Plumbing and Heating

WorldSkills Occupational Standards (WSOS)

Occupation description and WSOS

The name of the skill competition is

Description of the associated work role(s) or occupation(s)

A plumbing and heating technician works on commercial, residential, agricultural, and industrial projects. There is a direct relationship between the nature and quality of the product required and the payment made by the customer. Therefore, the practitioner has a continuing responsibility to work professionally in order to meet the requirements of the customer and thus maintain and grow the business. Plumbing and heating is closely associated with other parts of the construction industry, and with the many products that support it, normally for commercial purposes.

The plumbing and heating technician works internally and externally, including the homes of customers and on small and major projects. He or she will plan and design, select and install, commission, de-commissioning, test, report, maintain, fault find, and repair systems to a high standard. Work organization and self-management, communication and interpersonal skills, problem solving, flexibility, and a deep body of knowledge are the universal attributes of the outstanding practitioner.

Whether the plumbing and heating technician is working alone or in a team, the individual takes on a high level of personal responsibility and autonomy. From working to provide a safe and reliable plumbing and heating service, in accordance with relevant standards, through to diagnosing malfunctions, and commissioning plumbing and heating systems and components, precision, accuracy and attention to detail every step in the process matters and mistakes are largely irreversible, costly, and potentially life threatening.

Automation, digitalisation and, especially, climate change are impacting on the plumbing and heating technician’s role. Prefabrication, with embedded services, enable rapid construction, while not necessarily enabling efficient maintenance and repair. The response to pressures on users to preserve water and monitor its use is increasingly assisted by automation. Plumbers are at the heart of measures to reduce energy costs both in economic use of materials that use natural resources in manufacture and in the supply of water, its heating, cooling, and disposal, wherever there is supply to and use by customers.

With the international mobility of people, the plumbing and heating technician face rapidly expanding opportunities and challenges. For the talented practitioner there are many commercial and international opportunities; however, they carry with them the need to understand and work with diverse needs, cultures, and trends. The diversity of skills associated with plumbing and heating is therefore likely to expand.

The WorldSkills Occupational Standards (WSOS)

General notes on the WSOS

The WSOS specifies the knowledge, understanding, skills, and capabilities that underpin international best practice in technical and vocational performance. These are both specific to an occupational role and also transversal. Together they should reflect a shared global understanding of what the associated work role(s) or occupation(s) represent for industry and business (www.worldskills.org/WSOS).

The skill competition is intended to reflect international best practice as described by the WSOS, to the extent that it can. The Standard is therefore a guide to the required training and preparation for the skill competition.

In the skill competition the assessment of knowledge and understanding will take place through the assessment of performance. There will only be separate tests of knowledge and understanding where there is an overwhelming reason for these.

The Standard is divided into distinct sections with headings and reference numbers added.

Each section is assigned a percentage of the total marks to indicate its relative importance within the Standards. This is often referred to as the “weighting”. The sum of all the percentage marks is 100. The weightings determine the distribution of marks within the Marking Scheme.

Through the Test Project, the Marking Scheme will assess only those skills and capabilities that are set out in the WorldSkills Occupational Standards. They will reflect the Standards as comprehensively as possible within the constraints of the skill competition.

The Marking Scheme will follow the allocation of marks within the Standards to the extent practically possible. A variation of up to five percent is allowed, if this does not distort the weightings assigned by the Standards.

