After taking a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PHCC members were thrilled to meet face-to-face at the annual PHCCCONNECT event, held Oct. 20-22 in Kansas City, Missouri.

One of the highlights of PHCC’s annual CONNECT conference is the Plumbing Apprentice Contest, which takes place right in the show space, where attendees can watch as it progresses. During the competition, 20 plumbing apprentices rough-in and build — from scratch — a water closet and lavatory. The prize for the best installation? Thousands of dollars’ worth of tools and some serious bragging rights.

Jim Steinle, owner of Atomic Plumbing and Drain Cleaning in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and chair of PHCC’s Plumbing Apprentice Contest, says the contest helps bring attention to the trades as a potential career path for young people. Apprentices are judged on a number of things by a pool of 10-12 judges over two days. On the final day, they receive feedback.

“They’re typically judged on craftsmanship, how they clean and cut the pipe, whether they are taking all seven steps to do the copper, whether they’re reaming the PVC pipe, whether they’re putting cleaner on it before they glue it together, and so on,” Steinle says. “The judges spend a lot of time watching them actually work.”

Click here to read more about the contest and PHCC CONNECT 2018.

October 23, 2018