It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.
— John Wooden, University of California, Los Angeles basketball coach
Many pool and spa professionals would agree with the legendary coach. It’s why they take advantage of the various industry certification and educational programs out there. Whether to boost their own skill sets or hone the abilities of their employees — or both — they appreciate the value of trade education for industry newcomers and veterans alike.
The need for education only becomes stronger as the industry progresses. A new generation of pool and spa professionals, combined with the increasing emphasis on licenses and certifications, constant changes in technology, and an ever-more-educated consumer base should drive everyone in the classroom, whether in-person or virtual.
The educators themselves have to keep on their toes, too, as younger generations seek out newer course formats.
In this article, we’ll look at recent developments in industry education, as well as what the future might hold.
One size does not fit all
Industry education comes in different packages.
In-person classroom sessions — the backbone of education since day one — are still going strong. But other methods have been evolving, too, because how people want to learn is just as important as why.
Besides in-person classes, the options nowadays include online courses, blended (classroom and online) and webinars.
An abundance of options serves those seeking a classroom environment. The annual International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo, or PSP Expo, will offer 67 classes and more than 260 hours of education at New Orleans’ Morial Convention Center. Free sessions on the show floor, such as Splash Talks, commercial education, the Hayward School of Business and the Genesis Lifestyle Program, also provide more tangible learning experiences.
On the regional level, the Northeast Spa & Pool Association offers the Professional Training Institute at its Hamilton, N.J. facility, which offers technical and business training, as well as extensive hands-on work in a classroom setting. The organization’s annual convention, The Pool & Spa Show, offers approximately 75 seminars. NESPA chapters and regions also hold various types of training sessions for their members.
The emphasis on education in the Northeast is understandable given the region’s licensing requirements. (See “New Jersey Sees Pool Licensing Bill” on page 15.)
With these courses healthily attended, it’s clear that in-person courses are still in demand.
“The vast majority [of people] are looking for classroom instruction,” says Alex Antoniou, Ph.D., chief marketing and information officer at the National Swimming Pool Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colo.
But it’s equally true that online courses continue to surge in popularity. NSPF has perhaps been the quickest to respond to this demand. For example, a popular online course is “Pool Operator Primer.” Designed for pool operators, service technicians, facility managers and environmental health officials, it’s a stand-alone, eight-lesson online training course, or it can be the first step toward earning NSPF’s Certified Pool/Spa Operator (CPO) certification. It’s also available in Spanish and metric. Students have access to the online course for six months, so they can review the material multiple times.
“Virtual [education] is very popular. Millennials are used to doing things virtually,” agrees Maria O’Hara, director of education for the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals in Alexandria, Va.
Some are drawn to online courses not because of personal preference but access.
“Some people can’t travel — maybe there are no funds or it’s too time-consuming,” O’Hara says. “But with self-paced [online classes], they can have, say, six weeks to complete a program.”
Brian Quint, a repeat seminar leader at the PSP Expo and a member of Informa’s Advisory Panel, has noticed the trend as well. He says more and more younger people in the industry are gravitating to online training.
“Millennials would say, ‘Why do you have to send me to [the show]? Why not do it online?’” says Quint, also the president of Aqua Quip, a retail/service firm in the greater Seattle area. “That’s where education is going.”
The next big thing(s)
Industry educators are busy developing new programs.
A brand-new one from NSPF is the Advanced Service Technician certification. AST is billed as a comprehensive 45- to 60-hour blended training program designed to provide service technicians with the knowledge and skills to service residential pools and spas, including equipment installation, maintenance and repair.
“It elevates the service technician’s knowledge base to the highest possible standard,” NSPF’s Antoniou says. “Online is available right now, through NSPF or NESPA. There are seven modules, such as AST fundamentals (pool operation), managing, and routine maintenance. We’re finalizing the classroom part and final exam. It should be done by the end of the year.”
From NESPA’s perspective, AST fits in nicely with the association’s training for techs aiming to meet the region’s licensing requirements. “It’s a nice blended program at the intermediate level,” says Paulette Pitrak, NESPA’s deputy executive director.
Over at APSP, several new things are afoot. “We updated our CBP (Certified Building Professional) prep course in partnership with Carecraft,” O’Hara reports. In September a training event was held in Las Vegas, and the focus was on preparing Carecraft attendees to take the onsite CBP Exam.
