WJA sustainability drive gathers pace as new app gains popularity

Development of the WJA app and a range of other digital initiatives are transforming the Water Jetting Association’s operation – enhancing engagement with members and training candidates and slashing its carbon footprint.

The digitisation strategy is also easing the administrative burden on the WJA’s office team and both WJA approved examination providers and coach/examiners, freeing up time and resources to focus on important new initiatives.

Central to WJA strategy

WJA Director Leanne Smith said: “We launched the WJA app in January 2024 and it is already making a huge difference to the efficiency and the sustainability of our work, with further exciting developments in the pipeline.

“Taking advantage of digital systems to streamline our processes, making them more effective, less costly, and aligned with the working practices of our members and lives of water jetting operatives, will be central to our strategy going forward.”

The WJA app is the core element of a digitisation programme that began with the replacement of paper membership and examination certificates with digital pdfs, eliminating the cost of printing and posting thousands of sheets of paper every year.

This was followed by the introduction of the digital CLiKAPAD system to assess candidates attending the WJA’s City & Guild’s training courses, eliminating the need for printed assessment sheets.

Access to codes of practice

The app now provides access to WJA resources, member information and the examination status of all water jetting operatives who have attended the training courses.

Once the app is downloaded, access is provided through a login username and password provided by the WJA.

Users can access the WJA’s three codes of practice, the WJA water jetting injury treatment algorithm, quick reference guides, safety alerts and latest news. Membership documents can be viewed as well as renewal forms which can be completed and submitted via the app.

All these resources can be amended as soon as updates are approved, instead of waiting for documents to be printed. Members can also book operatives onto open training courses offered by selected WJA-approved examination providers.

Water jetting operatives can display the courses they have attended and can prove they are still in-date, while app users can instantly check the training status of any operative, if they have their name and WJA registration number.

Sharp increase in active users

A second development phase, currently under way, will include further streamlining of WJA training and admin processes.

The WJA app was launched in January 2024 with 490 accounts. By the start of October that figure had grown to more than 6,800.

In the last four months, the number of active users of the app and views of its content have increased nearly four-fold, with an increasing number based outside the UK.

Making the WJA’s three codes of practice – for high and ultra-high pressure water jetting, drain and sewer jetting, and pressure washing – available on the app has also greatly reduced paper use.

For example, more than 25,000 hard copies of the codes of practice were issued during training courses in 2023 against just over 1,500 issued between January and the beginning of October in 2024.

‘Huge’ transformation and savings

John Rhodes, a WJA-approved coach/examiner and a member of the WJA Board, said: “Not having to carry and transport hundreds of codes of practice every year is a relief, and saves me petrol.

“But that’s just a small part of the huge transformation the WJA app is creating. In the past, I used to use dozens of sheets of paper at each training course. Now my courses are 100% paperless.

“It’s saving me up to an hour of administration, including scanning sheets, for every course held and there will be similar savings in the WJA office. This is freeing up more time for all of us to implement more productive initiatives to support WJA members and water jetting operatives.”

As more WJA processes are managed through the app, it will increasingly become seen by members and operatives as the central hub for all information about water jetting, and help us engage more effectively on key issues, such as health and safety, said John Rhodes.

Want to join the WJA?

Find out more about membership of the WJA. For details about how to join, go to our membership page. We welcome applications from outside the UK. Or contact the WJA team.

Telephone: +44 20 8320 1090.
Email: info@waterjetting.org.uk.