Opportunities from training

Having been in the position of Deputy director at the Asociación Nacional de Empresas de Sanidad Ambiental (ANECPLA), the Spanish pest control trade association, for just over a year, Jorge Galván is passionate about training. In particular, the opportunities those within the industry have to raise not only their own profile, but also that of professionalism for the industry.
Based in the Spanish capital, Madrid, Jorge has a PhD in architecture plus experience of working in the field of wood protection, in particular promoting wood as a construction material. For ten years, before joining ANECPLA he worked as a teacher at the Centre for Environmental Health Studies (CEDESAM) in collaboration with ANECPLA. So his passion for training can easily be understood.
Asked for his view of the industry at the moment, Jorge explains how we now live in a changing world. The industry needs to prepare for reductions in the number of available biocides, to look for alternative methods of control, plus climate change and travel has caused the arrival of new invasive pest species.
But, now in particular, we all faced change with the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic. But this can offer opportunities with the addition of disinfection services. The industry may well come out of this crisis in a stronger position.

Training supports change

To prepare for change, Jorge stresses the need for training – at all levels – not just technicians, but right through the industry, from those who answer the phone right up to the managers. For pest control companies, the majority of which are small & mid-sized enterprises (SME), management training must not be forgotten. As an industry, it is good at training on technical matters, but less so for business oriented ones.
For the future, he once again stresses the need for training and its harmonisation across Europe, an objective CEPA contributes to. Pest management is an important role that often gets overlooked by public health as a whole – that is until something goes wrong.
Technicians need to view themselves as consultants and to value their service. However, the first person anyone must value is themselves. Recognise the important role you play.