The qualification is aimed at those people who are already working within the Plumbing Industry but do not hold a recognised qualification. BPEC have worked closely with WaterSafe in the development of the qualification which will enable experienced workers without qualifications to achieve the recognition they deserve.

By achieving the qualification and completion of the WaterSafe initial assessment it will allow an individual to register with WaterSafe. WaterSafe is the new national plumbing assurance scheme being developed jointly by the water industry and the plumbing sector and is moving forward to its public launch on the 8th October 2013.

Initially funded by WRAS, WaterSafe is an umbrella organisation with a nationally recognisable brand, bringing together seven existing Approved Contractor schemes in the plumbing sector as well as water companies and the key plumbing industry bodies.

One of WaterSafe’s aims is to promote the awareness of, and the need to avoid, above ground drainage and misconnections. This is a key issue for Defra and all water companies and the WaterSafe scheme has the full support of central Government to eradicate misconnections as well as driving up standards in the industry.

Approval to deliver the qualification (QCF number 600/9431/X) is through BPEC’s Awarding Organisation; an approval visit by both BPEC and a member of WaterSafe (WRAS) will be required prior to delivery. These may be carried out independently of each other as an initial assessment will need to be undertaken by potential candidates before they start the qualification. This is a specific requirement of the scheme operator WaterSafe.

Centres wishing to offer this qualification must have staff with the appropriate qualifications Advanced Craft or NVQ Level 3 in plumbing, assessor and IV qualifications.

There is a registration fee required by BPEC of £175 per candidate which includes certification, candidate manual and registration.

Any centres interested in being approved to offer this course please contact Steve Ward, BPEC’s Awarding Organisation operations manager
sward@bpec.org.uk
08456446558

The WPC Education and Training Scholarship was first established in 2003 with
successful applicants to date travelling to many parts of the world. Mr. Chaney
said, “the Scholarship is intended to provide and educational exchange between
countries that focuses on plumbing industry training, and at the same time
exposes the participant to new technologies and innovations in training systems.

The Scholarship also provides an opportunity to increase global awareness of
the contribution that plumbing has made to global health and the environment.”
Mr. Chaney went on to say “the 2012 recipient of the WPC Education and
Training Scholarship was selected from applicants from around the globe
including applications from Brazil, Uganda, France, Canada, India, Ghana,
United kingdom, USA and Australia.” He said that, “this was another a small
step towards the World Plumbing Council meeting its mission, to promote the
role of plumbing in improving public health and safeguarding the environment,
by uniting the World Plumbing Industry for the benefit of all.”

The WPC Scholarship also provides the opportunity to live and work within the
culture of another country, providing the chance to learn another language and
develop new friendships. It also provides an opportunity for the successful
applicant to focus on some of the following areas of plumbing industry activity;

• Identification of emerging vocational training needs and trends
• Plumbing training & education to address the environment and sustainability
issues
• The value of water efficiency to the community and the plumbing industry
• How does plumbing training or lack of training affect public health in a country
or region?

Please visit www.worldplumbing.org click on Communications then Education &
Training Scholarship to see the reports of previous recipients and to download
an application for the 2013 Scholarship. Applications close on the 31st July
2013.

 
Owain, studying at Coleg Sir Gar, went up against 10 other competitors in a task to install a small central heating system. Their work had to be completed within the time limit, safely and to recognised industry standards, with a very small tolerance for errors.

Neil Collishaw of SummitSkills, Owain Powell and David Jones Principal of Deeside College

 
Second place was awarded to Lewis Coombs of Bridgend College, with the third place slot going to Richard Carlson of Gower College Swansea.

 
Speaking of his win, Owain said: “I wasn’t expecting this at all; I thought there were others that may have done better, so it was great to hear my name called out! I hope I can now move onto the next stage and do well for Wales.”

 
SkillPLUMB has the UK Copper Board as its premier sponsor and is organised by SummitSkills. The Wales national final at Deeside College was also backed by the Welsh Government and the European Social Fund.

Neil Collishaw of SummitSkills, Lewis Coombs and David Jones Principal of Deeside College

 
Jeff Cuthbert, Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, congratulated the successful contestants at SkillPLUMB and its sister competition SkillELECTRIC. He said: “These competitions are an excellent opportunity for up-and-coming skilled workers in Wales to stretch themselves and really develop their abilities within their chosen fields. We aim to encourage young people entering these occupations to benchmark their skills against others in Wales, the UK or indeed internationally.”

