PPC111 | Opinion

“...CPD should be meaningful and not simply a box-ticking exercise.”

Martin Rose-King is a long-serving member of the BPCA Executive Board and is the current chair of BPCA’s Professional Standards Committee. Martin runs BPCA member company, Bounty Pest Control, a family-run company in the south east.

Martin has some strong feelings regarding worthwhile continuing professional development and how to stay fresh after nearly 30 years in the business.

Me and my pie bait tray

I started in the industry in 1994. I was required to add pest control as part of my existing civilian role in the MOD, and CPD was not something I was aware of then. I got my qualification, and that was it. I was ready to go, equipped with my foil bait tray (which looked suspiciously like a pie tray) and my puffer full of carbamate! 

After the barracks I worked at closed, I soon began my first full-time pest technician job. This was excellent, surrounded by experienced colleagues who were all supportive and happy to share their knowledge. I feel lucky to this day to have had their support. Nonetheless, there was no mention of CPD.

The feedback loop

When we opened Bounty in 1997, we did so with the mindset that we didn’t want to be associated with killing stuff. We’d rather take an approach based on proactive advice and managing the surroundings to prevent pests.

This, and working alongside clients, made us realise that customers were happy when we resolved pest issues but even happier when we gave advice that would prevent pests from occurring in the first place!

Gaining positive feedback was the perfect motivator for self-improvement and the desire to be informed and share that knowledge with customers. 

Our first CPD scheme

We needed to find a way of demonstrating to our customers that we were undertaking all of this additional learning, so we joined a CPD scheme (the only one available at the time).

Our work increased, and with the increased work, additional learning time evaporated. It wasn’t until almost 10 years later, when we had taken on new technicians, that we fully recognised that the industry was changing fast, and we needed to change with it.

With my wife and business partner Elaine’s support, I embarked on undertaking some industry update courses. I soon realised that in the previous years, when we had been so focused on growing the company, some methods had changed and new regulations were on the horizon. 

We discussed the impacts it may have on our growing company and decided that we should consider joining BPCA and retraining so that we were prepared for the future. Our supplier, Killgerm, assisted us with some guidance on what courses to take and slowly but surely, my thirst grew for continued self-improvement. 

Learning is addictive

I was surprised that the more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. Coming from a vocational background, learning was never my strong point, but with Elaine’s support, we balanced our home life, work life and learning!

When attending customers’ sites armed with knowledge, the value was noticeable:

• Good feedback
• Good reviews
• Recommendations.

Easy points, no development

We would receive our annual CPD certificate and forward it to customers, most of which didn’t really understand or care what it was, but nonetheless, we persisted. 

By now, our techs knew the obligatory 20-point requirement, but it was hard to convince some staff of the value of CPD when so many points could be gained by signing up for an industry magazine. As one person rightfully pointed out, they didn’t even need to read it to get the points!

We knew that this needed to change, as CPD should be meaningful and not simply a box-ticking exercise.

Developing BPCA Registered

When BPCA Registered started, we realised there was an opportunity to demonstrate to our techs what good CPD looks like.

Now we could spread our CPD between formal training, self-improvement and on-the-job learning (our favourite!). How often have you gone to a site and been shown a new way of doing something? For instance, I bumped into a falconer on a job and spent an hour learning about hawking. That’s CPD!

All of these learning moments can be recorded easily now that we have BPCA Registered (and with the new app, it’s even more straightforward).

Getting everyone onboard

Slowly but surely, year after year, our techs have started to naturally look for opportunities for learning. We now have a Telegram group set up specifically for pest articles, information and industry updates. 

Before the app was launched, we had ‘learning journals’ where techs could log their CPD so that they could update it on the BPCA website at a later stage. But now, with the app, they can do it straight away. Even our resident technophobe is using it!

This year, all of our staff have exceeded their annual requirement before the end of March. 

But, more satisfying to me, they care less about points and more about the quality of learning and becoming better professionals. Long may this continue!

Ready to switch to BPCA Registered?

Talk to the BPCA Registered team today, and we’ll organise a demonstration of the scheme and how it could work for you. Already a member and looking for some CPD inspiration? Our team is happy to help. 

registered@bpca.org.uk
01332 225 114