18 ASSOCIATIONS
Plumbing 2025 Overview
ByIOPSA and Rory Macnamara
A strategy session conducted over the past 12 months has been held under the auspices of the Institute of Plumbing SA ( IOPSA ) and the Plumbing Industry Registration Board ( PIRB ).
The final vision and mission explains the outcome well and is reproduced here :
Vision Restoring growth , trust , quality , professionalism , and pride to plumbing .
Mission Within the next five years , we aim for the plumbing industry to be a coordinated ecosystem , with every stakeholder and activity collaborating towards growth and prosperity . We aim for plumbing training to be at the pinnacle of training ; producing employable plumbers of a high standard that are leaders in the industry .
All stakeholders in the industry will be engaged and committed to upliftment . We will work towards legislation and policy that empowers and supports efficiency and growth . We aim to foster an inclusive environment that engages the informal sector . The industry as a whole will be future-focused and seen as relevant and key to national discussions . Additionally , we will develop a sector that is growing , expanding , and wellsupported . Plumbing will be a benchmark for corporate and industry governance in the trade ecosystem , which effectively translates value created to members . Trust and pride will be restored to the plumbing profession .
Considering the training undertaken by a plumber , which may range from three to four years , where they are taught far more than fixing pipes , but rather understanding certain elements of physics such as hydraulics , pressure and measurement , it is small wonder that the industry feels somewhat aggrieved at the lawlessness of a large number of people out there pretending to be plumbers . These people have no place calling themselves plumbers . Government , and particularly the Department of Higher Education ( DHET ), must take full responsibility for this situation .
However , PLUMBING 2025 seeks to change things and engage positively with all stakeholders , namely , plumbers and plumbing companies , training providers , manufacturers , wholesalers , merchants and retailers , industry , and professional bodies . Included in this must be DHET and their attached bodies like QCTO and DWS .
IOPSA and PIRB will be the coordinators and track the progress within the objectives and implementers will come from the industry and professional bodies .
www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline January 2021 Volume 26 I Number 11