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PLUMBING CONNECTION
WINTER 2015
WORLD PLUMBING DAY HERALDS IN A
NEW TRAINING SITE AND A NEW ERA FOR
PLUMBING APPRENTICESHIPS
The unveiling of the first stage
construction of a world class training
facility in Geelong, Victoria and a new
industry partnership to deliver a new era in plumbing
apprenticeship training were some of the highlights from
the World Plumbing Day celebrations, held at the Plumbing
Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC) in Melbourne.
CEO of PICAC, Shayne La Combre said that the
announcements were an exciting development in ensuring
Victoria remained at the top of providing innovative
training and skills development for all plumbers.
“In February 2015, the new Certificate III in Plumbing
Apprenticeship qualification was delivered at PICAC’s
Centre in Melbourne with training delivery overseen by
the board of a new partnership organisation, Plumbing
Industry Training (PIT),” Mr La Combre said.
“Through this new training opportunity, apprentices
can learn their trade on the most up to date plumbing
and related industry equipment in a world class, industry
owned and run training facility.
“It was exciting to also see at World Plumbing Day, the
first stage construction of the new Trade Development
Centre for PICAC, which will also be used for this type of
training and other industry related courses, in Geelong.”
The new multimillion dollar investment in Geelong will
have dedicated training rooms with state of the art IT
and audio visual equipment, as well as machinery and
operating areas to allow apprentices to gain hands on
experience in all aspects of plumbing. It is expected to
open at the end of October 2015.
The plumbing apprenticeship has been set up to
train the group scheme apprentices employed by
Plumbing Apprenticeships Victoria. All apprentices must
have completed the Certificate II in Plumbing (Pre-
apprenticeship), which is also delivered at PICAC with the
PIT Board consisting of representatives from the Master
Plumbers and Mechanical Services Association and the
Plumbing Trades Employees Union.
Ken Gardner, CEO of the Master Plumbers Association
says, “Ensuring plumbing training keeps pace with
industry has never been more important. In the plumbing
sector the skill requirements of industry are evolving and
changing constantly, and new and innovative products
and systems are emerging all the time, particularly
relating to water use and re-use. It’s great to see the
industry investing in training and education to provide
jobs for the future.”
Attending World Plumbing Day were senior government
Ministers and key industry representatives.
“World Plumbing Day is a great opportunity to demonstrate
how critical the industry is to improving public health and
safeguarding the environment,” Mr La Combre said.
“In Victoria it is fantastic to have a dedicated facility
that provides the men and women in our industry with the
knowledge and capabilities to navigate the ever changing
landscape of this vital trade. With the unveiling of the new
Centre in Geelong and the planned Centre in Narre Warren,
in Melbourne’s outersouth east growth corridor, we will
be able to train more people, make sure that current
plumbers stay abreast of the latest technology, making
our plumbers the most highly skilled in Australia.”
World Plumbing Day is held on March 11 each year to mark
the vital role plumbing plays to maintaining global health.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Delegates were invited to hear from a range of key industry speakers. They also caught a glimpse of PICAC’s new trade
development in Geelong, Victoria.