Plumber
Plumbers install solar water heaters and heat pumps, which cut the electricity needed to heat water, and pipe fitters fit and repair the pipes that carry water and gases at hydrogen plants. National building rules say at least half of the hot water in new buildings must be heated by something other than an ordinary electric element, such as the sun or a heat pump.
Jobs in the energy transition
Solar water heater installer
You'd install and repair solar water heaters, which use the sun's heat to warm water for homes and businesses.
Extra training: To register as a solar installer with the Plumbing Industry Registration Board (PIRB), you'd also need an NQF Level 2 certificate in hot water system installation.
Heat pump installer
You'd install and connect heat pumps, machines that warm water using heat drawn from the air, so homes and buildings use less electricity for hot water.
Hydrogen plant pipe fitter
You'd fit, weld and repair the pipe systems that carry gases and water around a hydrogen plant, working from engineering drawings.
How to get there
The qualifications
There are two certificates, the Occupational Certificate: Plumber and the Occupational Certificate: Pipe Fitter, and both are at NQF Level 4, the same level as Matric.
What you need to start
For plumbing, the official minimum is an NQF Level 3 qualification that covers maths, science and building drawings to about the level of an N2 college certificate, and for pipe fitting it's a Grade 9 pass with Mathematics and Science.
These are the official minimum requirements, and colleges can set higher ones.
Where you can study
Data verified June–July 2026 from official college publications and the DHET occupational qualifications register. Spot an error? Suggest a correction.
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