In a job market where artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming and sometimes replacing jobs, student Maryna Yaroshenko wanted to find a promising career that offered long-term stability.
Like a growing number of young people in Britain and beyond, 18-year-old Yaroshenko opted for a skilled trade and is now training to be a plumber.
“It’s something that artificial intelligence will not take over,” said Yaroshenko, originally from Ukraine, who studies at the City of Westminster College (CWC) in London.
White-collar jobs are considered more vulnerable to AI and automation than blue-collar jobs. In the United Kingdom, one in six employers expect that the use of AI tools will allow them to reduce their workforce in the next 12 months, according to a survey carried out last month by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a professional human resources body.
Yaroshenko sees AI as a useful tool, but not one that can replace the hands-on nature of plumbing, which many shy away from due to its physical demands and a persistent stigma around trades such as electricity, carpentry and welding.
“We will certainly work with it (AI), but only a human being can do those unique things that AI cannot,” he says. “No AI can do plumbing, no AI can do real engineering, no AI can be an electrician.”
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Demand for practical courses grows
The CWC, part of the United Colleges group, is not a university, but a continuing education center. In the last three years, enrollment in its engineering, construction and building courses has increased by 9.6%.
Stephen Davis, CEO of CWC, attributes this in part to the growth of AI and also to students’ concerns about the cost of college. Some young people choose not to go to university to avoid the thousands of pounds of debt it can bring.
A survey of 2,600 adults conducted in August by the Trades Union Congress, the country’s largest union, found that half of British adults were concerned about the impact of AI on their jobs, especially those aged between 25 and 35.
“There is a lot of anxiety among young people about their jobs being automated,” says Bouke Klein Teeselink, a professor and AI researcher at King’s College London.
Teeselink’s study at King’s College, published in October, found that AI-driven job cuts disproportionately affect junior roles, making it harder for young people to gain a foothold on the career ladder.
Other educational institutions report similar trend changes.
Angela Joyce, CEO of Capital City College, also in London, says there has been a strong rise in interest in construction, plumbing, hospitality and other trades. “This shows that more people are recognizing the value of becoming skilled professionals,” says Joyce, adding that for some people, learning a trade can offer greater earning potential than a qualification.
Davis added that AI has pushed not only young people, but also adults who want to change careers, to think more strategically. Many seek job security and higher salaries.
According to the Office for National Statistics, plumbers earn an average of £37,881 ($50,169) a year, while skilled construction workers typically earn around £35,764. This figure contrasts with the global average salary of £39,039 across all sectors.
However, Davis notes that skilled trades often offer greater opportunities for people to run their own businesses, increasing their earning potential.
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New blood in the trades
Back in the plumbing shop, Yaroshenko said another reason she sees herself in a skilled trade long-term is that today’s workforce is aging and demand for a new generation of skilled workers will remain high.
Yaroshenko added that he chose college instead of university because he wanted to gain “real work” experience as soon as possible.
Undergraduate enrollments at British universities have fallen slightly, with a decline of 1.1% in 2023/24 compared to the previous year, the first annual decline in almost a decade, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
Teeselink said it would be a while before robotic plumbers take over, because it is a “very intricate job.”
Davis says that although robotics technology is evolving rapidly, students in careers like plumbing are well positioned.
“Sometimes plumbers have to put their hands in the toilet to unclog it… and I haven’t met a robot yet that will do that for us,” Davis said.
With information from Reuters
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