing and heating contractors reported a modest improvement in activity and confidence in the final quarter of 2025, but profitability continued to deteriorate as cost and skills pressures intensified, according to the latest State of Trade report from SNIPEF. The Q4 2025 State of Trade found that 41% of firms were busier than expected, while [...]
The UK Government’s £15 billion Warm Homes Plan, designed to upgrade millions of homes with energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies, has been welcomed by the Plumbing and Heating Federation (SNIPEF), but the trade body has raised concerns over workforce capacity and delivery risks. Skills and training critical for retrofit success Scott Sanford, SNIPEF Head of [...]
Scotland’s plumbing and heating sector is facing a significant fall in apprenticeship recruitment, with new research from SNIPEF, the Plumbing and Heating Federation, revealing that one in three employers do not plan to recruit an apprentice over the next three years. The projected decline raises concerns about whether Scotland will have the skilled workforce needed [...]
The Plumbing and Heating Federation (SNIPEF) has warned that apprenticeship recruitment in Scotland is at increasing risk as apprentice wage rises continue to outpace the support available to employers delivering training. Employers report growing strain from rising wage obligations The federation says that while fair pay for young people is vital, above-inflation statutory wage increases [...]
Confidence among UK plumbing and heating businesses has fallen to its lowest level on record, according to the latest State of Trade report from the Plumbing and Heating Federation (SNIPEF). Only 6% of firms expressed optimism about the UK’s economic outlook, while 64% said they were pessimistic, a sharp increase from 49% in the previous [...]
The Building Plumbing and Engineering Skills Group (BPEC) has invested £15,000 to support the continued modernisation of Scotland’s Plumbing and Heating Apprenticeship, helping to ensure the programme remains aligned with evolving industry needs and low-carbon technologies. The funding supports the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF) in delivering updates to the National Occupational [...]
Confidence among plumbing and heating businesses has dropped sharply, as rising costs, falling workloads, and ongoing labour shortages squeeze margins and put long-term resilience at risk, according to a new industry report. The Q2 2025 State of Trade report, released by the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF), marks the sector’s first clear [...]
The Plumbing and Heating Federation (SNIPEF) has voiced its support for a new initiative by the Construction Leadership Forum (CLF), which aims to tackle the construction sector’s deepening skills crisis through greater collaboration and coordinated planning. The CLF’s Workforce Mission, announced on 20 June, sets out a vision for uniting the industry to address long-standing [...]
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