OPINION | PPC113 November 2023

A main aim of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee is to address the issue of recruitment in the pest control industry.

Julia Pittman, Beaver Pest Control, is the Chair of the EDI Committee and Rebekah Carral, Barricade Pest Control, is Vice Chair. They decided to investigate the issue at the source, and they asked some young people what they thought of pest control as a career.

"What's pest control?"
Interestingly, after explaining the job and what it involves, this respondent said that it sounds really interesting and definitely a job they would consider.

"Pest control sounds like hard work."

"The pay is not enough for me to consider it."
"I would scroll past a role like this on Indeed due to pay. If the salary was higher for a trainee role, it may be something I would consider."

"I'd be looking for a job with a good career path, pest control doesn't sound like it has many career options."

"It's a man's job."
"If I had a pest issue I'd assume it was a man who would turn up. I personally feel that others have the same opinion and being a woman, it doesn't sit right with me nor would I be comfortable going into homes of the general public on my own. I'd have safety concerns."

"The job ads have too much information, I don't want to read that much." 
"I'd rather see videos, photos, something that catches my eye before I decide whether it's worth investing time into learning more."

"I'm scared of creepy crawlies and mice."
"I couldn't face working in an environment where I would have to face these things daily."

"It sounds like a dirty job."

"I think young people don't join pest control because it doesn't sound like the right job for a young person."
"It sounds like it requires qualifications and may take a while to achieve those, that's why it's often older men who carry out this work."

"If I saw someone young on TikTok doing the job then it would be more appealing to younger people."

Joe Strong works for Beaver Pest Control and was winner of Young Pest Controller of the Year at the National Pest Awards 2023. He had this to say about why he thinks pest control doesn't appeal to young people.

I don't think pest control is advertised enough to grab the attention of young people entering the workforce. Maybe if there was a functioning apprenticeship scheme in pest control that would change things a lot.

Younger people tend to have other ideas of what they want to do. Pest control isn't something that comes to the front of their minds. Many of them want to earn money by doing stuff on social media, but there are those who tend to do trade training to be electricians, plumbers, bricklayers.

It could also be that they are unsure what the job actually entails. They don't see it as a career, but maybe if they knew that pest control is not just about catching rats and mice, and knew that they could go into specialisms like bird work, proofing, drainage, drones.

So what does this tell us? At first glance, it doesn't seem particularly hopeful. But it is a good starting point to overcome some of the obstacles stopping young people from entering the sector. And it will help inform the work the EDI committee does on this subject.

Any ideas?

If you have ideas on ways to drive recruitment and encourage more people into the pest control industry, get in touch with the EDI committee.
membership@bpca.org.uk