mail@pirb.co.za 
Written by Naomi Bango
There is a group of unsung heroes who have brought the world the convenience and comfort of life as we know it over the past millennia, our plumbers.
A general plumber uses their skills to install and fix plumbing systems. A well-informed plumber cares about the community and the environmental health and safety because they understand the implications of plumbing done incorrectly. They keep themselves well-informed and carry a proactive approach to developing themselves through Continual Professional Development (CPD). CPD is an integral part of ensuring the standard of the profession remains high, and that of your own self development and improvement.
For that reason, the Leaderboard was developed.
The Leaderboard is a ranking system that enables plumbers and consumers to monitor how plumbers perform nationally and regionally. It is a system based on how well a plumber develops themselves in respect of CPD. The leaderboard has a top, weekly, and regional sections, and the points are calculated by using the plumber’s CPD points.
The Top section considers CPD points in 3-month intervals: January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December. So, a plumber can have 20 CPD points on audit-it, but if they only added 5 points in the last 3 months, then they will have 5 points on the weekly board.
The Weekly section considers CPD points for the current week, starting on a Monday and ending on a Sunday. So, a plumber can have 20 CPD points on audit-it, but if the points were not uploaded on the current week, then he will have 0 on the weekly board.
Finally, the Region section calculates the CPD points of plumbers in the last 3 months (or 90 days) and counts them per region.
As a bonus and incentive to the PIRB plumbers, a monthly lucky draw will take place where the top performers will be rewarded. These will be announced on the Plumbing 101 YouTube show. Keep in mind that it is not about getting the most points all at once, it is about the continual development of your skills throughout your plumbing career.
Ultimately, the top plumbers safeguard the public, our communities, and the plumbing industry of South Africa.
As a result, it is important that plumbers keep their ears to the ground about new developments and technologies in their industry to ensure the health of their communities.