Changes to Scottish Building Regulations Go Live on 1st October

2010 Technical Handbooks were published in April this year which set out the changes to building regulations and guidance that will come into force on the 1st October this year. The handbooks are available by clicking here.

The changes introduced to the mandatory standards and associated guidance for 2010 involved all sections of the Technical Handbooks. Although the key changes will be apparent to readers and users of the building standards system, it is considered important and worthwhile to identify the relevant changes to the documents.

Countdown to World Plumbing Conference 2011

With just under one year to go to the start of the 9th World Plumbing Conference which will be held in Edinburgh from the 7 – 11 September 2011,organizers report that this is shaping up to be an event to remember.

Robert Burgon (current World Plumbing Council Chairman and Director & Secretary of the host organization, SNIPEF) reports that that there are several encouraging signs which point to this being a successful conference. “Early registrations are at an encouragingly high level with delegates already having registered from several countries including Australia, USA, China and Switzerland. A large number of the bedrooms in the principal conference hotel have already been booked although there is a good allocation still available in other city centre hotels.”

Robert continued, “SNIPEF has established a Conference Planning Committee which is developing plans for both the business and social programme. There will be two full days of conference presentations- with a Call for Papers having been issued worldwide. We are arranging three social functions during the event which include a Welcome Reception and Dinner, a spectacular Reception at  Edinburgh Castle and a Gala Dinner which is bound to give delegates an evening of a lifetime”.

Robert Burgon concluded: “Edinburgh in September is usually delightful- we have recently experienced some of the best weather of the entire summer and our city really looks its best at this time of year. The Conference follows the end of the Edinburgh Festival and Tattoo which will be of interest to those delegates able to arrive early.” 

Click here for more information on the 2011 event.

Plumbing Industry in Northern Ireland withdraws from CITB

Plumbing and heating businesses who were previously registered with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) Northern Ireland were removed from levy liability as from 1 September 2010.

This means that those businesses currently registered will not be required to pay levy to CITB (NI) and will as a consequence not be eligible to claim grant funding or be provided with the services of CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland. Any training undertaken by a business who did pay levy, will be paid the grant due will be honoured, so long as training was completed by 31 August 2010 and an application for grant is submitted (either on-line or hard copy) by 30 November 2010.

From 1 September 2010 all matters relating to the sectors training needs including new entrants and the existing workforce will become the responsibility of SummitSkills the Sector Skills Council for Building Services Engineering, who can be contacted at www.summitskills.org.uk.

New Micro-renewables Training Centre Opened

A new Micro-renewables Training Centre, which will be amongst the first in Scotland to deliver the new Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) level 3 certificate in Environmental Technologies has been opened by Jim Mather the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism.

The centre which is based at the offices of SELECT n Midlothian, was supported by SNIPEF, HVCA, Skills Development Scotland and Vaillant and will offer Solar, Photovoltaic and Heat Pump courses. The first training courses will be run at the beginning of November.

In a further committment to the new technologies, from this year, all plumbing, heating and electrical apprentices will undertake a core environmental technologies component as part of their SVQ qualification. this will give all new entrants some basic knowledge and skills in the new technologies and how they work in practice. Furthermore apprentices in the plumbing and heating sector will be able to choose to undertake the SVQ Level 3 Certificate in solar panel and heat pump installations in the third year of their apprenticeship which means that they will be fully trained and competent when they complete their 4 year training programme.

Jim Mather, Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism (2nd left) with SNIPEF

President Tom Galloway, Robert Burgon, SNIPEF Director, Duncan Wilson, SNIPEF

Head of Training and Alan Wilson, Chair of the Scottish Microgneration Working Group.

SNIPEF Move To New Offices

SNIPEF has now moved to new offices. We are now based at Bellevue House, 22 Hopetoun Street, Edinburgh EH7 4GH. The telephone and email adresses remain unchanged.

Click here for a map showing the location of the new offices.

Plumbing Apprentice Wins National Competition

Alan Henderson an apprentice plumber from Moray College in Elgin has won the prestigious Scottish Regional SkillPlumb Competition, which was held in Borders College, Galashiels on the 4th and 5th June 2010.

The competition, which is organised by SNIPEF, brings together apprentices from each of the Technical Colleges and Training Centres in Scotland who teach the Plumbing SVQ Level 3 Qualification.  Alan was one of 17 competitors who took part in the two-day competition.

The SkillPlumb Competition has been devised to incorporate everyday plumbing tasks which an apprentice is likely to encounter during their training. The competition consists of two workshop exercises, a copper pipework exercise and a lead bossing and forming exercise.  In addition there is also a multiple choice exam paper on aspects of plumbing and heating work. 

At the prize giving ceremony held at Borders College, SNIPEF President Tom Galloway paid tribute to the hard work of the apprentices throughout the competition. He also thanked the host college for the work they had put in to make the competition such a success.

The prizes were awarded by Tom Galloway and Robert Beagley, Regional Director of Plumb Center who had donated all of the material for the copper pipe work exercise. Robert said “Plumb Center are pleased to continue its support for this important competition. The overall quality of work has been excellent and it augurs well for the future.”  “As a company we are fully behind these apprentices who undertake a proper apprenticeship in the industry”.  

Second place in the competition was won by Ben Tattersfield representing Ayr College, whilst Alistair Aird from Adam Smith College in Kirkcaldy finished third. The best lead work trophy was awarded to Liam Mutch from Inverness College.

Both Alan and Ben will now participate in the UK National SkillPlumb Competition which will be held at the Interbuild Exhibition in the NEC Birmingham in October.

Alan Henderson with SNIPEF President, Tom Galloway, Plumb Center Regional

Director Robert Beagley and SNIPEF Vice-President, Preston Fleming.

First SNIPEF Merit Award Presented

Jack Wishart, a Director of J W Wishart Plumbing and Heating LTD, has been awarded the first ever SNIPEF (Scottish & Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation) Merit Award.

The SNIPEF Merit Award was introduced to recognize individuals or organizations who had given exceptional service to SNIPEF and the wider plumbing industry in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In presenting the award, Tom said “Jack Wishart has worked tirelessly for the plumbing industry over many years. He first served on the SNIPEF Council in 1980 and became SNIPEF President in 1992-93. He represented SNIPEF at meetings of the old CORGI Scottish Regional Council and was our representative at European meetings for a number of years. He has also been a regular participant in meetings of the World Plumbing Council”.

Tom added “Until recently, Jack served as Chairman of the BPEC Group of companies, a role which he undertook with considerable dedication and passion. There is absolutely no doubt that Jack Wishart, the recipient of the first ever SNIPEF Merit Award has made a real difference to the plumbing industry not just in Scotland and Northern Ireland but throughout the UK”.

Jack Wishart (l) receives his Merit Award from

Tom Galloway.

SNIPEF Conference 2010

The 2010 SNIPEF Conference was held in the Crutherland Hotel, East Kilbride. Click here to see more about the conference.

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