APSP Quarterly - Winter 2008 - (Page 38)

Program to offer high-end education to dealers from different industry segments at the annual International Pool & Spa Expo. The Live Workshops offer educational demonstrations of hands-on construction and troubleshooting techniques in a job-site setting on the show floor. These kinds of events and the CBP program “offer everything needed to get educated,” says Joe Vassallo, CBP of Paragon Pools (Las Vegas, Nevada). The benefit is more than just what you learn, he says. “It’s also the acquaintances of people you meet in classes—the contacts, the manufacturers. It has helped me so much.” This year, the Builders Council is planning a CBP Recognition Dinner at the Expo in Orlando, featuring the presentation of the fi rst-ever CBP of The Year Award to a CBP whose accomplishments have made a major contribution to the profession. While APSP wants to honor those who have demonstrated a lifetime of achievement in this industry, the association also wants to broaden its educational offerings in order to help get more people trained in more places throughout the year. That’s why APSP education committees are “modularizing” their multi-day certification programs into shorter modules that can be offered in smaller timeframes, such as eight hours or less. Based on recommendations that an Education Task Force made last year to the APSP Board of Directors, a new Career Institute is being launched to help make education more readily available to professionals in all segments of the industry. By allowing greater accessibility to existing certification programs and introducing new educational courses, enhanced by new distance-learning or “e-learning” technology, APSP can help those who crave knowledge to more easily fi nd the information they need. Already, the Retailers Council has developed an online exam for retail sales associates. Textbooks, like the APSP Hot Tub Technician Manual, can help professionals develop the generic expertise needed to work with products of all makes and models. Work is well under way on a Spanish translation of the APSP Service Tech Manual. And for those who manage public pools and spas, APSP offers the Certified PoolSpa Operator® Handbook (English or Spanish edition). APSP is striving to anticipate ongoing changes in the industry’s educational needs. “Probably the biggest change is how much more advanced technology is getting,” says Lee West of Newport Controls LLC (Irvine, California). Some of the technological changes 348804_Heliocol.indd 1 APSP Tech School class in Ocean City, Maryland for pool and spa service technicians. in the manufacturing segment are literally bringing the Space Age to pools, spas, and hot tubs. “We’re bringing in new technology from the aerospace industry,” he says. West sees education having a long-range impact on our industry. “I think it will increase the level of skill,” he says. “We need to convince more dealer companies to see the value in education.” Johnson says she would like to see more educational events where manufacturers and manufacturers’ agents could put the wealth of information they have into the hands of dealers. She also would like to see more generic content incorporated into manufacturers’ productspecific courses. The Career Institute is focused on accrediting future courses that meet specific learning objectives, and she says that will be a big help. “If the manufacturing segment and APSP could bring the generic and product-specific information closer together, that would be huge,” Johnson says. “And it would help everyone provide even better education to dealers than is already being done.” Bob Tomlinson, now a successful industry leader, looks back at how he got to where he is today. And he wonders how much more successful he might have been if he had gotten more training earlier in life. “I see the folly of my ways when I was younger,” he says, reflecting upon his past attitude toward education. “I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to realize how important education is.” Those are words of wisdom for those willing to listen—and striving to learn. A Q Ken Suzuki is the director of education of The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals (APSP) and has more than 14 years of experience in association management. He also currently serves as the staff liaison to the APSP Builders Council, APSP Service Council and several APSP education committees. 3 8 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T E R LY 10/4/07 2:55:05 PM http://www.heliocol.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of APSP Quarterly - Winter 2008

APSP Quarterly - Winter 2008 Contents President's Message Guest Editorial APSP Annual Report Hot Tub Council Initiative to Speak with One Voice Suction Safety Challenging the Process Industry Update Keeping Pace: Staying on the Cutting Edge With Lifelong Learning APSP News & Resources Advertisers' Index

APSP Quarterly - Winter 2008

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