When we hear the word plumbing, we automatically think of the plumber or plumber who is in charge of repairing a sink, uncovering toilets or Drain Rescue but is it limited to that?
Projects of great magnitude are being developed, where different areas of construction are involved; either masonry, reinforcers, painters, electricity, air conditioning, plumbing, etc. The plumbing or plumbing in our country is strictly regulated by the Technical Board of Engineering and Architecture (JTIA) and it is this, who defines the people who can practice this profession.
The field of plumbing is very broad, we can see professionals who build, those in charge of maintaining and those in charge of making designs. According to JTIA, the plumber installer and plumber are responsible (under the supervision of another professional with more experience in the area) responsible for developing the construction of plumbing systems.
The master plumber has the ability to perform construction, supervision, and design of plumbing systems; Engineering technicians with specialization in sanitation and the environment, are professionals with the capacity to “build, inspect and repair, under their responsibility, sanitary works up to $ 250,000 and design single-family residences”, in the same way it is explained that by their studies, Graduates in Mechanical, Mechanical, Mechanical, and Electromechanical Engineering, “whose curricula among other things contain basic and professional subjects that lead to the acquisition of necessary skills for the design, installation, control, consumption and evacuation of compressible and incomprehensible fluids.
Currently in the school of Arts and Crafts has 18 students in sixth year and 12 students in V, there is no enrollment for the fourth year, and this is one of the schools (if not the only one) that manages to graduate industrial experts in plumbing, with the ability to acquire a license as such and become skilled labor. This is one of the biggest concerns in the field of construction, the shortage of skilled labor.
The market requires us to be able to face the challenges that globalization presents us and being our country one of the pioneers in construction, it is necessary to train our students and staff in specific areas. Proof of this is that the Panamanian Chamber of Construction (CAPAC) annually provides seminars on plumbing to its members, informing them of the advances that are achieved in this field and exposing their point of view on plumbing in construction.
It is known that some private companies focused on construction invest time and money in providing seminars and plumbing workshops to their employees, so they have a general vision of plumbing.
It is important to provide our students with the necessary training so that when they arrive at the workplace, they feel confident knowing that what they are executing is the right thing, be it at the level of a plumber installer or an engineer dedicated to plumbing, and we must give them the tools necessary for them to develop their entire intellect.
Now we know that plumbing is not just being under a sink or changing a toilet, now we know that plumbing is much more than a “dirty” job, now we have an idea that behind every shot, of every project, there is a professional who invested hours in developing it, just as we must see that the qualified plumbing workforce is small.