WJA Sets Date for Lifting COVID-19 Training Restrictions

Unrestricted water jetting training will be permitted once more from Saturday 31st July 2021, the Water Jetting Association has announced.

The decision is based on the government’s roadmap out of COVID-19 lockdown, which is due to see final pandemic restrictions lifted on Monday 21st June 2021.

As such the lifting of training restrictions is dependent on any further changes to the government’s timetable.

The WJA first imposed restrictions on water jetting training, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, on 18th March 2020.

All training was suspended from that date due to the imminent imposition by the government of the first lockdown.

The WJA has permitted controlled face-to-face training since 1st July 2020, with class sizes limited to six delegates and strict protocols in place to ensure training is carried out in a COVID-19 secure environment.

The decision to lift training restrictions from the end of July 2021 was announced by the WJA at its May meeting.

John Jones, WJA President and Chairman of its Training and Safety Committee, said: “We’d like to thank all water jetting contractors and training providers for their forbearance during a difficult time.

“I am sure the standard of training has been maintained at a high level throughout the pandemic despite the social distancing and hygiene control restrictions needed to protect delegates and training instructors against COVID-19.”

WJA Director David Kennedy said: “If all goes according to plan, 31st July 2021 will be a most welcomed date for all our members and businesses that rely on high pressure and ultra-high pressure water jetting.

“Delivery of our training courses will have been restricted for a year and one month almost to the day, something we recognise has caused disruption for members and others who carry out water jetting.

“We hope the government’s roadmap to lift lockdown can remain in place, allowing our plans to resume full unrestricted training to go ahead as planned to ensure our industry’s water jetting operatives deliver a safe and productive service.”

Around 10,000 delegates attend WJA water jetting training City & Guilds accredited courses every year, though numbers have been reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Safety Awareness (SA) course is class-based while the additional modules – Tube and Pipe Cleaning (TP), Drain and Sewer Cleaning (DS), Surface Preparation (SP), and Hydrodemolition (HD) – are practical courses so largely held outdoors.

The WJA has also launched the first competency qualification for water jetting. The Level 2 Water Jetting Technician Certificate is accredited by the Awarding Body for the Built Environment (ABBE).