The lack of plumbing infrastructure and a trained, certified workforce has long plagued the citizens of India, for whom 7.5% of deaths each year can be directly attributed to water and sanitation issues.

In response, WPC member organizations IAPMO and the Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) and its training arm, the Indian Institute of Plumbing (IIP) are working together to help the nation make big strides forward in both areas of need.

Having already jointly developed the Uniform Plumbing Code-India, an extensive code of plumbing practice that will serve the people of India for years to come, the organizations subsequently turned their focus to education and training.

The ambitious Plumbing Education to Employment Program (PEEP) will offer structured courses of study to develop plumbing design engineers, plumbing construction managers/supervisors and plumbing installers/repairers.

No architecture or engineering course of study in India currently offers a diploma or degree in plumbing. An overwhelming percentage of the nation’s plumbers are ‘casual labourers, who have learned the trade through personal experience or working with experienced plumbers’, according to Sudhakaran Nair, IPA president and Executive Board member of the World Plumbing Council.

PEEP will be implemented in partnership with existing colleges, polytechnics and Industrial Training Institutes in India. The program is scheduled to launch in May. In the lead up, expert trainers from IAPMO will be conducting ‘Train the Trainer’ programs to educate faculty members at the institutions participating in PEEP.