Plumb Centre has launched Gen T, a new initiative focused on better understanding and supporting the next generation of trade professionals.
As part of the initiative, the merchant is working alongside NAPIT, CIPHE and brands including Bristan, Milwaukee and Grundfos to launch a national industry survey, inviting tradespeople from across the sector to share their experiences and help shape future support for those entering the trade.
While the wider Gen T initiative is centred on understanding the experiences of younger tradespeople, the survey itself is open to tradespeople of all ages and experience levels. By bringing together views from across the trade, Plumb Centre “hopes to build a clearer picture of the challenges younger tradespeople face, identify what would genuinely help and understand what the industry could be doing better.”
Earlier this year, the business sat down with a group of young plumbers and heating engineers, apprentices, newly qualified tradespeople and those just finding their feet in the industry to better understand their experiences.
What it heard was clear: “young tradespeople are motivated, ambitious and proud of what they do.” And while the trade offers fantastic opportunities, the merchant states “there are moments, particularly in those early years, where better support could make a real difference.”
This, it contends, could be “having the right advice at the right time or simply feeling taken seriously by merchants and suppliers, (and) those early experiences can shape the kind of tradesperson someone becomes.”
Indeed, a recognition that “the first days in the trade are formative” is said to have provided the foundation for Gen T, but Plumb Centre is now looking to hear from a much broader cross-section of the industry. The more voices involved, it asserts, the better the understanding of what today’s tradespeople need and how the industry can better support tomorrow’s workforce.
To thank those who take part, there are a range of prizes available throughout the survey. Every completed section earns an entry into a prize draw, with those who complete the full survey also entered into the grand prize draw to win a Milwaukee M18 FUEL™ Promo Powerpack worth £750 RRP. Additional rewards include a prize bundle from Bristan, a selection of Grundfos prizes, a Makita site radio and Digifunk radios.
The survey is now live and can be accessed here:
In other news from Wolseley, Renewables Centre has recently celebrated passing the milestone of training 500 installers since first opening in April 2025.
Demand for its courses is said to have grown steadily over the year, with more installers now signing up for renewables training. And indeed, since opening, the Centre has expanded from heat pump training into a broader range of courses covering solar PV, EV charging and F-Gas, giving installers more ways to diversify and build a steadier, year-round income.
Homeowner interest has been helped along by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which offers eligible households £7,500 towards an air source heat pump, rising to £9,000 from 21st July 2026 for eligible off-gas-grid homes replacing oil or LPG.
Andrew Busst, Training Service Manager at the Renewables Centre, said: “Reaching 500 trained installers in our first year is something we’re really proud of. Every one of them is an engineer who can now walk into a home and fit a heat pump with confidence.
“What I love most is the mix in the room. You’ll have someone with 25 years behind them in the industry, sat next to a plumber fitting their first heat pump, and they learn from each other.”
Among the latest to qualify is Surrey heating engineer Dean Walsh, who has 25 years in the trade. He first fitted heat pumps back in 2012, installing six units on a development in Henley-on-Thames, but when early grant funding tapered off the work quietened and he refocused on gas.
Renewed customer interest over the past year drew him back, and he recently completed his heat pump training at the Renewables Centre to bring his qualification up to date.
He commented: “You’ve got to do it, because times are changing. I’d rather offer everything than be limited on what I offer. If a customer wants a heat pump, you can say yes and get on with it, rather than turning the work away.”
