ON ASSIGNMENT | PPC100 August 2020

In May this year, BPCA released the first in a series of new downloadable CPD assignments, giving pest controllers the opportunity to research and write about a topic in order to earn valuable CPD points.

BPCA’s technical team marks the assignments and the best ones are given a certificate of excellence, as a way of recognising the hard work that’s gone into them.

We’re pleased to say that the first certificate of excellence was awarded to Carl Hoult, Operations Manager at Abate Pest Control.

Carl is currently finishing his RSPH Level 3 Award in Pest Management and said that he was ‘chuffed’ to receive the certificate.

He said: “The Level 3 is quite full-on, so it was nice to do a smaller, light-hearted assignment for my CPD, which I could have some fun with.

“I thought the idea behind the BPCA assignments was very good, as I have always been a big promoter of self-improvement and education in the workplace.

“Like many other pest controllers, I’ve used the BPCA’s CPD quizzes for many years. You simply read the article or other reading material supplied, then take the quiz and then receive the points.”

Conducting research and completing assignments based on specific topics is a fantastic and underutilised way of doing some valuable CPD.

CPD assignments are designed for pest control technicians looking to improve their knowledge and understanding of pest management subjects, designed by our team to guide your research and help you discover more about your trade.

Carl added: “In all honesty, except doing the BPCA’s quiz on Glis glis a few months ago, I didn’t really know anything else about the edible dormouse. Where I operate in Suffolk and Norfolk for Abate, we just don’t get any as their presence is non-existent in our area to my knowledge.”

This meant Carl had to hit the books hard for his CPD assignment.

“For the research, it was all book and internet-based, with no actual field experience for myself.

“It made the project far more enjoyable, as I needed to learn about the whole issue: why they are a pest; what are methods of treatment; is there any additional legislation surrounding them, and so on.”

Carl continued, “With the CPD assignments I really enjoyed the format, as you have a lot more freedom and flexibility to earn the points in a way that demonstrates you have new knowledge and experience from the pest control industry.

“And, being in the middle of the national lockdown, it didn’t hurt spending a couple of extra hours on the assignment, putting the time to good use!”

Karen Dawes, BPCA Training Manager, said:

We created these assignments to help give pest professionals more variety in their CPD learning experiences. We were really pleased with how enthusiastically people responded to the assignments, putting in a lot of effort to submit some brilliant work. A well-deserved congratulations to Carl for being awarded our first certificate of excellence. We’re really looking forward to seeing the submissions for our next CPD assignment.

Karen Dawes, BPCA Training Manager

The newest CPD Assignment on Behavioural Resistance is ready to download and complete from our website. You can complete the assignments at any time and earn valuable CPD points while you learn.

bpca.org.uk/cpd-assignments

Did you know there are tons of free CPD activities available on the BPCA website?

Alongside the CPD assignments, there are CPD quizzes. These test your knowledge of PPC magazine articles about pest management and can be taken at your leisure.

There are new toolbox talks, which are a way to work together as a team to enhance your knowledge on a topic or area of the job. You can use the topics we’ve suggested or simply download our template and use it to create your own.

bpca.org.uk/toolbox-talks

You can also watch old webinars, read PPC magazine for some unstructured learning points or check out the third-party CPD resources we’ve put together.

And don’t forget to take a look at our online microlearning courses, which are free for members.

And if you have ideas for more CPD activities we can add to the list, then we’d love to hear them! Get in touch.

[email protected]

Got an idea for an assignment?

There are currently three CPD assignments available on our website: Edible Dormouse (Glis glis), Behavioural Resistance and Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

These assignments have no time limit; you can complete them at your leisure and submit them any time.

We’re always looking for inspiration for CPD Assignments, webinars and other CPD activities. If you have any ideas you want to share, let us know!

[email protected]

Source: PPC100