JTL is currently offering a grant of £3,000 for employers taking on an apprentice enrolled in its Level 3 Plumbing and Heating qualification and Gas Engineering Operative (GEO) courses.

Apprentices who complete the four-year Level 3 plumbing and domestic heating qualification will have developed the skills, knowledge, and behaviours they need to plan, select, install, service, commission, and maintain all aspects of plumbing and heating systems, the company says.

The first three years focus on the development of the fundamental plumbing knowledge and skills, while in the final year, the apprentice will take a specialist pathway, usually in gas or environmental technologies.

The GEO qualification focuses on apprentices developing the skills and understanding they need to safely install, commission, decommission, and service and repair gas appliances in either a domestic or non-domestic setting. This course takes 18 to 30 months to complete depending on the levels of experience the apprentice already has.

Lindsay Talks, Product Manager at JTL, said: “Not only is there no cost for hiring an apprentice aged 16 to 18 years and only a 5% cost to the employer for an apprentice aged 19 or over, but employers can also currently claim an incentive grant of £3,000. To qualify, the apprentice must have been enrolled between 1 April and 30 September 2021. Now really is the ideal time to take on an apprentice.”