The final day of the Community Plumbing Challenge 2016 in Diepsloot coincides with World Youth Skills Day on 15 July 2016. The Community Plumbing Challenge offers a platform for further training and advancement in a sector that desperately needs the skills: plumbing and sanitation.

Not only will the Community Plumbing Challenge complement the efforts of government and business to grow the plumbing and sanitation sector, but it will give hope to the many unemployed youth in Diepsloot, a township just outside Johannesburg.

While no concise data exists on youth unemployment in Diepsloot, it likely reflects the situation at a macro level. Researchers Morne Oosthuizen and Aalia Cassim in an article for the Brookings Institute explain that “…roughly 30% of male youth and 36% of female youth (in South Africa) are NEETS (not in education, employment or training), disconnected from both the labour market and opportunities that promote future employability.”

The Community Plumbing Challenge, taking place between 9 and 15 July in Diepsloot, aims to be the starting point for youth in need of “second-chance learning programmes” – a term coined by World Bank development specialist Dr Chunlin Zhang – that would promote their future employability.

Young plumbers, coordinated by the Diepsloot Water, Amenities, Sanitation Services Upgrade Programme (WASSUP), have the opportunity to work on digital design platforms, easily accessible at a local community centre equipped with computers and tablets.

Moreover, the design software – Fusion 360 by Autodesk – allows for collaborative learning. This cloud-based technology enables plumbers to coordinate their efforts with other professionals anywhere in the world, perfecting their designs through team work.

The work will be challenging: Eight defunct communal toilets have been plucked out of the ground in Diepsloot Extension 1, where four international student teams (representing Australia, India, United States and South Africa) will collaborate to develop the most effective and sustainable new upgrade solutions.

Teams will assemble and test their new designs, supporting WASSUP to reinstall and reconnect these communal toilets for local Diepsloot residents. It is hoped that these toilet prototypes will be made to scale throughout the sprawling Diepsloot.

The CPC2016 is among initiatives happening around the globe by WorldSkills Members and partners in promotion of World Youth Skills Day on 15 July 2016.

“WorldSkills is proud to join the organisations of the United Nations and other international and regional organisations, like the IAPMO and the World Plumbing Council, to raise awareness of the importance of acquiring skills as a means to achieve better socio-economic conditions for all youth,” said David Hoey, CEO of WorldSkills International.

“Along with our 75 members and global partners, we are united in demonstrating on World Youth Skills Day, and every day, how to improve the world with the power of skills.”