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Hiring new employees is only the beginning. If pool and spa businesses want knowledgeable technicians, loyal teams, confident customers, and fewer unqualified operators dragging down the trade, they must invest in professional development.
On this episode of Mondays Down Under, Lee Salisbury, Nick Day, and Shane Sneddon welcome Rachel, General Manager of IR Learning—soon to return to the name SPASA Training—to discuss the education and qualifications available to pool and spa professionals across Australia and New Zealand.
The group explores Recognition of Prior Learning, competency conversations, transferable skills, online education, industry-specific qualifications, and why experienced technicians may already possess much of the evidence needed to become formally qualified.
They also discuss the responsibility carried by pool professionals. Today’s technicians must understand water chemistry, hydraulics, electrical and plumbing systems, safety, automation, customer service, and business operations—yet the trade continues fighting for the recognition and funding it deserves.
Training your employees is not simply an investment in them. Better-trained people provide better service, inspire greater customer confidence, strengthen staff retention, and build a better business.
Topics discussed include:
- The transition from IR Learning back to SPASA Training
- The Four Pillars of Pool Care training series
- Recognition of Prior Learning for experienced technicians
- Why competency conversations are not traditional exams
- Turning everyday jobsite photos and videos into qualification evidence
- How skills from sales, safety, and other industries may transfer
- Building long-term career pathways within the pool and spa industry
- Training opportunities for Australian and New Zealand professionals
- Certificate III in Swimming Pool and Spa Service
- Pool building, retail, business, leadership, safety-barrier, and aquatic-operator training
- Why professional qualifications help separate legitimate businesses from industry cowboys
- The continuing push for trade recognition, licensing, and training funding
Learn more about available courses and qualifications at IRLearning.com
This episode is brought to you in part by Pool Brain, giving pool professionals the tools to operate smarter, more efficiently, and more profitably.
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