Apprenticeships under Pressure (Employers Insights Research)
December 1, 2025
Apprenticeships Under Pressure: Why Scotland Must Act is SNIPEF’s comprehensive employer-insights report examining the state of plumbing and heating apprenticeships across Scotland.
Drawing on survey evidence from 188 businesses, it highlights the profession’s strong commitment to the four-year apprenticeship model while exposing significant financial, training and retention pressures that are reducing employers’ ability to recruit.
The report sets out where the system is working, where it is failing, and what reforms are needed to ensure a sustainable, high-quality pipeline of skilled workers for Scotland’s housing, public-health and net zero ambitions. Its purpose is to give government and industry a robust evidence base for action.
