These are the units you will study over the duration of the course:
Health and safety in building services engineering: you will acquire the essential health and safety knowledge and skills to demonstrate best practice in a building services engineering environment and an awareness of relevant legislation.
Scientific principles for domestic, industrial and commercial plumbing: you will look at the basic scientific principles applied to domestic, industrial and commercial plumbing systems. You will be introduced to pressure, force, flow, temperature, electricity and gas and heat transfer methods.
Common plumbing processes: you will develop the knowledge, understanding and skills of common plumbing processes through basic preparation tasks and the measuring, bending and jointing of tubes with the appropriate tools.
Cold water systems: you will explore direct and indirect cold water systems, pipework, maintenance requirements, fault recognition and back flow prevention. This unit also provides you with the knowledge and experience of carrying out commissioning tasks.
Domestic hot water systems: you will gain the knowledge and practical experience in fitting different types of domestic hot water systems and components. This unit also provides you with the knowledge and experience of carrying out installation and commissioning tasks.
Sanitation: you will gain the knowledge, understanding and skills of common sanitation systems. You will also be introduced to common sanitary installations and associated installation practices.

Bringing in more than £7 billion in the UK and growing, construction is big business. It’s challenging, and very fast moving, but also a fantastic place to be building a future career! The sector is famed for its endless options to learn new trades and skills, making it an exciting and interesting working environment. As a construction worker, opportunities to develop your area of expertise are plentiful, whether through a formal apprenticeship at our custom built facility in Bicester or full-time employment. There is the prospect of progressing up the career ladder or even starting your own business . If you have completed a full time study programme with us there is scope to continue studying with us at a higher level, contact us to find out more.

4 GCSEs at Grade 3 including English or Maths, OR a Level 1 pass in a related subject plus English or maths, and both English and maths must be at least grade 2 / Level 1 Functional Skills.

There will be additional cost of £50 for PPE/equipment/clothing and £35 for books. (Costs are given for guidance only.)

As part of your course we may organise trips to assist you with your learning. Trips are optional, and you will not be penalised if you choose not to participate.

There are bursaries available to help you with other course costs. Call 01235 216 212 for more information.

The rules on fee reduction are complicated and we would encourage you to talk to our Admissions staff on 01235 216 400 to discuss your options. You can find more information on our Fees and Bursaries page - search "Fees and Bursaries" at the top of the page.

On completion of this course you will receive a City and Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Plumbing with Pass, Merit or Distinction grades for the individual units of study based on your performance.

Plumbing skills are not something you can learn from a book. At Abingdon & Witney College it’s about ‘hands on’ learning. Fully equipped with the latest equipment and materials and staffed by our expert industry professionals, there is no better place to start your career. The majority of the course is based around practical assessments, with the underpinning knowledge assessed with written question papers and some online assessment. You will also study GSCE or Functional Skills Maths and English to support your entry to employment or further study.

Your time training at the Skills Centre will be packed with intensive practical experience and maximum working time with the materials and tools of your chosen trade. As well as practical skills you will obtain a range of transferable skills including written and oral communication, team work and self-directed learning.