 
The highest scoring competitors from the event now have the chance to compete at a grand final in November where they would face competitors from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and strive to be named SkillPLUMB UK champion.

Neil Collishaw of SummitSkills, Richard Carlson and David Jones Principal of Deeside College

 
Neil Collishaw, head of competitions at SummitSkills, said: “All competitors conducted themselves really well – we were very impressed with their dedication and professionalism. Our thanks also go to Deeside College for being an excellent host. This is the first time we’ve worked in collaboration with SkillBuild in Wales, making this the largest built environment skills competition ever held in Wales – our biggest and best event so far!”

 
SkillPLUMB is also a feeder route for competitors to potentially go forward and represent their country in 2015 at Brazil at the biennial WorldSkills competition – the world’s largest skills competition.

 
To find out more about SkillPLUMB visit www.skillplumb.org.uk

Michael, an apprentice with Cheshire Building Contractors and studying at Warrington College, came out on top after six competitors went head-to-head on a plumbing task to install a small central heating system. Judges awarded Michael with the most points against tough criteria including accuracy, quality of work and health and safety.

Second place was awarded to Benjamin Whitfield of TD Whitfields and Sons and Leeds College of Building, with the third place slot going to Craig George of Ayre Heating and Plumbing and New College Durham.

Speaking of his win, Michael said: “I couldn’t quite believe it when I heard my name, you’re never sure how well you’ve done so I’m over the moon to have won. And to know I’m the best in the North is an added bonus! Well done to all the other lads as well, and thank you to Warrington College and my employer Cheshire Building Contractors for their help.”

SkillPLUMB has the UK Copper Board as its premier sponsor and is organised by SummitSkills. The highest scoring competitors from the event have the chance to compete at a grand final in November, which is held at The Skills Show at the Birmingham NEC, where they will face competitors from across the UK and strive to be named SkillPLUMB champion.

This year saw the SkillPLUMB Northern heat held alongside partner competitions SkillELECTRIC, SkillFRIDGE and SkillPIPE. SkillBuild, organised by the CITB, was also held at Burnley College on the same date. Neil Collishaw, head of competitions at SummitSkills, said: “This is the first year that all competitions have been held at regional level at the same venue. With SkillBuild also running alongside us, we’ve held the biggest ever regional built environment skills competition event, which is a great achievement. Congratulations to all who took part.”

SkillPLUMB is a feeder route for competitors to potentially go forward and represent their country in 2015 at Brazil at the biennial WorldSkills competition – the world’s largest skills competition.

To find out more about SkillPLUMB visit www.skillplumb.org.uk

In a short space of time BPEC is already supporting over 30 such colleges and training centres in the delivery of qualifications in plumbing, green deal advice and smart metering, with more qualifications currently under development.

We at BPEC understand it is a big decision to change your provider in areas so key to your organisation but BPEC can and will support you through such a changeover.

Importantly we can also provide you the highest standards of ongoing support with our experienced technical and administration staff always on hand to answer any queries, questions and comments that you may have.

Many BPEC Staff have themselves previously worked in colleges and private training centres and as such have strong empathy with the issues faced by busy tutors and assessors. As a consequence we take great care in ensuring our procedures and paperwork is not bureaucratic and is clear and straightforward.

If you would like to find out more, without obligation please contact sward@bpec.org.uk via 07917 350365 or 01332 376012.

In the meantime please read the comments below of some of our existing customers working with the BPEC Awarding Organisation:

Ian Hall of Tameside College said:
“On behalf of the College and the Plumbing Department, I would like to thank BPEC for the exemplary service and customer care that we have received”
Ian also commented:
“The resources are first class, with the unit/assignment paperwork being of the highest quality and clearly shows that the consultations with centres has been used to create straight forward and concise documents that add a quality feel to the delivery and recording of information, both in-centre and on-site.
Having dealt with BPEC over a number of years for various Building Services courses and having received exemplary support throughout, I have no doubts whatsoever backing the BPEC Level 2 Plumbing Foundation. The current Level 2 Diploma in Plumbing and Heating for Work Based Learners is excellent, with a fantastic support mechanism in place to support the centres with sound resources available to accompany the course content.
BPEC have made the whole experience of delivering Building Services qualifications simple again. Such a refreshing attitude towards learning is very welcome and much appreciated”.

