16 December 2021 06:28 pm
About 10,000 plumbers are providing services in the country and most of them do not hold any qualifications, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said.
While participating in the launch of the first programme of awarding the NVQ3 qualification to plumbers in Kalutara District yesterday, he said that it empowers plumbing technicians engaged in the water supply industry to achieve the NVQ3 under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) system.
According to him, this will help promote safety, reduce waste, promote conservation, improve service quality, and provide value for money to pipe-borne water consumers.
"This programme is fully sponsored by PUCSL and the plumber technician does not need to pay for the exam fees, course fee, materials and other requirements of gaining the qualification." Mr. Ratnayake added.
The PUCSL, the regulator of the electricity industry and the designated regulator for the water services industry, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC), Vocational Training Authority (VTA) and National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) on December 14 to provide free National Vocational Qualification levels 3 and 4 for plumbers in Sri Lanka.
Under the RPL programme the PUCSL will access the knowledge of the plumbers, fill the knowledge gap, hold the exams within four (4) days and award the certification at no cost to the plumbers. The PUCSL launched the first programme of awarding the NVQ3 qualification to plumbers in the Kalutara District yesterday, with the participation of 100 plumbers. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)