Now in its sixth year, World Plumbing Day (WPD) is a global event held on 11 March that was initiated by the World Plumbing Council (WPC) as a way to highlight the important role plumbing plays in the health, safety and sustainability of communities.

The 2017 WPD event in Victoria was held at the Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC) in Brunswick on Friday 10 March focusing on the theme of ‘Sustainable growth for our future and our community’.

PICAC CEO and WPC chair Shayne La Combre says growth and future have been linked together deliberately in the theme this year to highlight the impact water has on growth.

In his opening speech Shayne explained that water is the fuel for development and therefore the success and health of economies and communities depends on access to clean water. The connection between plumbing, health and prosperity is getting stronger and as a result Shayne says events such as WPD are seeing growing engagement.

WPD at PICAC kicked off early with 18 apprentices from across Victoria and Queensland competing in the plumbing apprentice sprinkler fitting skills competition. They came from colleges including Chisholm, RMIT and Holmesglen, and this year saw the first female apprentice compete in the event.

Apprentices showed off their knowledge of plumbing, mechanical and fire protection in a hands-on demonstration using a simulated domestic rough-in.

While the apprentices were competing, stakeholders from across the sector attended an industry forum to hear from keynote speakers about the issues affecting the plumbing industry today.

Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney announced $5m in government funding as part of the 2016/2017 budget for the development of two new PICAC facilities that will train workers for specialised environmentally sustainable plumbing trades.

“This initiative presents an exciting opportunity for PICAC and the government to work together to promote Victoria’s plumbers as world class and having access to the best possible training and facilities,” says Gayle.

Gayle also outlined a significant $1.2b investment the Victorian government has made in vocational training to improve industry engagement and drive innovative solutions to training that meet industry demands.

“Collaboration is the way forward and we can do amazing things in progressive areas. Sustainability in plumbing opens so many doors,” says Gayle.

The second speaker, FMSA Architecture architectural technician Kirstin Griese, was part of team Australia competing in the Community Plumbing Challenge 2016 in South Africa. This event has teams design and install new sanitation systems for existing facilities in disadvantaged communities to demonstrate the vital role of plumbing in protecting public health.

“This project goes beyond the eight cubicles we impacted to look at health, sanitation and education for people who didn’t have the knowledge prior to this project,” says Kirstin.

PICAC chair Earl Setches showcased the proposed PICAC facility in Narre Warren, which PICAC hopes to open within the next 12 months. The $20m centre will also be home to the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO).

Victorian Building Authority commissioner Anne Barker spoke about the important role plumbing plays not only in community health but also in the economic health of Victoria.

“In the 2015/2016 financial year the total value the plumbing industry added to the Victorian economy was around $36m,” says Anne.

The final speaker for the day was One Voice Founder Josh Wilkins who helped develop a fully self-contained mobile shower bus that has provided over 5,000 hot showers to homeless people across Melbourne and Sydney. The team at One Voice are now developing a self-contained van with laundry facilities that can be driven by volunteers with a car license.

The day ended with a luncheon and plumbing trades exhibition where organisations had set up displays showcasing industry innovations, cutting edge products and sustainable solutions.