A Unified Voice

In the plumbing and heating industry, APHC and WaterSafe both play a leading role in ensuring safe and quality work. APHC, the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors, is a trade body which supports its members and ensures consumers receive high-quality service. WaterSafe, supported by water companies, is a free, nationwide online directory of qualified plumbers, bringing together four approved contractor schemes, including APHC.

This collaborative approach helps maintain high standards and makes it easy for everyone to find approved professionals.

WaterSafe caught up with APHC’s new CEO and WaterSafe Board member, Sarah Fry, to talk priorities, raising standards and awareness and embracing technology.

Q: You've had an interesting career in membership organisations, from quarrying to electrotech. What attracted you to your new role with APHC?

A: The timing was right and what I really loved about it was the alignment between plumbing and heating and my background in the electrotechnical sector. This new role takes me back to that happy place. I saw what APHC was doing and felt it was the right opportunity to step in and aim to make a difference. The team is passionate and committed and the organisation is in a great place to move forward, particularly with the growth in its certification side. My immediate priorities are to get the new Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) off the ground so members can demonstrate their competency in installing small-scale renewable energy technologies and better understand what our members really want from their membership.

Q: APHC's role seems to be about bringing different parts of the industry together. Can you elaborate on that?

A: Our goal is to ensure APHC is part of the crucial industry conversations happening around skills, sustainability, resource efficiency and technical competence. We need to be at the table not just to represent our members, but to add our voice to a collective one. As a sector, we need the government to take notice of our sector’s needs, so this collaborative approach is vital. While we want to provide our members with value, we also need to ensure our offer is aligned with what the building services sector truly needs.

Q: How do you see the role of trade associations like APHC changing, especially with the rise of digital platforms and social media?

A: Trade associations traditionally struggle to find their relevance in today's society because people have so many different sources for information. The younger generation, in particular, may not have the same natural affiliations that people used to have with trade associations and are more individualistic. However, there is a desire for networking and collaborative working; they just don't always recognise the traditional trade association model as the way to achieve it.

This is why there's a space for both digital connection and a structured, organised approach. A trade association can be a "gatekeeper" that helps to signpost the relevant information for busy contractors and ensures there is wider engagement in important conversations.

Q: What is the benefit of this kind of collaboration?

A: There is immense value in collaboration, especially in creating a unified voice. For instance, APHC and WaterSafe are intrinsically aligned in our goal to have competent installers who deliver safe and compliant installations. These things are not competing; they are all part of the same message. When we work together, we deliver consistent messaging, which ultimately helps contractors, homeowners and businesses understand the message. As an industry, we must have a unified voice to amplify the message and ensure it is heard.

Q: You've spoken about the importance of language. Why is that so crucial for the industry?

A: Language is something that I am fascinated by. In business, we often use everyday language and assume everyone has the same understanding of a term. But when you drill down, you find a vast difference in interpretation. The word "competence" is a classic example in our industry. It's used regularly, but what it means to one person can be very different to another. If we don't define what we mean, the term can become almost meaningless. We need to relate technical language into something more accessible and with wider appeal.

Q: Finally, what is the key to protecting public safety and raising standards?

A: The key is to help contractors understand what "good" looks like so they can raise their current skill levels. We need to think about how we can support people as they want to apply new skills, perhaps by offering flexible, bite-sized learning that fits around their work. The challenge is to motivate the sector to keep developing and pushing forward in a dynamic marketplace. We need to help prepare installers for the changes happening in the world around them, such as how energy and resources are being used in homes. That means providing the right training, advice and support services.