Maybe I will get shot down in flames over this, but following on from a point by KJC on ‘website’ and ‘creche’ got me thinking..

It could just be that I have been lucky in the Companies I have worked at (Fluor, UKAEA – apprentice, BNFL, Bechtel, Technip, Foster Wheler), but everywhere has complete sets of Piping Standards and job notes (pipe spacing charts etc).

Most of the Piping Designers at these Companies know the basics of Piping and Plant Design ( ie what a valve is, what the different Codes are ASME, ASTM etc)

These days it seems that all you need to do to get a job in this industry is to go on a PDS or PDMS course and thats it, you’ll pick the rest up on the job!!

I am now a PDS Administrator ( I did start with the real 3D CAD system, PDMS ), and it amazes me sometimes as to the amount of bad / incomplete data that is being modelled, for instance, just a small thing, but how many variations on the spelling of COLUMN can you come up with!!!! Doesnt matter in the 3D PDS or PDMS model (well maybe in PDMS), but you try searching for a particular Equipment Item in SmartPlant Review!!! (Find Data Any_Name=Column, Colum, colnum, Colm…..).

I admit its been several years since I did any Piping Design, but at least I still know the basics and could no doubt still do some Piping Detail work!!

Whatever happend to Apprenticeships………… (I bet none of the ‘Designers’ these days even KNOW what a chisel-point is, let alone how to sharpen one!!!)