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Youth versus experience

John Allen contacted us after he read the results of our reader survey, which showed that many gas engineers are older and so may be thinking about retiring. Here, he talks to Registered Gas Engineer about the benefits of older and younger gas engineers working together, and the importance of apprentices.

John Allen has his own solution to what’s been described as a looming skills crisis in the plumbing and heating industry: his grandson. Although 65-yearold John says he has no intention of retiring any time soon, his grandson Levi is already working alongside him at John Allen Plumbing and Heating in Ilkeston, Derbyshire.

Levi isn’t fully qualified yet: at just 18, he’s studying Level 2 Plumbing and Heating at Roundhouse Derby College one day a week and working alongside granddad for the other four days. “Levi started with me after leaving school in 2018,” says John. “He’s learning gas with me every day, and when he’s ready I’ll be ringing Gasgain in Mansfield and getting him sorted for the gas training so he can push on and become Gas Safe registered.”

They plan to work together in their local area. Although John has been a gas engineer and plumber for many years, it’s only in the past six years that he’s had his own company. “I was with Erewash Borough Council for well over 30 years,” he says. “And then my work was amalgamated with a housing association. I was with them for around six years but working for a housing association is not the same as working for the council.

“Now I enjoy the fact that I can call one day, look at a job, know what materials I want, order them and get the materials ready. You can work and know how long it’s going to take to do the job for a change. It’s less stressful.”

Levi’s help is invaluable, he says, and their age gap means that he brings a different dynamic and approach to their work, especially when it comes to tracking down the parts needed

for a job. “I can just find them straight away for him on my phone, which is a massive help,” says Levi. “Before, he couldn’t find them sometimes.”

John says: “I have learned a lot: it works both ways – you do pick up on new technology. Sometimes you can get a bit stagnant in your working ways and then somebody says, hang on, why don’t we do it this way? There’s another way of doing things.”

In return, John brings his wealth of technical knowledge and experience in dealing with customers. Levi says: “He doesn’t get pressured; he’s calm. He explains everything to you and makes sure you understand. I’ve learned loads about people skills and communicating, confidence, and coming on to jobs and seeing how things work.

“It does make things a bit easier because he’s my granddad. We get on and we have a laugh and I can talk to him about everything.”

Like many other young tradespeople, Levi passed his exams at school, which wanted him to carry on in further education, eventually going to university. But he knew he wanted to join his grandad. “I like being hands on and getting involved, but my school said, ‘why are you doing something like this? You can do a lot better’. That just gave me the push to prove them wrong.”

John makes sure that Levi is learning his trade from the ground up, taking a thorough and methodical approach and working hard. It’s how John learned his trade, when he used to go to college one day a week on day release from 9am until 9pm, and then working for four days plus Saturday mornings.

“Levi finishes at 4.30pm but he has to do his research. We had books but he can do it online. The learning side of things has come on immensely from what it was.

“But you do see what I call boil-in-the-bag plumbers, who train for six months and then off they go.” John doesn’t believe that fast-track training gives them all skills they will need in the future, especially when it comes to working on older boilers and gas fires. “There are a lot of old gas appliances that even I think, where does that go? And then I remember them from about 20 years ago.”

They’re both enjoying working together to keep their customers safe and warm, and looking forward to Levi becoming Gas Safe registered. John says: “Levi is always on time and he’s always willing: he’s got a good attitude with people too. Give me a couple of years and then I’ll be working for him. He’ll have to pay me the same wages – but he doesn’t know that yet.” n

“School said: ‘Why are you doing something like this? You can do a lot better’. That just gave me the push to prove them wrong.”

Levi is getting thorough training by working alongside John as his apprentice, a route into the industry that John is fully in favour of, having mentored apprentices while he was at the council. Sharing his extensive knowledge to inspire the next generation is something that comes naturally to him. “I’ve had kids from school on work experience,” he says, “and a few of them have gone into plumbing. I try and involve them, explain things and spend a bit of time talking with them. You’ve definitely got to get them involved.”

He’s also given a group of youngsters who had been excluded from school a taste of life as a plumber. “There was an old people’s complex being pulled down and they helped take the sink units and bathrooms out, then we took them to the plumbing bays in school. They loved it and a couple of them are now self-employed.”