Plunging forward: Teen plumber is only female in Carroll Community College apprenticeship program

At 8:45 on a chilly Thursday morning, Karmon Reed, 18, crouched under a set of sinks in a swim club bathroom in Mount Airy, working with a team to winterize the facility.

Karmon, who is in the first year of a plumbing apprenticeship, works for her dad’s plumbing company, Reed and Son Services LLC, based in Mount Airy. After four years of work, she can take an exam and graduate as a journeyman plumber, earning higher wages and greater professional freedom.

Reed is also enrolled in Carroll Community College’s plumbing apprenticeship program, where she takes classes designed to track alongside her four-year apprentice period.

Reed is the only woman in the class.

On the first day, she was one of the first students to arrive. “I sat down in my spot, and everybody filled every other spot around me, and then finally someone sat next to me at the end,” she said.

Reed said she thinks her peers have never seen a woman plumber before. “I’ve only seen one,” she said.

She said she’s grateful for the opportunity to work in this field. The class at the local college and her professional plumbing job equip her with the necessary skills to work in the male-dominated field.

Karmon’s father, Patrick Reed, 51, has worked in plumbing since he was 14. His father was a plumber, too. “I grew up helping him when I was a teenager,” digging holes and dragging water heaters out of houses, he said.

Now, he’s the owner of Reed and Son Services LLC, which employs 24 people, including his wife, Kristine, who works on the administrative end of the business, and his son, Hunter, 25, who is a plumber.

Karmon works for both sides of Reed and Son. The business is named for her father and brother. She said she’s tried “so many times” to convince her parents to change the name of the business, “but it’s not worked,” she said with a sigh and a laugh.

As new conversations about the value of a college degree have emerged with the rapid advancement of AI technology, a common refrain has been “but will AI ever replace a plumber?” Patrick said, “Probably never,” though AI could be used to diagnose plumbing issues.

Keenan Walsh, 18, a Hampstead resident, is also enrolled in the college’s apprenticeship program. He said working trade jobs is gratifying because of how tangibly he can assist others. “Helping somebody else out when they don’t have something, such as water, is pretty awesome.”

Steven Berry is the Dean of Workforce, Innovation and Community Advancement at Carroll Community College. He said that one of the reasons the school launched the program was the need to cultivate the next generation of plumbers in the county.

“You look at the numbers in Carroll County and the surrounding area, 40% of the plumbers are over 45,” Berry said, because there was no formal program to support apprenticeship, entry-level jobs were filled by helpers who lacked a formalized track.

Lisa Slappy, chief Communications Officer at Carroll Community College, said the school keeps an ear out to discern what the community needs. This program serves as a way to spur local economic development.

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  Karmon Reed, 18, grabs her toolbox out of the van. She works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Joe Barkley, center, describes what Karmon Reed, 18, how to shut off the main water supply and disassemble the double check valve, as Ryan Gerber, right, looks in the hole. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Karmon Reed, 18, climbs into the hole to shut off the main water supply and disassemble the double check valve. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Joe Barkley, describes what Karmon Reed, 18, how to shut off the main water supply and disassemble the double check valve. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Karmon Reed, 18, shuts off the main water supply and disassembles the double check valve. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Joe Barkley, holds a light for Karmon Reed, 18, as she shuts off the main water supply and disassembles the double check valve. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Joe Barkley watches as Karmon Reed, 18, takes apart the backflow prevention device. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Karmon Reed, 18, takes apart the backflow prevention device. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Karmon Reed, 18, takes apart the backflow prevention device. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Karmon Reed, 18, bleeds the line after taking apart the backflow prevention device. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Karmon Reed, 18, and Joe Barkley watches as Karmon Reed, 18, work on winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Joe Barkley explains to Karmon Reed, 18, how to disassemble the double-check valve assembly for the pool-fill water supply. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Joe Barkley and Karmon Reed, 18, disassemble the double-check valve assembly for the pool-fill water supply. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Karmon Reed, 18, disassembles the double-check valve assembly for the pool-fill water supply. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Joe Barkley watches as Karmon Reed, 18, disconnects the water supply line to the outdoor water fountain. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Joe Barkley, left, watches as Karmon Reed, 18, disconnects the water supply line to the outdoor water fountain. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Karmon Reed, 18, disassembles the supply valves for one of the sinks in the men's bathroom. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Karmon Reed, 18, disassembles the supply valves for one of the sinks in the men's bathroom. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Joe Barkley watches as Karmon Reed, 18, disassembles the supply valves for one of the sinks in the men's bathroom. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Joe Barkley watches as Karmon Reed, 18, disassembles the supply valves for one of the sinks in the men's bathroom. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Karmon Reed, 18, disassembles the supply valves for one of the urinals in the men's bathroom. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Karmon Reed, 18, disassembles the supply valves for one of the urinals in the men's bathroom. Reed works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Karmon Reed, 18, works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Karmon poses for a photo with her father, Patrick Reed. Karmon Reed, 18, works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)
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  Karmon poses for a photo with Joe Barkley. Karmon Reed, 18, works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)

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Karmon Reed, 18, grabs her toolbox out of the van. She works for her father's plumbing company, Reed and Son Services, LLC., of Mt. Airy, as a plumbing apprentice. They were winterizing the plumbing at Ridge Swim Club. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Staff)

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Students are eligible to participate in the course if they’re 18 years or older, have a high school diploma, and hold a full-time position at a licensed plumbing company. Employers pay the cost of the program. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for plumbers, pipe fitters and steamfitters was $62,970 or $30.27 hourly. Often, older, more advanced plumbers can make even more.

While Karmon is at the beginning of her career, she thanks her father for offering her so many professional opportunities.

She said that the plumbing trade is often misunderstood. “People think that you just get dirty every single day, and you don’t,” she said. In reality, Reed said the business is all about critical thinking, logic, problem-solving and helping others.

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