Archive · 3 Dec 2025
Young Britons Choose Skilled Trades Over AI-Vulnerable Office Jobs
Many young people in Britain are choosing to learn skilled trades like plumbing instead of going to university.
They believe these jobs are safer from being taken over by artificial intelligence (AI).
AI is seen as a threat to office jobs, but not to hands-on jobs like plumbing.
Colleges are seeing more students in courses like engineering and construction.
These jobs can pay well and offer the chance to start your own business.
Plus, the current workers in these fields are getting older, so there will be a need for new workers.
Some people also choose these paths to avoid the high cost of university and to start working sooner.
Young Britons are increasingly opting for skilled trades like plumbing due to the perceived threat of AI to office jobs.
Enrollment in engineering, construction, and built environment courses has risen by 9.6% over the past three years at City of Westminster College.
AI is seen as a tool that can't replace the hands-on nature of trades like plumbing, electrical work, and engineering.
The average salary for plumbers is £37,881 per year, while skilled construction and building trades workers earn around £35,764 annually.
Undergraduate enrollments at UK universities have slightly declined by 1.1% in 2023/24, the first annual decrease in nearly a decade.
- Who
- Young people in Britain, particularly those aged 25 to 35
- What
- Shifting towards skilled trades due to AI threats to office jobs
- When
- Over the past three years, with recent data from 2023/24
- Where
- United Kingdom, with specific examples from London
- Why
- To secure future-proof careers with long-term stability and avoid AI-driven job cuts
- Average Plumber Salary
- £37,881 ($50,169) per year
- Average Construction Trades Salary
- £35,764 per year
- Overall Average Salary in UK
- £39,039 per year
- Enrollment Increase in CWC
- 9.6% over the past three years
- Undergraduate Enrollment Decline
- 1.1% in 2023/24
- AI Impact Concern
- 50% of UK adults worried about AI's impact on jobs