WorldSkills Occupational Standards

Section		Relative importance (%)
1	Work organization and management	10
	The individual needs to know and understand: The purposes, uses, maintenance, and care of all equipment, together with their safety implications The purposes, uses, care, and potential risks associated with materials and chemicals The purposes and uses of manufacturers’ specifications and drawings How to search for specific and non-specific information, specifications, and guidance to complete a task The time available and associated with each activity The parameters within which activities need to be scheduled The health and safety standards applying at any one time The use of new technologies such as digitised electronic equipment and lasers as a work aid, where readily available and straightforward to use Principles and their application to good housekeeping in the work environment
	The individual shall be able to: Prepare and maintain a safe, tidy, and efficient work area Prepare and if need remedy the surfaces to which systems and appliances will be installed Select and use appropriate personal protective equipment when necessary Select and use appropriate hand tools to complete tasks safely Follow specific precautions when manual handling, long and/or heavy items Follow specific precautions when working with electrically powered hand tools Follow specific precautions when soldering Use digital and/or laser technology for installation/assessment Schedule work to maximize efficiency and minimize disruption Plan, prepare and complete each task within the available time Restore the work area to an appropriate condition Prepare reports based on the type of work completed
2	Communication and interpersonal skills	10
	The individual needs to know and understand: The range and purposes of documentation, including text, graphical, paper based and electronic Drawing notation and the symbols for pipe work, fittings, and appliances The technical language associated with the skill The standards required for routine and exceptional reporting in oral, handwritten, and/or electronic form The nature of the reports provided by measuring equipment, together with their interpretation The required standards for customer service and care The changing nature of customers’ needs and wants in the face of environmental pressures
	The individual shall be able to: Read, interpret, and extract technical data and instructions from manuals and other documentation Communicate in the workshop by oral, written, and electronic means using standard formats with clarity, effectiveness, and efficiency Use a standard range of communications technology Respond to customers’ needs face to face and indirectly Estimate and advise customers on the cost benefit initially and over time of the available choices of equipment and systems Explain the functionality and operation of appliances and/or installations
3	Design and adapt installation systems	15
	The individual needs to know and understand: The required information regarding the design of the installation Symbols and abbreviations used in specifications and drawings Drawing aspects (e.g. plan, elevations, isometric, and schematic) The uses and limitations of the generally available drawing tools
	The individual shall be able to: Design installation systems within given parameters Produce simple freehand sketches including isometric to support given architect drawings to aid the installation process, using standard symbols and abbreviations Estimate the requirement for equipment and materials Select the equipment and materials according to given criteria Where required, recommend alternatives, and either order the equipment and materials or amend the design of the system
4	Install pipe work, fixtures, and appliances: traditional and new	40
	The individual needs to know and understand: The uses and limitations of the specified bending and jointing methods, materials, and fittings in order to complete a leak-free installation The range and characteristics of bending/jointing methods, materials, and fittings Properties of the piping material available: for example: Copper Black mild steel and Galvanised mild steel “GMS” (no heat bending or welding) Press fit: stainless steel, copper, or galvanized steel Cast iron Polymer pipe Plastic (single or multi-layered) The handling, cutting, bending, jointing, and forming sub-assemblies The safe operation of the cutting, bending, threading, soldering, and testing equipment provided, according to manufacturer guidelines The applications appropriate to: Pre-wall installation systems Surface wall installation Hot water installations Cold Water Installations Heating installations Underfloor heating Gas installation systems Wastewater systems Systems and installation requirements to contribute to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Goal 6 - Ensure access to water and sanitation for all Rainwater harvesting or grey water system Installation of the piping system above ground level Installation of appliances systems that reduce water consumption and provide access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene Goal 7 - Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy and Goal 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts Heat pump systems, Ground Source and Air Source (Not Refrigeration Type) Hybrid Heating systems for conversion of older systems Solar thermal hot water systems
