A plumbing expert who has been involved in the industry for more than four decades has been honoured by his colleagues at a prestigious awards ceremony. John Smartt received the Contribution to Plumbing and Heating Award at the InstallerLive annual event, which was held in Birmingham and attended by over 550 professionals from the industry.

WorldSkills is an international event which recognises vocational training and John Smartt has long been recognised as an expert in the plumbing and heating industry. His expert knowledge has been a key part of the event’s continued success. The competition was held in London in October and attracted entries from more than 50 countries. It was the largest event of its kind ever held and attracted thousands of visitors.

John, who is based in Dublin, is one of the leading experts for the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) and has been Chief Expert for numerous WorldSkills competitions.

John, who is also the Assistant Head of the School of Construction at the Dublin Institute of Technology, said: “I was thrilled to get this award, it is always a good feeling to be recognised by your peers. It was a wonderful night and I felt truly honoured to be recognised in this way by my fellow professionals.

As well as being a past President of CIPHE John Smartt has also carried out the roles of Professional Standards Inspector, and Trustee for the organisation. He is also been Chairman of the Professional Standards Committee and an Area Co-ordinator. He is currently Chairman of the Election and Enrolment Committee.

For more on this item, please visit www.ciphe.org.uk