Open course programme is a growing water jetting training success

The Water Jetting Association is collaborating with training providers to promote courses in a way that helps contractors book training for their operatives when and where they need it.

The online open course training page is allowing companies needing water jetting training to view future open courses and be put in touch with the WJA-approved training providers who are running them.

Thanks to its success, a growing number of City & Guilds-accredited courses are being promoted in this way, which is particularly helpful to smaller water jetting contractors.

Open course programme ‘promotes water jetting’

The open course training page was launched on the WJA’s website in July 2024. Since then, more than 270 courses have been promoted, allowing well over 1,000 candidates to receive the training they need.

WJA Director Leanne Smith said: “We’re pleased to support our water jetting training provider members, as well as contractors who need training, sometimes at short notice.

“The growing popularity of the open course programme is promoting water jetting training and making it easier for us all to collaborate to ensure operatives have the skills they need to work safely.”

Some WJA-approved water jetting training providers have always offered open courses, but attracting enough candidates to make them viable has been a challenge.

The WJA’s open course training page helps solve this problem by giving training providers the opportunity to market their courses, and where they are being held, to a much wider audience.

Contractors find courses they need more easily

WJA Board Member John Rhodes is director of a WJA-approved training provider that is marketing open courses in this way.

He said: “Being able to promote open training courses through the WJA is a bit of a game-changer because it creates a resource that a growing number of contractors know they can use to find courses.

“It solves problems for everyone concerned. Contractors have a greater chance of sourcing training when and where they need it, for example after recruiting operatives for an urgent new contract.

“Training providers have greater confidence that their courses will attract enough candidates. And the WJA has an efficient way to channel interest in water jetting training. That’s a win-win-win!”

WJA training courses explained

The WJA is the biggest provider of water jetting in the UK. Operatives undergo a two-step process to achieve operational certification.

Candidates must first pass a one-day class-based Safety Awareness course, then at least one of five one-day practical modules to be awarded a water jetting operational card, renewed every three years with a refresher course.

The practical modules are: surface preparation; tube and pipe; drain and sewer; drain, sewer and gun; and hydrodemolition.

Operatives can go on to join the WJA’s ABBE-accredited Level 2 Water Jetting Technician Certificate course, the association’s first water jetting competency qualification.

The WJA also offers a range of stand-alone courses: Pressure Washing; Drain CCTV; Remote Structural Repair; and Gutter Cleaning.

All are one-day courses, City & Guilds-accredited and must be refreshed every three years.

Find out more

View the WJA’s City & Guilds-accredited water jetting training programme and standalone courses – Got to our training page.

View current availability of open courses – Go to our open course training page.