Steven Dobney from Burnley College commented:
“BPEC provide excellent personal support and guidance with a fast response to any queries, we know that they are only a phone call away if we need them”.

BPEC is now arranging 1 day update train the trainer courses for tutors who hold the existing BPEC Rainwater Harvesting and Greywater Recycling Certificate.

The first update train the trainer course will be at Stephenson College, Coalville, Leicestershire on July 9th 2013 and will cost £150 including training manual, certification fee and VAT. Places are limited and later in the year BPEC will withdraw both its existing non mapped Rainwater Harvesting and also Rainwater Harvesting and Greywater Recycling Courses, so we would therefore urge you to book a place as soon as possible.

To request a booking form please call 0845 644 6558 or e-mail info@bpec.org.uk

The manual has been revised and enhanced to ensure that it is fully compliant with recent changes to Gas legislation and standards and is now fully up to date with LPG regulations and approved standards.

Should you wish to purchase a copy please visit www.bpec.org.uk or email services@bpec.org.uk or call 0845 644 6558

The day had finally arrived, Wednesday 30th January, the opening of the Loma Fresca Laundry Facility. The team made a final excursion bright and early to the builder’s merchants before the last day of work started. They were met there by Mario in his beaten up truck – this had been the team’s transport for the last two weeks.

Greeted by hoards of kids, most were asking when the party was going to be.

‘We of course, still had work to do! The jobs remaining were mainly snagging type jobs, a bit more guttering here, a bit of rendering there, getting some water in the tank, building a gate, oh and did we mention LOADS OF PLUMBING!’

Pushing to the finish, the buzz of anticipation was growing. The last three beasts of wash stands needed to be carried and plumbed in and with the help of some local ladies, a stone path was made.

While the men were beavering away on site, some ladies from the team were preparing for the fiesta later by making bunting, blowing up balloons and organising food and drinks.

During the afternoon, the wash stands were cemented into place, the final plumbing jobs were completed and the big clear up began! The ladies bought up and erected the bunting & balloons and at dead on four o’clock they were ready for the party to start!

‘The kids especially were so excited! We were told that the Mayor of Bluefields would be here in five minutes. WOW! A city of some 70,000 people & our little laundry project had really captured attention.’

As the entourage started to arrive a huge gazebo was erected, a public address system was set up and an area was cleared for chairs to be put. This all added to the excitement of the locals.

‘We had promised the kids a piñata, a very traditional party treat in Latin America. A paper mache shape or animal is covered in bright tissue paper and filled with sweets, hung from a beam and swung around while a blindfolded child tries to beat the living daylights out of it with a stick. We ended up having four brought, oh no!’

As everyone waited for the Mayor, video cameras rolled, radio interviews were conducted and eventually, forty five minutes later the Mayor arrived. There were several speeches made and the Mayor thanked the whole team for their amazing effort and encouraged the community to really look after the facility.

Richard Geary, of the Peace and Hope Trust, was presented with a certificate of thanks from the Alcaldia (Council) and asked to do a speech. In his best ‘Spanglish’, he thanked everyone for their hard work and promised on behalf of the Peace and Hope Trust to continue to try and help the poor of Bluefields and Nicaragua. Never before had he experienced anything like this at the end of the many projects he has been involved in.

The Mayor formally cut the ribbon and declared the facility open.

‘We were almost killed in the rush! She turned on the tap… and water came out! Now the party could start!’

The four piñatas, fruit buns, sandwiches, drinks and crisps were dished out by the team. The team received a message from Mario, the transporter, to say could he take the ladies back now because he hadn’t got any lights on his vehicle. ‘This is Nicaragua!’ The men followed on later but had to pile into taxis.

The team were then informed that the Mayor had invited them to the Palacio (Civic offices) for a reception and lunch before the team were due to fly back.

‘This BPEC supported project has been successfully delivered to the community and we will feed back further on our return.”

The 15 team members that remain fly back to Managua on Thursday before continuing the work in the mountains of Matagalpa and then in Managua itself and finally fly back to England next Tuesday (5th). I had commented to Richard how the time seems to have gone so quickly on this project – ‘You’re right, time flies when you’re enjoying yourself!’

As the penultimate day of the project it meant the team had a long hard day. As a force of habit, the team went to the builder’s merchants for opening time. They collected wire fencing, guttering and all sorts of finishing ‘bits and bobs’.

‘We knew then that the day ahead would be varied and full of activity.’

