Hey matey.
Best bet is to check out the IPHE or summitskills website.
Currently, no qualifications are required to work as a self employed plumber. However, compliance with the water regulations is mandatory.
There is discussion that over the next few years, regulations will be brought in that require all plumbers employed or self employed to be adequatley qualified. These regulations will be along the same lines as working with gas or electrics so im led to believe.
To work for an employer, it is currently expected you will have the NVQ 2 otherwise known as the C&G 6089 and the MES technical certificate otherwise known as the C&G 6129.
The C&G 6129 can be completed at college (either a fsat track expensive course or local college). There is no need to be employed to do this course and it teaches you alot of the practical skills required to carry out plumbing wiork and your NVQ2.
The NVQ2 is the qualification where you need to be employed in the industry. By gaining evidence at work and placing it in your nvq folder, you can prove your competent as a plumber and rach the NVQ2 standard.
The normal qualification process would be
do your c&g 6129 tech cert to gain the skills of a plumber
do your nvq2 if employed to show your a competent plumber.
After you have these quali's you can start looking at doing the lvl 3 versions of the above courses where on completion you can safely assume your a qualified plumber.......ofc not mentioning the wras course, the part p electical course and the unvented cert.
im really starting to think that that trainee doctos have it easy with their lil 7 year jaunt.