Continuing Education Credits

A few weeks ago I taught a class for continuing education credits to the pest control industry in what is called a roadshow. Trade associations set up these classes around the state of Georgia to assist those working in the pest control industry to acquire the necessary class credits to renew their licenses, permits, and id cards.  Georgia is one of the best  states for these classes in that many are available for free if you are a member of the association. The fee for nonmembers is minimal, a bargain and these fees are always a business deduction at tax time. I taught a one hour class on structural invading animals, the business of structural invading animals and not about the animal themselves. I also taught a one hour class on wildlife, the investigative process (from the time a call comes in until I have finished the job and got paid).  These classes had to first be written/developed and then approved by the Georgia Department of Agriculture which governs pest control in Georgia through the Structural Pest Control Commission. Then the photos and words were arranged to fit a power point presentation ready for the audience, a lot of time and effort went into these classes. The pest control industry, overall and nationwide, has always had illegal operators, lowballers and thieves. Unfortunately, these people make the good guys look bad as well. Ask you pest technician how many hours of ceu’s he or she does a year. There is a direct connection to the quality of work performed and the number of hours of classes any person does. Having done some consulting for some of the finest pest control companies in Georgia, I can see where quality starts at the top and filters itself down through the rank and file of the organization. A good business owner will lead by example and not by do as I say and not as I do, a good business owner will understand that continuing education is an asset and not a liability, a good business owner will send employees to these classes and not be afraid to educate the workers, to make them smarter, to help all parties involved. I personally have  to do a minimum of 46 hours a year of ceu’s to maintain my credentials, but realisticly do more like 80 to 90 hours a year. I know all industries have some type of requirements for license renewal and it is a good thing they do,,,,,imagine if most people you hire for various services did not have the most recent info with which to make decisions regarding their ability to serve your needs. A word of caution here—— nusiance wildlife control all across the nation does not have enough classes and training to serve the needs of the nusiance wildlife control industry. A lot of  people like myself are doing things today to help, to lead, to provide better info that is honest, up to date, and effective. If you are having an animal problem in your home,,,,,, do your reaserch. Check credentials, business license, proof of liability insurence, better business bureau, etc.. Buyer be ware.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 26th, 2010 at 11:03 AM and is filed under Family Stuff, Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.