On arrival at site the heavy overnight rain had made conditions particularly treacherous, the team were greeted by a little elderly man who seemed keen to help. They unloaded the truck and the man quickly offered to carry the huge roll (6’ by 100’) of wire fencing. It would have taken two of the team, with rests along the way, to get it down the track onto site but the old man put it on his back and took it all the way!

After medical advice, John Booth’s infected foot stopped him from being on site again so it was up to JR and the students from the Vocational Centre to put their skills into practise – John Booth had discussed the detailed plan of what was required. The plumbing included the use of 4 different sized plastic pipes, elbows, tees, isolators, pipe clips, reducers and taps to put together the water supply system and waste system, not to mention the rain water collection system.

While the plumbing team worked on this, other team members set out for the fence, struck the remainder of the shuttering, filled the base for the tanks and the very exciting part, put the zinc on the roof.

By lunch time things were really taking shape. A team of locals were left with some food and drink and during the lunch time they dug all of the fence post holes, 11 in total!

‘Every time we leave base or come back to base there are hoards of desperate people needing help with some thing or another.’ They all know ‘Mr Richard’ and he finds it emotionally draining as he wants to help everybody but the cake is only so big. ‘You cannot change the world, but you can change the world for a few!’

After bowls of soup and sandwiches the team were back off to pick up more plumbing bits and some huge trunk style fence posts before heading back to site. When they carried the posts down they were able to put them straight into the already dug holes.

During the long afternoon the concrete slab on the tank base was cast, the fence constructed, the guttering put up, the tank installed and plumbed in and three of the six wash stands were in place.

‘It seemed a long trudge up the hill to get the truck back into town in the near dark conditions.’

Yadira had prepared a mountain of spaghetti bolognaise ‘which was wonderful’ after their long hard day.

‘The opening of the Loma Fresca Laundry will take place at 4 o’clock in the afternoon on Wednesday 30th January 2013 when we will have a celebration with the local people!!!!!!!!’

Thankfully, the storm in Nicaragua didn’t damage any of the hard work although John Booth has been bitten on his foot and unfortunately it has got infected. The team didn’t let him work on Monday other than in an advisory capacity. The team were joined by another John who is a plumber from Ulster.

‘This was an unscheduled but welcome addition to the team.’

It is expected that the laundry facility will open on Wednesday 30th January and the project will have actually taken 11 days within 10% tolerance and within the min hours. They would be well over with the children’s hours though! The team only work half a day on Saturdays and not at all on a Sunday – this is most definitely their day of rest!

Bed time varies between 7.30-10.30 and it gets dark in Nicaragua around 6pm. Supper is eaten around 6.30 and is cooked by ‘our lovable Yadira’. Richard is usually one of the last to bed, sending me updates for the blog on a regular basis and then he is up at first light, 5am, to prepare for the day.

The team only usually do an 8 hour day because the heat is quite draining and the work is quite physical. The team get an extended lunch break while Richard organises materials etc. for the on-going work.

7 of the team flew back to Managua on Monday morning in preparation for flying back to England – this group included the Dentist and some of his team who have seen more than 750 patients and pulled teeth from most of them, ouch! Painting continued at the hospital, another 20 children’s uniforms were bought and a group of girls spent the afternoon making some wonderful greetings cards.

Richard went to the builders merchants to collect John’s order of plumbing gear – bags of bends, tees, clips, joints and pipes galore! Once this had been delivered to site 4 team members went on the back of a truck to collect the six pilas (wash stands) from where they had been made specially.

‘It took 3 trips to carry them back to Loma Fresca as they were exceedingly heavy! We didn’t much fancy carrying them down the long track to the laundry..’

With locals, they managed to move a couple before they had a visit from the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Bluefields, with a huge entourage of people from the council.

‘They are thrilled with what we are doing and would like to work with us on future projects. They called for a tractor to move the other four pilas down the hill for us.’

The team celebrated having these guests on site with some cassava cake which was made by 78 year old Miss Margaret who lives next door to the laundry.

The shuttering was taken down and cleaned and the block work base for the 2,500 litre water tank was constructed. Roof trusses were also made and lifted into place. Most importantly, the setting out of the plumbing was done in readiness for the onslaught on Wednesday when the Vocational Centre training will come into play.

‘At the end of the day the kids are still full of energy and wanting to interact with the team who are happy to have fun with them. They are not used to their parents playing with them & it is lovely that they feel comfortable and safe with us.’