It was an interesting month.
    I had wanted to pursue a story that had been kicking around for a while—a look at the plumbing tech as salesman/installer instead of repairman and how that may not be a good thing in all cases. One of the causes of this, contractors tell me, is the chronic lack of trained technicians coming into the industry.
    While poking around and investigating this angle I was delighted to discover that the San Diego PHCC chapter is in the middle of putting together its own four-year apprentice training program. This will be the first PHCC-accredited apprenticeship program in the San Diego area in quite a while. And educating the next generation of players is a good thing for any industry to do. It sort of keeps the whole thing going...
    Anyhow, this speaks to both the chronic shortage of qualified technicians in the industry and the ever-dwindling number of youngsters with an interest in the construction trades.These issues have moved to the forefront of the PHCC’s efforts at the national level, with labor being a hot topic of discussion at the recent PHCC-NA convention and trade show in Anaheim in October and the theme of several new initiatives nationally and in the West. 
    The San Diego chapter’s response to the issue fills a glaring need in the area and is a positive step toward making sure tomorrow’s plumbing industry will be flush with qualified technicians and businesspeople.