Centre of Excellence status enables a winning streak in plumbing

Waltham Forest College was presented the achievement plaque by the Society of Public Health Engineers (SoPHE), after securing the status of ‘Centre of Excellence’ for plumbing.

SoPHE is a national organisation with membership for Public Health Engineers. It sits within The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), the professional body for the building services engineering industry.

The College developed strong links with SoPHE to bridge the gap between domestic, commercial and industrial plumbing and expand the curriculum offer that enables learners to progress onto higher levels of study leading to employment opportunities.

Plumbing lecturer, Rennie Llewellyn, said:

“Through this engagement, SoPHE has provided valuable learning opportunities for our plumbing learners. Teaching and learning have been delivered through specialist seminars and practical demonstrations showcasing techniques delivered by leading industry experts. This has allowed our learners to build their confidence and showcase their skills in regional competitions”. 

Plumbing learners from Waltham Forest College, New City College, City of Westminster and College of North West London, competed in plumbing skill competitions. Students demonstrated their technical skills by reading and interpreting planned drawings and mark-out full-scale templates before the installation of pipework and components.

Waltham Forest College students progressed to win the first position in all three categories: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3.

Prizes were sponsored by Mr Saju Shah, from Electrical Distributing Company LTD.

Waltham Forest College students continue their upwards streak by recently passing the blind heats for WorldSkills UK and will be attending the National Qualifiers being held at Harrow College on 13th June. 

The skills competition was held in locations across London and designed by industry experts to enable learners to grow personally and professionally by developing their technical and employability skills.

Director of Curriculum, Rochelle Saneria, commented:

“Waltham Forest College would like to show appreciation to Peter WHITE (Chairman of SoPHE) and Sanjay MODASIA member of the Industry Working Group (IWG) for their outstanding service and support to the College and our learners over the past year.

“It’s so rewarding to see our students excel and succeed in their chosen career pathways.  Our plumbing learners are firing on all cylinders, demonstrating their dedication and technical skills through these competitions. It’s a fantastic achievement for those who participated and those who have progressed to the next round of WorldSkills UK competition.”

For more information or to apply for a plumbing course at Waltham Forest College, head over to the website: www.waltham.ac.uk