Plumbers NZ is New Zealand's largest online plumbing, gas and drainage resource. Plumbing exam help, plumbing news, directory and free quotes.
-
•MORE on Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
•What do Suppliers have to say about Continuing Professional Development
•Where does the Federation stand?
•Working constructively
-
In 12 months my supplier has put his rates up 3 times and of course I continue to shop there.. On the other hand my clients are not happy paying more and start shopping around. Where does it stop?? I get several emails every weeks where my suppliers offer me CPD related courses. There is no way in hell they would oppose it, this means more business to them and of course the manufacturers love it! Imagine this scenario.... how many people ring you up trying to sell something you don't want every day? Well in other words now these people can make you site in a room for 5 hours and listen to how great their product is and why you should buy it. I would rather go back in time where they shouted us barbies and beers and I willingly showed up to learn about a new product. These guys must love CPD it's the best thing that could happen to them! Talk about some sneaky form of advertising and product brainwash to get 1/2 point so I can continue bucketing shit out of a trench, im over it. Who knows what really happens in the background and how these guys even get approved for these courses.
-
At the moment what happens is they write a course, pay $200 or $250 to the PGDB, who then pay the ITO to assess the course against the competencies and points are awarded. You are right my friend, it is probably the best $200/$250 suppliers ever spend - the cheapest form of advertising ever! Generally I think most suppliers have the industries best interest at heart. Customers want courses for free if they have to buy "points" - and so they have accommodated us - however the end result has been a lot of "sales promos" wrapped up as "upskilling". Yes I agree the days of BBQ's and beers were more honest. If the Board's proposed scenario goes ahead then suppliers might have to pay $3600 to have a course registered with the PGDB who claim they will be more rigorous in approving courses - there has been a great deal of criticism around some of the inconsistencies in points. We have seen road shows from both Plumbing World and the PDA that were given "points" for attendance - courses where you are simply "sold" product, courses where the facilitators don't appear to know their stuff and courses that are very similar given different points weighting. The whole thing is a shambles - and this is meant to have upskilled us as an industry. Plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers have always wanted to learn new things - they will attend suppliers evenings and breakfasts and they will attend courses if there is a need for it in their business - but "buying points" is a different game - and not one that adheres to the requirements of the PGD Act 2006. Remember to send in your consultation document with your opinions - otherwise we will have more of the same foisted upon industry.
-
If the board really want to protect the public then they should look at where the problems are and target those problems with the appropriate courses and not open up the Pandora box!! The pgdf should setup courses with relevant material targeting real issues and nominate certifying competent pgdf members across the country to provide these courses. take the damn suppliers out of it! if they want to promote a product they should do so the old fashioned way. Even the old gas fitting scheme was better then CPD, inspector came around twice a year and questioned on site to the on site relevant works. Why cant that be applied to plumbing and drainage?? Why do they have to make it our inconvenience?? Its their rules, they should then go the extra mile!! >:(
-
I can see where this is going... the master plumbers are basically the board these days.
They have similar views...to use an army of plumbers,gasfitters and drainlayers shackled by upskilling to power their new quest for wealth and industry dominance.
Its no secret in my town that everyone jumped at the free cpd courses held by suppliers/manufacturers even if it meant listening to their new product pitch. The problem the board and master plumbers faces is it left their courses with dwindling numbers. Everyone i know that would walk into the merchant and see a master plumbers course sign up sheet pinned to the entrance wall would say and i quote "Fu*k that",...both young and older tradesman. The problem is alot of their courses were $170.00-$200.00 PLUS and you would gain like 6-8 points.
Getting to the heart of my point in this post is i agree with the information in this issue of the fellow practitioner where the board faces an issue where they must make it more difficult for suppliers/manufacturers to get there courses approved. They need to squeeze down the number of courses available so more if not eventually all practitioners are forced to take on the extra burden of financing the master plumbers latest finance generating scheme. As it stands in my area, people stay away as the cost is stupid, take the cheaper option if its available. Being only a lowly registered, plumber, gasfitter and drainlayer I already feel like i work with so called perverbial shackles on...this will make it worse and yet again more expensive to earn a living!!