Job market information
Finding out about heating and ventilating
The heating and ventilating industry is part of the building services engineering sector, represented by SummitSkills Sector Skills Council, which also includes: electrotechnical; plumbing; air conditioning and refrigeration; and electrical and electronic servicing. The building services engineering sector as a whole employs over 600,000 people in over 60,000 businesses. Of these, 85% have between 1 and 5 employees, with most of the remainder employing between 6 and 250 workers. Very few have more than 250 employees. The sector has an annual turnover of around £17 billion in the UK. Building services engineering is continually adapting to meet technological challenges and plays a central role in environmental technology developments, particularly around renewable energy and micro‐generation.
The heating and ventilating industry installs systems and technology to make environments habitable and as energy efficient as possible. The workforce includes:
- Pipework and ductwork installers, who use their skills to cut, form, weld, and join a wide range of materials that combine to create a heating and ventilating system
- Control and commissioning engineers, who use their knowledge to ensure systems meet design requirements for the building
- Maintenance engineers, who identify faults, fix them and, more importantly, plan and carry out service and maintenance activities on systems to make sure they work efficiently and effectively
The industry is at the forefront of environmentally‐friendly technologies, designing and installing low carbon footprint systems involving solar water, combined heat and power (CHP) units, ground source heat pumps, biomass and fuel cells.
Key facts:
- There are around 9,000 businesses in the industry employing 38,000 people, mostly white male.
- 90% of businesses employ fewer than 10 people.
- The number of people employed in the industry is forecast to fall due to the economic climate.
Jobs in the industry include: heating installers, ductwork installers, domestic heating, installers, and service and maintenance engineers
Entry and progression
The heating and ventilation industry is a frequent choice of career by those who are made redundant from engineering roles, by those changing career and by those returning to work after a break. Entrants are required to have a good level of education and will need to achieve the relevant NVQ Level 2 or Level 3 to be recognised as qualified within the industry. This will take between 2 and 4 years to complete whilst working in the industry.
Some work in the industry particularly that of the domestic installer is similar to work undertaken by a plumber.
There are a range of industry endorsed courses, apprenticeships (such as the Heating and Ventilating Apprenticeship), vocational qualifications and training schemes.
For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.
Workforce statistics
| Number of UK employees: |
38000 |
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| Number of UK employers: |
9000 |
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| Gender: |
less than 1% of the skilled workforce is female |
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| Ethnicity: |
3% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority, with 1.4% from Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi backgrounds |
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| Age: |
63% of the workforce is aged 35‐54 years |
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Employment trends and future prospects
Due to the current economic climate, the number of people employed in the industry is forecast to fall by between 18% and 42%, depending upon the depth of the recession and the speed of recovery. A proportion of these losses will be apprentices.
Technician and professional roles typically sought after by experienced people who have worked in the industry for 10‐15 years are: contract or project engineer; commissioning engineer; site supervisor; consulting engineer; estimator/quantity surveyor; and educator or trainer.
Skill requirements and shortages
Key common activities involve: working safely; working in an environmentally friendly manner; undertaking preparatory work; identifying and rectifying faults; providing functional and technical information; maintaining working relationships; and overseeing work activities.
The skill needs of the industry are expected to be met by the redeployment of displaced workers. Therefore, recruitment to replace those retiring or leaving the industry is likely to be minimal in the short‐term.
Occupational trends
Around 60% of people in the industry work in heating and ventilating installation, while 20% work in service and maintenance and 20% work on ductwork. At technician and professional levels, the workforce is likely to remain relatively stable. From 2010 onwards, there is likely to be an increase in the number of people required, thereby improving prospects for new entrants to the sector. This will particularly benefit graduates seeking to enter the industry and gain employment with consultancies.
National and regional data
East Midlands – There are 3,024 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 150.
East of England – There are 4,352 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 210.
London – There are 4,423 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 220.
North East – There are 2,338 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 110.
North West – There are 5,146 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 250.
South East – There are 6,274 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 310.
South West – There are 3,922 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 190.
West Midlands – There are 4,135 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 200.
Yorkshire and the Humber – There are 4,330 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 210.
Salary levels
Some suggested annual salary ranges for those working in the industry include:
- First‐year apprentices earn between £9,100 and £11,250
- Newly‐qualified installers earn around £20,000
- Experienced engineers earn between £22,000 and £24,000
Career paths
Further sources
Produced Sept 2010, using SummitSkills AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)
