Interview with Tracey Richardson

If you want something done, ask a busy person they say. And proving this point is Tracey Richardson, who is currently focused on several major projects for the industry.

While changing trains on her way to meet a group of public health officers in London, she steals time from her current packed agenda to share her next objectives as CIPHE’s new president.

Matter-of-fact, as you would expect from a former RAF engineer, she details a range of issues she’s addressing, with some as critical as responding to the Grenfell disaster. Another priority high on her list, which is integral to raising the profile of the CIPHE, is training – a subject that is close to Richardson’s heart.

“It’s a good time to be doing this,” she says. “Rather than standing still, we need to show we’re not stale. There are a lot of things happening at the moment, from Grenfell down to education. Members have to be on top of all this, and it’s our job to ensure they’re getting all the right information.” The Hackitt Inquiry, ordered by the government after the Grenfell Tower fire, has brought new focus on standards and processes, which Richardson says is right, especially after years of campaigning by the CIPHE. She explains: “This has to be a part of the big picture for us. Standards have always got to be checked to ensure they’re fit for purpose – British Standards change over time and water regulations change. Members have got to be able to pass inspection – ideally so that incidents don’t happen, but also to have the paper trail ready to understand the ‘why’ if something does go wrong.”

Targeting training

Critical to achieving the above is training, which, as part of her ‘day job’ as an assessor, is something Richardson is passionate about. The big project for 2019 will be the new Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician Trailblazer scheme, which she sees as a good starting point for professionalising the industry. But she believes it still needs to be improved further.

“The Trailblazer apprenticeship will be a good thing, though in one respect I would have preferred to have seen it without the pathway option, which would help those plumbers who don’t deal with gas or any other forms of fuel.”

“The reason I say this, is that there are many [professionals in this industry] who simply stop at Level 2 as they only really deal in bathrooms and kitchens or maintenance, for example. So, although they need to have good knowledge and standards of all of the industry, I believe they are let down by the Trailblazer apprenticeship as they can’t get the evidence for the necessary pathway.”

Education, especially in later life, is one of the priorities Richardson has made for her year as president, and for it she draws on her own experiences. She had considered becoming a computer systems analyst, but was pulled to the Armed Forces because both her parents had been in the Navy. She served 22 years in the RAF as an aircraft technician, and gained qualifications in engineering and aeronautical engineering. Her decision to change and leave aviation for plumbing came about by chance. She explains: “Ironically, the trade I chose in the RAF had the nickname of ‘plumbers’, due to the water-cooled cannon on the aircraft during the war. The actual change came purely by accident; the seed was sown following the completion of a two-day resettlement taster course in plumbing.” Path chosen, Richardson served a plumbing apprenticeship and ran her own plumbing business for more than seven years.

On the job

Richardson’s experience during her military career of dealing with senior officers, technicians and officials has proved useful in her work as president. She is matter-of-fact, too, about being the first female to hold the post.

“It’s an honour,” she says. “At first it seemed a little daunting, as I sometimes felt there would be extra scrutiny on me, though the reality is that those I have met so far have all treated me as any other plumber, which is the way it should be.”

Part of her work is encouraging young people to follow in her footsteps. If she could offer some advice to her younger self, Richardson says it would be this: “Believe in yourself. Joining the Armed Forces taught me to stand on my own two feet. I actually used to be quite a shy person. I would also have done more physics, as so much of what we do is physics-based,” she adds.

Bringing on the next generation in heating and plumbing is vital for the industry to meet challenges like renewables, she believes. It’s why she has made education a priority as president, which she juggles with working as a training assessor.

“The day job is very varied: most of my time is taken up as a student assessor. I could be overseeing practical work or checking their portfolio. The RAF resettlement clerk said I would never be short of work – and they were right.”

More information

Full details on the CIPHE contribution to Trailblazer programmes can be found at www.ciphe.org.uk

This article first appeared in the Nov/Dec 2018 issue of P&H Engineering, the magazine for members of the CIPHE. Find out how to join here.