	The individual shall be able to: Read and interpret drawing for a range of systems and appliances Interpret drawings to facilitate pipe-work fabrication and the installation of appliances Modify the area and surfaces, as required, to permit fixing and assembly take and transfer measurements and angles from given drawings to surfaces and piping materials Select suitable fixing methods for the available surfaces, appliances, and environment Fix an appropriate number and diameter of pipe brackets/clips in the correct or specified configuration Determine the optimal way to use given materials to complete assembly and installation of systems in a sustainable manner Install systems to ensure they provide access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene standards Create freehand sketches for the purposes of pipe bending and assembly Limit the generation of waste through uneconomic use of materials to aid sustainability of natural resources Determine and use the correct positions for cutting the piping material Measure, set out, and mark the materials and pipework Determine the correct positions for bending the piping material Select an appropriate and safe method for handling, cutting, installing, and jointing the piping material Utilize the chosen method to bend the piping material safely Utilize the chosen jointing method to form the pipe-work sub-assemblies Install the pipework utilizing the previously fitted brackets/clips Install sanitary fixtures Install appliances Connect the pipework to the appliances/utilities Install gas, water, heating, and effluent pipe work
5	Connect, test, and commission assemblies and appliances	15
	The individual needs to know and understand: The procedures, equipment, and tools for applying soundness tests to systems The methods of establishing adequate supply from the utilities The actions to take where pre-commissioning checks or tests reveal system or component defects How to complete commissioning documentation The sources of information on the performance of systems or components The procedures for ensuring the component performance against the design specification The sequences for commissioning systems or components The actions to take when components are being commissioned and do not meet design requirements System handover procedures and demonstrating the operation of systems and components to end users
	The individual shall be able to: Perform all pre-commissioning/commissioning tasks Connect test equipment to the pipework Test the plumbing and heating components (pressure test and/or other tests) to ensure conformity to specification Flush and drain the installations Fill pipework and appliances and assess the flow rate/pressures to domestic sanitary appliances Hand over installations to customers, including documentation Provide customers with all appropriate user information and answer questions
6	Generate and apply solutions for maintenance, repair, and replacement	10
	The individual needs to know and understand: Features of excellent customer service The techniques for identifying customers’ problems The information that should be available on the routine and non-routine service and maintenance requirements of systems and components The methods of protecting customers’ property in the area where the work is carried out The maintenance procedures necessary to ensure compliance with industry requirements for routine and non-routine maintenance activities How to complete records and reports of the maintenance of systems and components The action to take when a system or component does not work to full performance specification The measures to ensure that systems do not present a safety hazard to potential users, or the workforce, when carrying out rectification procedures How to isolate unsafe systems and components The main features of each possible option, including risk factors The selection and use of different methods for exploring problems, including dividing it into sub-problems, and analysing its features System handover procedures and demonstrations of the operation of systems and components to end users
	The individual shall be able to: Prepare the work area, safeguarding surrounding areas Diagnose the quality or deficiencies of appliances, components, and systems Identify the relative advantages or possibilities of maintenance, repair, or replacement Identify the method of maintaining, repairing, or replacing the appliances or systems Acquire components or replacements as determined Isolate and drain the plumbing and heating components Maintain, repair, or replace appliances or systems, as advisable and agreed Open isolating valves, recharge with water and check for leaks Re-commission systems Check for correct functioning (flow and pressure) Restore areas to their former condition Hand over installations to customers Provide customers with all appropriate user information and answer questions
	Total	100

References for industry consultation

General notes

WorldSkills is committed to ensuring that the WorldSkills Occupational Standards fully reflect the dynamism of internationally recognized best practice in industry and business. To do this WorldSkills approaches a number of organizations across the world that can offer feedback on the draft Description of the Associated Role and WorldSkills Occupational Standards on a two-yearly cycle.

In parallel to this, WSI consults three international occupational classifications and databases:

ISCO-08: (http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/stat/isco/isco08/)
ESCO: (https://ec.europa.eu/esco/portal/home )
O*NET OnLine (www.onetonline.org/)

References

This WSOS appears most closely to relate to Plumber:
https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/47-2152.02
and
http://data.europa.eu/esco/occupation/ed3cf43d-c2c1-4c46-82fc-1375e27e0290

Adjacent occupations can also be explored through these links.

ILO 7126.

The following table indicates which organizations were approached and provided valuable feedback for the Description of the Associated Role and WorldSkills Occupational Standards in place for WorldSkills Lyon 2024.

Organization	Contact name, position
BPEC	Neil Collishaw, CEO
Geberit Vertriebs AG	Walter Brändle, Technical Sales Manager
Reece Pty Ltd	John Doig, Plumbing Business Development Manager
IAPMO	Grant Stewart, Programme Director