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If you ever get to attend the international WorldSkills Competition, you'll experience excitement on par with the world's greatest sports events. Witnessing 1,500 youth from more than 60 countries, representing almost 60 vocations (including Plumbing and Heating) being celebrated like Olympic champions—complete with parades of nations, thousands of cheering fans, medal podiums and dazzling Opening and Closing Ceremonies—is truly exhilarating.
Behind the excitement, however, remains our industry’s pressing issue: the critical shortage of skilled labor. How do we keep the momentum going?
That’s where our IWSH Plumbing Champions program comes in, a program of the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (IWSH) Foundation, the social impact arm of IAPMO. We transform perceptions of the plumbing industry at the local level through installation projects in communities that are hosting high-profile events such as WorldSkills.
From Showcase to Install: The IWSH Plumbing Champions Model
Supported by IAPMO and the World Plumbing Council, IWSH Plumbing Champions leverages showcase events to create sustained, real-world impact.
“IWSH Plumbing Champions projects inspire young people to pursue careers in plumbing and highlight the profession's true scope as champions of public health and resource conservation,” said Dave Viola, current World Plumbing Council Chair and Chief Executive Officer of IAPMO.
“We prioritize projects for community centers, such as schools or health facilities, where our impact has the highest visibility and will benefit the greatest number of local people. We demonstrate that modern plumbing is way more than unclogging toilets—it's everything that goes into innovating, designing, installing, and maintaining advanced water infrastructure and technologies that create stronger, more resilient communities,” Viola said.
IWSH Plumbing Champions at WorldSkills Lyon 2024
At WorldSkills Lyon 2024, we collaborated with GROHE, part of LIXIL—a longstanding IWSH partner—who, along with IAPMO, is a WorldSkills Global Industry Partner. GROHE contributed products to the WorldSkills Plumbing and Heating competition, while IAPMO contributed its deep expertise in plumbing codes and standards towards assessing the competition.
After the event concluded in mid-September, IWSH Plumbing Champions took over and orchestrated the repurpose of GROHE competition fixtures for use at the BTP CFA Rhône Apprenticeship Training Centre in the town of Dardilly near Lyon. BTP CFA provides skills training for different construction and public works organizations across France, and the campus at Dardilly houses a GROHE Give Program training facility.
IAPMO and GROHE experts worked alongside the local apprentices and their instructors to install a new mixed-use washroom for the construction school training area, including new toilets, showers, and handwash basins. Allied trade apprentices, such as tile installers from BTP CFA Rhône, will help finish the project, which is expected to be completed this fall.
A Look Ahead: IWSH Plumbing Champions in 2025
Our next IWSH Plumbing Champions project will occur at ISH Frankfurt in March 2025, the world’s largest water and HVAC trade show. Previous IWSH Plumbing Champions projects have been presented at WorldSkills National Championship events in Australia and Ireland, as well as ISH Frankfurt 2023.
If you're inspired by our mission as the WASH nonprofit focused on plumbing, I invite you to subscribe to our newsletter, WASH Fundamentals, where we share insights and expertise to scale progress in closing the water access gap with hard-and-fast proof points about what works.
Even better, get in touch with me to discuss more specific initiatives. We ensure that 100% of IWSH donations support plumbing projects that change lives while reshaping public perception of the plumbing industry. There is no equity without clean water and safe sanitation, and there is no clean water and safe sanitation without skilled plumbers. Join us, and let’s continue to show the world who the real champions are.
Sean Kearney
Sean Kearney is a writer working with the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (IWSH) Foundation, the social impact arm of IAPMO.