Plumbing Africa October 2017 | Page 59

ASSOCIATIONS << Continued from page 55 the training requirements should be and why. Through these two steps, the aim is to create a storehouse of per- country or per-jurisdiction case studies concerning training requirements to participate in plumbing industries. After we have gained a collection of case studies for the Participation (training requirements) ‘pillar’, we will repeat the process to obtain case studies for the other three pillars. The WPC is holding its first Four Pillars of Plumbing Forum, focused on training requirements, on 19 October 2017 in Abu Dhabi, in conjunction with the 2017 WorldSkills Competition. The initial phase of the Four Pillars programme will culminate in the next World Plumbing Conference in September 2019, in Melbourne, Australia. The theme for the conference is: ‘What’s the best way to build a plumbing industry?’ Plumbing industries can get ideas for improving their industry frameworks by learning about the features of frameworks in other jurisdictions. We can jointly gather evidence and arguments that support establishing — and in some cases defending — strong frameworks for plumbing industries. www.plumbingafrica.co.za 57 WPC members, and other organisations that contribute case studies, will be able to draw on this unique storehouse of knowledge. WPC members will also be able to obtain tailored information from the WPC Secretariat, drawn from analyses of the case studies. The WPC does not think there is a one-size-fits-all ‘best’ plumbing industry framework. The economic, institutional, and cultural environments of plumbing industries, and the scopes of plumbing industries, are too varied globally for there to be one ideal framework. But we do think better frameworks bring better outcomes, with the outcomes ranging from better availability of clean water and efficient sanitation services, to better prosperity of plumbing businesses and better growth of strong plumbing industries. If you are willing to help this initiative, whether by contributing a case study for one or more of the pillars or some other means, please contact the World Plumbing Council: [email protected]. In particular, I encourage you to join us in Abu Dhabi for the WPC General Meeting and the Four Pillars Forum event on 19 October 2017. PA Plumbing industries can get ideas for improving their industry frameworks by learning about the features of frameworks in other jurisdictions. October 2017 Volume 23 I Number 8