“It was a huge success, with 92 percent of the participants passing the CBP Exam,” she says. “We attribute the high pass rate to the comprehensive [education] program that included the self-paced Pool & Spa Construction Course, the self-paced Cracking the CBP Exam course, and the in-person CBP Prep course.”
APSP also is developing the Retail Master Certification Program, with a full curriculum: core courses and electives. It’s meant to give retailers a competitive edge, and will be rolled out in the first quarter of next year.
Additionally, APSP launched computerized testing for certification programs in September. “We’re the first in the industry to do it,” O’Hara says of the program, which outsources test administration. “We’re in partnership with PSI, which has 600 testing locations in the U.S.”
Here’s how it works: The applicant submits his or her exam application to APSP, which approves it and sends it to PSI, who works directly with the candidate to schedule the exam. Scheduling is flexible, available seven days a week and evenings.
“You immediately receive the result, whereas with paper exams, it takes up to three weeks,” O’Hara reports.
Speaking of new developments on the educational front, the merger of Genesis and NSPF, followed by the announcement of NSPF with APSP intrigued the industry, and many are wondering if it will affect the three groups’ educational offerings.
The players think the three groups’ educational programs will fit nicely together.
“Genesis is in a residential market, a segment NSPF is not traditionally in,” says NSPF’s Antoniou. “With APSP, it’s too early to know — we’re still figuring things out. … We don’t want conflicting programs; we want a unified approach.”
APSP’s O’Hara said even the certification programs are complementary. “Educationally, [NSPF] has the CPO course; we have certification classes. We’re not dropping anything, but are improving and pulling together.”
The call of the future
Not surprisingly, there’s been talk of the need to bring more young people into the industry, and ideas abound as to how that might be accomplished.
“People don’t go to college thinking they’ll go into the pool industry,” Antoniou says, “so internships or apprenticeships could help steer people into the industry. ”
This concern about bringing the new generation into the pool industry extends everywhere. Organizers of the PSP Expo hope to help with this cause, says Brandi McElhaney, a senior conference manager with Informa. They are exploring the possibility of attracting students who are new to the industry through mentorship, student presentations and perhaps even competitions.
While programs are already in place to encourage younger industry professionals, such as the APSP Wave Young Professionals Network, McElhaney believes there’s room for everybody on this front.
“It is critical for the industry to allow these types of programs, to expand and to train the next generation,” she says.
Bringing in younger blood through educational institutions outside the industry also could prove fruitful, these professionals say.
So far, two colleges offer minors in aquatics: Ball State University in Indiana and Salem College in Massachusetts.
The idea of partnering with outside institutions appealed to APSP’s Central Arizona Chapter, which covers metropolitan Phoenix. It has created a curriculum that can be used in construction trade schools, O’Hara says. The association is targeting high school students, young adults and people brand new to the pool industry, with a course based on APSP’s Certified Service Professional, Certified Service Technician and Certified Maintenance Specialist programs. It’s spread over a six- to nine-week period and will include hands-on instruction, demonstrations and guest speakers. At the end, students will take the exam to receive their APSP CSP designation — and the chapter will even help students find jobs in the industry.
Susan Stein Kregar, executive director of the Central and Southern Arizona APSP chapters, explains the thinking behind this effort: “During the economic downturn, we had a surge of new servicepeople. They are dealing with chemicals and electric, which is a safety concern. The format of this program will allow us to educate them and the up-and-coming pool professionals to ensure that our industry is providing the best products and service possible.”
All of this bodes well for industry education, but there’s no getting around the fact that, even after these efforts, there will still be people who scoff at the need to take classes. Some say it’s unnecessary because they were well-trained by their company, or they’ve been in the industry for years.
NSPF’s Antoniou says those folks are “falling victim to ‘know it all’ syndrome. When we have people with 10 or 20 years in the industry and they sign up for a CPO class, they might start out thinking, ‘Why am I here?’ and then, ‘Wow, I didn’t know that — or that!’ ”
Brian Quint has a similar attitude regarding the need for continuous education: “I’m 60 and I’m a lifelong learner. I’d be surprised if you don’t walk out of a seminar having learned something or met someone. I’m in constant pursuit of learning more and thinking differently. My business is not the same as it was five years ago; it is changing over time.”
