WOMEN IN PLUMBING 33
Women Plumbing Apprentices share their thoughts .
Edited by Rory Macnamara . Sourced by SA Women in Plumbing ( SAWIP )
Continuing our series on Women in Plumbing , at the request of SAWIP , we are chatting to women apprentices . As Plumbing Africa has consistently maintained we do not wait for Women ’ s Month but recognise women monthly / all the time .
THANDOLWENKOSI NOMPILO MTSHALI . 1 . What is the best part of being an apprentice plumber ?
• You always learn new things and come across new challenges every day that help you to be more active .
• Hearing the customer saying , " it ' s the first time I am seeing a woman doing plumbing , I ’ m proud of you keep it up ."
• The best thing is to see a smile in the customer ' s face after I have taken the pain away and to see that customers do trust me to do an excellent job even after I told them that I am still learning .
• In some customer ' s house , the owner will be pleased to see a woman doing plumbing and they will even say " as a young woman doing plumbing which we believed was a man ' s industry , so young lady you got a strength , the power and skills to change that . Go out there and make history ".
• Nothing beats motivation from a stranger because usually that person does not know where you are coming from , they just speak what they see in you . And that is the best part of being an apprentice plumber .
2 . What is the worst part of being an apprentice plumber ?
• Not knowing what to expect on site , every day is the new challenges .
• You cannot even plan for tomorrow because you do not know what is going to happen , you get tired today and wake up tomorrow not having a plan for the day .
• And you will be like am going to take it as it comes that time deep down inside of you do not have even energy to lift your finger . But you got remind yourself why you started .
3 . How are you managing the worst part ?
• First thing I always tell myself before getting out of bed is that , " it ' s either this day is going to be better / good or worse day of my life , either way this day doesn ' t define the future if it ' s worse am going to learn from it and if good also I will be learning and improving .”
• By always reminding myself that worse days are those days that remind me why am I doing plumbing . And take worse days as a chance to introspect myself try to understand what made it worse and how to improve from that .
4 . What do you believe is plumbing all about ?
• The purpose of plumbing and sanitation is to deliver clean water and remove waste to protect our community from diseases .
• Also , plumbing is about doing what most people are afraid or do not like to do even though it is necessary , like unblocking the drain .
• Improving skills and believing in yourself as you know that two important tools for plumbing are my hands and my mind .
5 . What will I contribute to plumbing when I qualify ?
• Assure customer ' s satisfaction , make sure that my customers feel connected .
Thandolwenkosi Nompilo Mtshali .
• Value customer ' s money by making sure that the products and material I use is certified to perform and approved by SANS standard .
• As you know that plumbing industry is strong economic engine , so the aim is to provide jobs for women and empower them to believe in themselves .
6 . Who is my employer ?
• IOPSA
7 . Are you a team player ?
• Yes , I am a team player because two or more minds produce different ideas than one mind .
• Being a team player helps you to keep your mind clear because not everyone is going to agree with you , so you need to prepare yourself for debate sometimes .
• As a plumber you need to have an assistant that will help you as you will be driving around from client to client . Be someone that is easy to work with . PA
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April 2022 Volume 28 I Number 2 www . plumbingafrica . co . za