Basic Skills

Robert Kavanagh currently holds the position of Training Co-ordinator at the Plumbing Industry Association of South Australia. Robert has been a VET plumbing teacher since 1987 and is a qualified Master Plumber with a lifetime of plumbing experience, having entered the industry at the age of 17. Robert's qualifications include the Advanced Certificate in Plumbing, a Bachelor of Teaching in Adult Education, Certificate IV in Workplace Education and Certificate IV in Training & Assessment. He was responsible for introducing a Certificate I in Plumbing to high schools throughout Adelaide in partnership with the Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE). Rob is also the author of Basic Skills in the Plumbing Services Series. Apart from his extensive plumbing experience, Robert has also been teaching sailing for many years at North Haven in South Australia. After many years of sailing and study he gained his Master V Certificate in Maritime, which allowed him to gain a position as Second Officer on the Sailing Ship the One and All, sailing in Australian waters.



Bruce Paulsen contributed chapters 7, 8 and 9 of Basic Skills. He has been in the plumbing industry since 1973 - starting out as an apprentice in the family plumbing business, H R Paulsen and Sons P/L, where he gained extensive experience in construction work and maintenance in the domestic, commercial and industrial fields. He then moved into other areas of the building industry, including domestic design and building renovation. Over the course of his career Bruce has worked in most areas of the plumbing industry, including greywater and recycling systems, rainwater and water efficiency areas. He is currently a full-time Plumbing and Sustainability teacher at North Sydney TAFE, and was involved in writing the course material for the Certificate IV in Business Sustainability Assessment course offered there. Bruce's qualifications include Cert IV in Plumbing Technology, a Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Adult Education, Cert IV in Workplace Training and Assessment and Certificate IV in Business Sustainability Assessment.



After serving as the Head of School of Plumbing and Sheetmetal in NSW, Bob Puffett went on the be Director of Staff, Principal and Assistant Director General, TAFE. Bob was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his contribution to Technical Education as Director of the Sydney Institute of Technology. Following his 'retirement' Bob became National Chairman of Worldskills Australia. He now serves on local community organisations and is a Board member of a NSW plumbing training organisation.



Len Hossack is a former Head of School of Plumbing at the South Australian Department of Technical and Further Education and has been actively involved in his local community and with the plumbing industry in South Australia for many years.