Krugersdorp is often a place for firsts, but it is not often that a local school is the first to introduce a field of study that no other school in the area offers.
HTS N Diederichs THS is well known for its technical subjects, offering specialisation in Electrical Technology – Electrical (Power System), Electronics, and Digital Electronics; and Mechanical Technology – Fitting and Machining, Automotive, Metalwork and Welding; Civil Technology – Construction, and Woodworking; and now, Civil Services (Plumbing).
Watch the demonstration here:
HTS N Diederichs THS will soon be one of only nine high schools in the country to offer Civil Services (Plumbing) to its senior learners. As this will be the first year that the subject is offered, the school will be following a phasing-in approach, first exclusively offering the subject to Grade 10s and in coming years to the consecutive grades.
“People think plumbing means standing on your knees in poo. That’s not even close to the truth,” chuckled teacher Manie van den Berg. “Learners can go on to open plumbing shops and supply clients with in-depth knowledge on plumbing systems. They can become training instructors, or become construction instructors with specialised knowledge in plumbing. There’s so much they can do with this,” adding that learners can go on to work for massive companies or start their own plumbing businesses.
On Wednesday, 17 February, about 70 learners took a break from a morning class and spent an hour outside the technologies buildings where a mobile exhibit had been set up.
The Umphakathi Development and Training Centre is helping HTS N Diederichs THS to develop their curriculum and premises and, on the day, demonstrated a few more advanced civil engineering techniques to the Grade 10 group, convincing quite a few to seriously consider changing fields of study.
Gerard Ohlson de Fine from Umphakathi explained to the learners that, “A good, dedicated plumber can make around R700 an hour,” which had many of them excited.
Manie explained that the subject the school offers will lay a proper foundation for learners to go on to study plumbing at a certified tertiary institution. As Civil Services falls under the overarching Civil Technology subject, learners will have a wide choice of fields to specialise in post matric.
