The plumbing professionThe plumbing profession
The plumbing profession is part of the heating, ventilation and plumbing industry (HVP) along with other professions such as Industrial pipe fitters, Insulation fitters and HVP fitters.
The Plumbing Employer Association (Installatörsföretagen) and the Plumbing Union (part of Byggnads) has been cooperating for the last 50 years in order to secure sufficiently skilled plumbers and HVP fitters. “Utbildningsavtalet”, a part of the union agreement (Teknikinstallationsavtalet VVS & Kyl) documents the framework on how to achieve this.
VVSYN (the joint Swedish plumbing industry training board) i responsible to carry out the intention of the agreement to secure the quality of the vocational education and the final examination necessary to become a certified plumber in Sweden.
The Swedish education systemThe Swedish education system
Comprehensive school is compulsory in Sweden for nine years. After that it is voluntary to apply for upper secondary school. The age limit for beginning upper secondary school is 20, after that you may attend secondary adult education. Upper secondary school has 18 national programs to choose from and they are divided between 6 higher education preparatory programs and 12 vocational programs. The vocational programs provide students with full professional training in their specific areas so that it is possible to go straight into employment after graduating. For more information please visit Skolverket.
How to become a plumber
The education to qualify to become a certified plumber lasts five years after which a theoretical and practical examination is taken and a certificate issued when the examination is passed.
The most common way to become a plumber in Sweden is to choose the HVAC and Property Maintenance Program (VVS- och fastighetsprogrammet), orientation HVP (VVS). After that you work as an apprentice at a company connected to the collective agreement. Full apprenticeship takes about 2 years after which an extensive examination is taken. Once the examination is passed a certificate is issued to the now certified plumber. Should you wish to retrain as a plumber after graduating from another secondary school program it is possible to apply to a secondary adult education to complement with the necessary vocational courses and then move on to two years of apprenticeship as described above. The approved secondary adult educations are listed here It is also possible to perform the entire education of five years as an apprentice. The company is then responsible to make sure that the necessary vocational courses are taken and passed at a qualified school and that the apprentice has passed the courses of the mandatory core subjects that the industry has stated.
Licensed to be a certified plumber
There are three ways to be approved to apply for performing the final examination necessary to achieve a plumbing certificate valid in Sweden and the other Scandinavian countries.
A full education i Sweden of five years as described above under “How to become a plumber”. The education is ended by the final examination. Extensive working experience as a professional plumber at a company connected to the Swedish collective agreement. Application to perform the industry examination “Application to perform examiniation as a plumber” to be found on our website. (only in Swedish) Extensive working experience as a professional plumber obtained in another country.
Validation of plumbing qualifications
For persons with prior experience of the plumbing industry obtained outside of Sweden there are two ways to become a certified plumber.
Either you have extensive experience from working as a plumber and can apply for validation of plumbing qualifications, a qualification test in 1-3 steps both theoretical and practical. Or you need to get a job as an apprentice at a Swedish plumbing company and, depending on your prior experience, work there for a couple of years before applying to perform the final exam. The company needs to be affiliated with the pluming employer association or the plumbing union.
Knowledge of the Swedish language and employent at a company affiliated with the pluming employer association or the plumbing union, is mandatory to receive your certificate.