National Water for Health and the Environment

Conference 2018

“Training the Trades”

Training the Trades

Shayne La Combre

Chief Executive Officer, PICAC

Chair, World Plumbing Council

Training the Trades

Pre 1990’s

• Utilities owned and operated by large public monopolies:

- Gas and Fuel Corporation, 1951 -1995

- State Electricity Commission, 1919 - 1993

- Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works, 1891 - 1992

Utilities directly

employed and trained

thousands of

tradespeople and

apprentices

Training the Trades

Pre 1990’s

• Training delivered by large public utilities was

• Current

• Holistic

• Thorough

• The definitive point of reference for all aspects of the relevant trade – standards, training, product development etc.

Training the Trades

• Public monopolies broken up,

privatized or corporatised

• Trades training disrupted

• Competition and contestability in the TAFE sector

• Push to nationalize VET sector training

1990’s - Privatisation, Competition, Nationalisation of training

Training the Trades

Two decades of trial and error

in VET

• TAFE vs. non TAFE providers

• Fragmentation of courses and trades

• Sub standard outcomes for students

and industry

• Drift of systems knowledge away from

trades

• Loss of student and industry

confidence in VET sector

Training the Trades

• Drought drives industry change and innovation

• Training sector delivering sub-prime outcomes

• Training outcomes not delivering what industry needs

By the mid 2000’s...

Training the Trades

Building the Plumbing Workforce of the Future

Safety/OHSPlumbing

• Sanitary plumbing

• Mechanical

plumbing

• Green plumbing

• High risk licence

• First aid

• Cert IV in WHS

• HSR training

Air Conditioning

• Basic

airconditioning

design

• Fundamentals of

air and water

balance

Fire Protection

• Cert II - Inspect

and test

• Fire Protection

➢ Domestic

➢ Residential

Whole of industry creation

Training the Trades

WORLD CLASS FACILITIES

Training the Trades

INDUSTRY HUB

Training the Trades

Partnership with the International Association of Plumbing and

Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), one of the world’s leading

plumbing product certification agencies means PICAC trainees

can embrace industry innovation and emerging

technologies first hand

Geelong, VIC

PICAC Narre Warren will be Australia’s first

Net Zero Energy training facility and will train

the first generation of Net Zero Energy

professionals

Training the Trades

Features

• Ground Source

Heat Pump (GSHP)

system to heat and

cool the building

• Eliminates the use

of gas other than for

training purposes

• GSHP thermal

loops combined

within the screw pile

footings

• 220 wells, some 100 meters deep

• 6 km of vertical bore

• 10kms of piping

Training the Trades

The 4 Pillars represent the four key, separate yet interrelated, elements of a successful plumbing industry

Training the Trades