8 technician training tips from experts

We asked Pest Management Professional’s columnists and editorial advisory board members to offer up their favorite tip for technicians taking training. Here are some of the experts’ responses from our July 2024 print edition.

Please take a minute to answer our latest one-question poll on this topic: What is your favorite tip for technician training?

PMP’s Editorial Advisory Board and Regular Contributors

Greg Baumann: “It starts before training. Recruit inquisitive techs who thrive on learning and sharing. Feed them the info they need to be the experts.”

Foster Bruscaz: “Focus on understanding the underlying biology and behavior of pests, as well as the basics of performing pest control services. This foundational knowledge will enable technicians to choose the most effective control methods and perform services in a way that is not only environmentally correct, but also ensures the safety of their customers.”

Judy Black, BCE

Doug Foster: “Treat a training session like a buffet. Don’t try to ‘eat it all in one trip.’ Take two or three ideas from the session and implement those ASAP, then refer to your notes for other things to implement down the line.”

Jerry Schappert: “Hands-on training is a great way to get techs familiar with tools and applications. We have used wall mockups to teach dusting, etc. My office kitchen is a perfect scenario to accomplish this as well.”

Dan Baldwin: “Use a multi-modal approach to allow for different types of learners. This means creating training and education paths to allow for widely varied learning paces, from people familiar with the work to people with no knowledge of it at all.”

Dr. Faith Oi

Judy Black: “Be patient. There is a lot to take in. You don’t have to have the knowledge of a 20-year veteran in the first 60 days. Mix up the training methods; use office-based training to complement field training and vice versa.”

Paul Hardy: “Establish a structured system of training rewards for employees: Upon completion of any certification, reward employees with a base pay increase. In my experience, this improves recruiting, training and most importantly, employee retention.”

Dr. Faith Oi: “Turn off your phone. Focus. Your professional development is important. Multitasking negatively impacts productivity — in this case, learning.”

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from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2024/07/26/8-technician-training-tips-from-experts/
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