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PROJECT
The Plumbing Gathering
By Rory Macnamara
An event that recognised the employers that work with BluLever Education .
As one knows , without an employer an apprentice will not get off the ground . An apprentice and an employer without a training college will only have one part of a ‘ trained ’ plumber , thus showing the need for all parts of the “ milking stool ” ( thanks to Mervyn Jordan for coining that ) to work together .
So , while BluLever has been going about their business of putting learners through their paces , starting with ‘ knowing themselves ’ to theory training the plumbing employer provides on-the-job training .
As ages were mentioned , like average age of the plumber is 55 years and 85 % are white , the need for plumber training is critical as is the need for promoting plumbing as a career which starts in the schools .
Aubrey Keble of Keble Plumbing , now in his 50 th year as a plumber stated so aptly , “ in the 70s plumbers were favourably compared with doctors , so essential was their work .” Aubrey noted with sadness that this comparison had deteriorated . He also asked if plumbing was a dying industry , which no doubt many may be asking the same question .
Not to be negative but to really understand that “ Plumbers are the protectors of the Nation ’ s health .” So the work being done by Youth Accelerators like Harambee , training colleges and employers is critical in ensuring that plumbing does not die but instead thrives with correct training , empowerment and transformation to balance the diversity that is South Africa . Hence the welcoming of women into plumbing together with their male counterparts .
Andy Rivers
Casian Mabvundwe
Johann Pretorius
All photos by BluLever www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline October 2022 Volume 28 I Number 8