Occupation
Plumber
Plumbers install and repair the water supply, drainage, venting, and fixture systems in homes, commercial buildings, and industrial premises. The work combines physical installation in tight and awkward spaces with careful layout, because pipework has to fall correctly and pass inspection. A large share of the job is service work: finding a leak or blockage in a system somebody else built.
Also known as: Plumbing and heating engineer · Sanitary fitter
Occupation content
Part of Skilled trades, maintenance and repair
What the work involves
- Set out pipe runs from drawings and site measurements, allowing for falls, supports, and access.
- Cut, join, and secure copper, plastic, and steel pipework using the joining method suited to the system.
- Install fixtures, water heaters, valves, backflow devices, and drainage and vent connections.
- Pressure-test and flush new work, and correct leaks or defects before the system is put into service.
- Clear blockages and trace leaks in existing systems using cameras, locators, and drain machines.
- Note completed work and test results for building inspection and for the customer's record.
How people commonly enter
- A registered plumbing apprenticeship with a contractor or mechanical company.
- A college plumbing certificate or diploma used as the technical component of, or a credit toward, an apprenticeship.
- Entry as a plumber's helper or labourer, moving into a formal apprenticeship once taken on.
- Assessment of plumbing training and experience gained in another jurisdiction by the local trade authority.
Typical training: Apprenticeship
Licensing: Regulated in most jurisdictions — confirm the current requirement with the regulator in your province, state, or country.
Pathways: Apprenticeship route
Typical work context
Client sites · Physically active · Varied work · Public facing · Team based
Related interests
Realistic (hands-on) · Investigative (analytical)
Related aptitude preparation
These are preparation links only. They do not measure eligibility for this occupation and no score here qualifies or disqualifies anyone.
Skills to practise
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Skilled trades, maintenance and repair.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
- US BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters · United States
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- Red Seal Program — Designated Red Seal trades · Canada
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- UK National Careers Service — Explore careers · United Kingdom
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Skilled trades, maintenance and repair in Canada, not a figure for Plumber. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Skilled trades, maintenance and repair family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Skilled trades, maintenance and repair: education pathways
Some roles in Skilled trades, maintenance and repair may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Skilled trades, maintenance and repair: licensing
Find jobs
These are live, user-controlled searches on each source's own site for “ Plumber”. Novus Learn does not fetch, store, or rank these results, and job availability never changes your exploration match score.
- Search Canada Job Bank · Canada
- Search USAJOBS · United States federal
- Search EURES · European Union / EEA
- Search Indeed · International (choose location on Indeed)