With new training courses and extra member benefits being launched this year, the Water Jetting Association is executing a development strategy which, it says, has the needs of its members at its heart.
Through its City & Guilds-accredited programme, the WJA, the trade body for the water jetting industry, is by far the largest provider of water jetting training in the UK.
In the last 12 months, the programme has been expanded with a new practical module – Drain, Sewer and Gun – to support safe washdown techniques in the drainage and water utilities sectors.
Another practical module – Drain, Sewer and Robotics – covering the use of ultra-high pressure water jetting robots to remove concrete and scale in sewers and culverts, will be launched this year.
Meeting the commercial needs of members
Now, for the first time, the WJA is also adding non-water jetting courses to its training portfolio: courses that are closely related to water jetting, and to the drainage industry in particular.
It’s an important element of the WJA’s business strategy that aims to enhance the practical support it provides to meet the technical and commercial needs of its growing membership.
Three of the new courses, Drainage CCTV, Gutter Cleaning, and Electro-Mechanical Cleaning have received City & Guilds accreditation and are due to be launched in April 2026.
WJA Chairman Lee O’Callaghan said: “This is an exciting step for the WJA and our members. We’re expanding our offer as a direct response to requests from our membership and other customers.
“CCTV surveying is an integral part of drainage maintenance. A good number of contractors also carry out electro-mechanical cleaning and gutter cleaning services, or would like to start to.
“Our new courses will provide structured coaching in these techniques, delivered to an unrivalled standard by WJA-registered examination providers and WJA-approved coach/examiners who drainage contractors already know and trust.
“This will make the process of building team skills and developing new services easier, more streamlined and more cost-effective, with the excellent outcomes they know they get from WJA courses.”
Three other courses are still in the planning stage, with a view to launching them later in 2026.
Backed by rigorous digital assessments
All the new courses will take one day to deliver and will combine class-based and practical elements.
As with the WJA’s City & Guilds-accredited water jetting course, candidates will undergo a rigorous digital assessment using the CLiKAPAD system, with an 80% pass mark. Each course will also need to be refreshed every three years.
The Drainage CCTV course will focus on the use of remote-reel drainage inspection and survey systems commonly used by small- and medium-sized drainage companies. Coached skills include:
- Setting up and using inspection equipment.
- Conducting risk assessment and control.
- Applying sewer coding to WRc standards.
The Gutter Cleaning course covers the safe use of long-pole wet/dry vacuumation systems. While the Electro-Mechanical Cleaning course covers the use of flexible cable systems used to remove stubborn blockages and scale from pipes.
In a new development that applies to all the WJA’s City & Guilds courses, the assessment will generate a candidate feedback report designed to help employers further develop both individual and team competencies.
WJA Director Leanne Smith is excited by the opportunities the new courses will create across the drainage and water utilities industries.
“Many drainage companies are highly entrepreneurial. They see opportunities in branching out into delivering a wider range of services, like gutter cleaning,” she said.
“These courses give them a structured way to give their teams the grounding they need to deliver the services safely and productively, so they can play a key role in helping ambitious contractors develop their service portfolios.”
Giving members a marketing edge
The WJA is also applying the same joined-up approach in the way it is helping businesses gain the maximum advantage of being association members.
For example, from January 2026, it began issuing a distinctive new member’s logo. It is one of a series of initiatives being rolled out by the WJA that are designed to support members and to encourage new businesses to join.
Leanne Smith said: “We hope our members will proudly publish their new member logo on their websites, other digital channels, and on other company documents. Indeed, some already have.
“We know they value the marketing edge they get from being seen to uphold the WJA standards. It gives many customers important assurance. Some companies will only contract services from WJA members.
“By working with our members to raise awareness of our shared standards, we expect more companies will see the compelling case for joining the WJA, so they can also access all the benefits membership brings.”
Those benefits include reputational gain, free access to the WJA’s codes of practice and free legal and HR business advice, exclusive access to water jetting technical advice, and business networking opportunities.
Growing the list of member benefits
It is a list the WJA says is also committed to growing even longer. Other initiatives, introduced recently or planned, to enhance member value and attract new members include:
- Working with WJA-registered training providers to promote (on the WJA website) scheduled open courses across the UK, to give contractors timely access to training.
- Rolling out exclusive member offers, including discounts on business insurance, other business services and the purchase of water jetting equipment.
- Partnership working with the Health and Safety Executive to regularly update the WJA’s codes of practice, further enhancing the reputation of members.
- Streamlining of the membership structure and application process to make it as quick and simple as possible to join, without eroding standards.
- Planned development of a new networking programme, to allow members to meet and take part in activities that include golf and clay shooting days.
- The WJA Board has also agreed to hold the first WJA water jetting awards in September 2026, to recognise high-achieving member organisations and individuals.
Setting standards that impress customers
The association also continues to develop the functionality of its WJA App, which is already popular with members, allowing fast access to training opportunities and technical advice.
It is also making a significant change to its codes of practice: merging the three codes, including its Red Code for water jetting in drains and sewers, into just one code, which will be black.
The change will make it simpler for contractors to see the standards that apply to their operations and the cross-connections between standards associated with different water jetting techniques.
Leanne Smith said: “The creation of a single code of practice reflects our determination to make it easier for our members to set standards that make their work safer, more productive and more attractive to customers.
“These are all changes that have come directly from listening to our members, something we will be doing more of over the next 12 months with a series of consultation events.
“Feedback we’ve had so far indicates members support our direction of travel. It’s exciting both for the WJA and for our members.”