“But the challenge is most people don’t realize how rewarding a career as a plumber can be.”

His sentiment is commonly shared by those around him at the competition, where the world’s elite plumbers use their ingenuity and expertise on complex and geometrical patterns of piping.

There is a global mismatch between plumber numbers and the demand for their skills. Over the course of several years, there has been a steady decline in skilled plumbers as the older generation hangs up their tools. And the number of entrants from younger generations is insufficient to match growing demand. This generational labor shift, replicated worldwide, is leaving a gap – and one that continues to widen due to pent-up demand from homeowners and construction firms keen to get pandemic-delayed projects underway.

Construction firms, contracted to build everything from homes and schools to hospitals and skyscrapers, are feeling the impact. Three-quarters of them are reporting skills shortages.¹ This is having a knock-on effect throughout the supply chain to the wider economy.

But with plumbing skills so sought after, there are also opportunities to be had. If enough new joiners can be attracted to the profession, well-run plumbing outfits can prosper and grow. And profitable, rewarding careers can be built.

In a bid to tackle the problem, LIXIL is rolling out new programs to communicate to people of every age, gender and background the benefits of learning a skilled trade.

The GROHE Installer Vocational Training and Education (GIVE) program was developed to help solve the shortage of skilled installers in the sanitary industry across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (EMENA). It includes collaborations with over 40 plumbing institutions offering training across the EMENA region to provide fully functioning training racks, learning materials, and experienced trainers.

The program has also set up 12 new training facilities in 2021, including one in Ghana, West Africa.

“Our program offers young talented soon-to-be plumbers hands-on training that eases their start into professional life,” says Christopher Penney, leader of the GIVE program LIXIL EMENA.

“Students will learn about the latest technologies and sanitary innovations, which will ensure they are capable of installing and maintaining our expanding product range before embarking on their plumbing careers.”

In some regions, solving the skills gap is closely connected with solving deeper societal challenges. In South Africa, LIXIL provides training for women, young people and the unemployed as part of its community outreach programs.

In September 2022, LIXIL’s Cobra brand provided basic plumbing courses to unemployed youth in the poverty- and drought-stricken town of Bitterfontein in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It has run similar programs in the past for victims of gender-based violence.