Meet the member: Chris Chapman

Chris Chapman worked his way up through the plumbing and heating industry from apprentice to project engineer. His practical experience has proved helpful in his more recent roles off the tools

How did you get into the industry?

It’s been a career of two halves. I left school at 16 and began an apprenticeship with a local business. After four years, I completed my advanced City & Guilds in Plumbing and Gas Installations. The first half of my career was predominantly spent working on new-build housing, which I enjoyed.

During the recession in the late 1990s, I saw a job advert for a contracts manager at Solihull Council. I stayed in this role for six years, but there wasn’t room to progress, which led me back to the new-build housing sector as a contracts manager. My previous roles include private contracts manager, project engineer and site engineer on luxury apartments in London.

What can you share about your current role?

At present, I am a project engineer at Tilbury Douglas, working on multi-million-pound projects for a variety of clients, including schools, the NHS and the MOD. Working in this industry has opened up so many opportunities that I didn’t think were possible.

My role is wide ranging and includes managing health and safety issues, the procurement of sub-contractors, labour and materials, the quality of work on site, and attending site meetings with clients and the Tilbury Douglas management team. It’s my job to ensure that the correct information is shared at the time of tender and that installation corresponds to the design, and to check that valuations align at the end of the month.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

My trade background is a valuable asset. I am able to easily converse with installers as I have experience of working on the tools. This is a huge advantage when a problem arises because I can offer an informed perspective on how to reach a solution. Installers value people that have practical work experience in the industry, which proves invaluable when cross-checking their work and for being able to talk to them with confidence.

What value does your CIPHE Fellowship bring?

I joined the CIPHE when I started working with Tilbury Douglas. After the Grenfell tragedy, the company wanted people to have an affiliation with a recognised industry body. Becoming a member of the CIPHE backed up my trade background. However, I wanted a higher status, so I applied to get my Engineering Technician (EngTech) registration through the Engineering Council, via CIPHE. I then applied for my Master Plumber certificate and Fellow status, which I was recently awarded. These certifications add credibility and are a recognition of my skills.

I probably left it later than I should have to join, but it’s important for tradespeople to understand the importance and benefits of being associated with respected industry bodies such as the CIPHE. Members should take advantage of continuing professional development (CPD) as it’s a brilliant learning tool that you can dip in and out of. As an industry, we should be promoting membership and certification, and I would recommend it to anyone.

What are your views on the current position of the industry?

The lack of people coming into the industry has been an issue for more than 20 years, but that has been compounded by the pandemic. A lot of the labour from Europe left the UK and didn’t come back, so the skills gap is a massive problem. It remains to be seen whether the Prime Minister’s approach will help.

To learn more about the CIPHE’s Master, Journeyman and Apprentice Certificates, visit https://www.ciphe.org.uk/professional/benefits-and-offers/professional-development/certification-and-awards/