Any mom who wants to train to become a plumber and start a new career can take heart from this inspiring story. Clara Bagshaw decided to train to become a plumber because she wanted to take advantage of the employment opportunities available to women within the industry, but she needed a flexible apprenticeship to fit her home life. The mother of two had a busy family life taking care of her children and ensuring they were able to go to school, which made training for a new career particularly difficult due to obvious time constraints.

Ms. Bagshaw was able to enroll in a four-week plumbing course that provided her with the fundamental skills and basic knowledge to perform the most basic tasks around the home. Clara was able to take the plumbing course at night and on weekends, which allowed her to tailor her training to care for her children after negotiations with daycare centers and mothers-in-law. Ms. Bagshaw was able to enjoy flexible learning because she chose to seek a private training provider rather than a college or university that could not provide the same teaching structure. Clara discovered the most suitable training provider for her after using search engines, consulting center websites, and researching forums to ensure she found the right option for her requirements.

Although plumbing is a typically male-dominated environment, Clara was not intimidated by the atmosphere and was treated like anyone else who was interested in learning new business skills. Once she completed the course, Clara began to search for qualifications that would allow her to start working within the industry in both commercial and domestic properties. Getting the right qualifications is now the next step for Ms Bagshaw, as she has learned that there are many organizations looking to hire women plumbers.

Many local authorities are willing to hire women plumbers because they have residents such as the vulnerable and elderly who are not always comfortable with a man entering their home. Clara will need to obtain the City & Guilds 6189 qualification before she can seriously begin to think about working as a plumber because it is the recognized entry level award in the industry. Fortunately for Clara and busy moms and dads, there are many training centers that can provide this qualification on a flexible basis, such as evenings, weekends, or both.