Plumbing Connection Winter 2016

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4 4 PLUMBING CONNECTION WINTER 2016
Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre
“While conducting research into the most appropriate
areas to open a second centre, our Board was quite surprised
by the number of people willing to travel to Geelong over
Melbourne to further their studies and engage in training.
“We knew Geelong had its own critical mass to draw upon
and not surprising was the fact that students west of there
would travel in. What we were surprised to discover was the
appeal of Geelong to those who lived east of it. Factors like
traffic congestion and density combine to give the coastal
city more appeal. People as far east as Hoppers Crossing
expressed a preparedness to travel away from the city and
if you’ve ever tried to get over the West Gate bridge during
peak hour you can understand why. Perhaps the biggest
surprise though was the interest shown from people as
far around as Bendigo. As it turns out, the catchment into
Geelong is a lot bigger than we expected.”
As mentioned above, expansion beyond Geelong is already
on the cards as Narre Warren has been earmarked for the
next PICAC to be built and is currently in the design stage.
“The south east is a massive corridor,” Shayne says.
“Our site is located close to Fountain Gate shopping centre
and the local train station. We have established a different
concept altogether for Narre Warren though. We have
partnered with IAPMO and are looking to establish a research
hub there as well.
“One of the things we have found to be causing an issue
for the industry is the extent to which we, as a country, are
importing new technologies. There are quite a few barriers
to doing that; even with a really good product. This area has
had some serious deficiency for some time, with many of the
resulting risks falling back on the plumber.
“Looking back to when we first started here at PICAC,
uptake of products relating to solar hot water and grey
water systems faced big hurdles. While the products and
technology were good, there were significant competency
gaps in the people who needed to install and maintain them.
What we are looking to do in Narre Warren is fly close to a
product certification operation to ensure we understand
what is emerging and make sure industry training is
sufficient and up-to-speed.”
These two new PICACs will not only benefit those in the
Geelong and south east regions but represent a big win
for all in the industry as the continual development and
advancement of skills generated at each will further inject a
supply of needed tradespersons to support building activity
across the country.
By its own admission, showcasing the world’s very best,
leading edge technology means PICAC is training the
plumbers of tomorrow, today.
TRAINING
ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE FOUND
TO BE CAUSING AN ISSUE FOR THE
INDUSTRY IS THE EXTENT TO WHICH
WE, AS A COUNTRY, ARE IMPORTING
NEW TECHNOLOGIES.