In an effort to meet the challenges of finding, hiring and educating qualified workers, and to develop career paths within the industry, the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals Board of Directors has announced a $1.3 million investment in education and training initiatives.
“This is the first major investment an APSP Board has made in several years,” said Board President Jack Manilla in a press release. “We recognize that while the challenge to find and hire qualified workers is not limited to this industry, APSP and APSP University, is in a unique position to deliver the residential, commercial, technical, and business knowledge necessary to be successful in the swimming pool and hot tub industry today.”
The initiative will include upgrading all existing online and classroom certification courses as well as developing new ones, with an emphasis on young workers coming into the workforce. It also will position APSP as an accredited education provider through The International Association for Continuing Education and Training.
“We plan to take our existing intellectual property, like our training manuals and workbooks, and integrate standards and the International Swimming Pool & Spa Code, to create separate subject modules that can be viewed as part of a whole course or individually, depending upon the need and learning pace of the student,” APSP President & CEO Rich Gottwald explained. The initiative will result in over 80 subject modules initially.
APSP will partner with Hanley Wood to convert existing APSP certification courses into an e-learning format that will feature videos, interactive exercises and knowledge quizzes, while new courses will be developed to address industry needs of the ever expanding marketplace.
Both APSP and Hanley Wood expect the project to last a year or more as the full curriculum is developed for APSP University. The courses will be rolled out as they are completed and a full listing will be available at www.APSPUniversity.org.
