Pretoria – Three thousand trainees contracted for the War on Leaks project have started training at Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges.
“Phase 1 is already underway as of 01 September 2015. The trainees are currently training at TVET colleges in six disciplines namely, plumbing, instrumentation, fitter and turner, electrical and welding, with the water agents training at various private training institutions,” the Department of Water and Sanitation said.
The War on Leaks aims to work with municipalities and communities to report and fix water leaks. Unemployed youth are being trained on basic plumbing skills that will enable them to assist the communities to identify and fix water leaks and conduct water conservation advocacy.
The project is set out in three phases that will be carried out over a period of five years, 2015 - 2020.
The department said the North West province, Madibeng Local Municipality, Tlokwe Local Municipality, Moretele Local Municipality, Ngaka Modiri Molema Local Municipality, Maquassi Hills Local Municipality and Ventersdorp Local Municipality are among the 41 prioritised municipalities which worked tirelessly to ensure that the selection and recruitment processes were carried out smoothly.
“All trainees contracted will be employed for a period of three years and with the skills they will be capacitated with, they will be able to sustain themselves through incubators, small businesses and cooperatives, as well as contracting after the training.
“Some of the expected outputs from trainees once on site include fixing a leaking tap, retrofitting households, conducting door to door leak surveys, doing presentations to the youth and educating the public on water conservation and demand management, whilst also replacing and repairing meters and valves,” the department said.
Artisans and plumbers will complete their trades in 36 months and water agents in six months.
The department added that for Phase 2, the War on Leaks training, which officially began on 10 August 2016, will focus on demonstrating knowledge of water related legislation and the responsibilities of management in terms of interaction with community members on water related matters.
The training will also focus on collecting and recording data, demonstrating knowledge of water cycle, water and waste water systems and processes, demonstrating knowledge of pipes, associated fittings, valves and meters used in water and wastewater reticulation systems, demonstrating knowledge of water meters and reading techniques, as well as identifying faults in meters.
It will further focus on reading and interpreting maps and engineering drawings of water and waste water reticulation systems, applying water loss control principles, demonstrating and understanding of sections of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. – SAnews.gov.za
