Certificated Advanced Technician (CAT) Exam Success

Pest solutions celebrate Certificated Advanced Technician (CAT) exam success. We are delighted to announce that several members of our fantastic service team have successfully achieved BPCA Level 3 Certificated Advanced Technician (CAT) exam.

Natasha Mackay, Kevin Pugh, Gemma Sutherland, Chloe Smith and William Trivet passed the 5-stage assessment with flying colours and are looking forward to putting what they have learned into practice in the field.

Just 15-20% of those operating in the industry currently hold this qualification and it is testament to the skill of our wonderful technicians and their commitment to achieving excellence in dealing with pest problems of all kinds in the most effective, humane, and sustainable way possible.

Graduate BPCA Certificated Advanced Technicians

This is the latest demonstration of the value of our industry leading graduate scheme with Natasha, William, Chloe and Gemma all becoming highly successful pest technicians having joined us through the programme and achieved the CAT exam after serving the required 18 months in the pest control industry.

Whilst we are extremely proud of our technicians for achieving their Certificated Advanced Technician accreditation, their success is no surprise to us and is just yet another reminder of their excellence.

All of them have been displaying their expertise for several years now and have been recognised nationally for their contributions to the pest control industry.

In 2021, Kevin was named as UK Pest Controller of the Year at the National Pest Awards, with Gemma being named winner of UK Young Pest Controller of the Year of the year in 2022.

Chloe has also already impressed this year, joining Gemma as one of the three finalists for the 2022 UK Young Pest Controller of the of the Year.

Why Become A BPCA Certificated Advanced Technician?

In order to achieve their CAT accreditation from the BPCA, our pest technicians successfully passed 5 carefully designed online assessments, demonstrating their expertise in pest management and ability to think quickly in a range of different pest related scenarios.

Each of these assessments represents a different module that is taught on the programme.

By passing all of these assessments and achieving the BPCA Certificated Advanced Technician (CAT) in Pest Management accreditation candidates demonstrate that they are proficient in a number of key areas.

These include:

• The identification of a wide range of invertebrates and vertebrates pests, infestation evidence, and pest control equipment.
• Knowledge of possible survey sites.
• Ability to carry out and complete both risk and environmental assessments.
• Knowledge of pest behaviour and biology
• Understanding of legislation and stewardship in regards to pest management.
• Ability to provide customers with the most effective pest management strategies in a safe and responsible manner.

The modules that each candidate must pass are:

Module 1 – Identification
Candidates must identify 50 different pests, infestation evidence, or pieces of equipment to demonstrate their knowledge of each.

Module 2 – Knowledge
Candidates must answer 30 multiple choice questions about the behaviour, management, stewardship, and health and safety legislation concerning a variety of different pest species.

Module 3 – Treatment Report
Candidates must complete a treatment report detailing based on a site diagram and several potential scenarios that they may face when working in the field. In this report, they should include details of the pests identified, pesticides that are required to treat them, and any non-chemical control measures they would use.

Module 4 – Risk and Environmental Assessment
Candidates are required to write a risk and environmental assessment that shows they are able to identify the hazards and risks associated with a given scenario. They must also give information on mitigation measures required to minimise them.

Module 5 – Professional Discussion
A role playing exercise conducted via video call where the candidate is tasked with playing the role of a pest professional who is making recommendations to a customer (the BPCA assessor) on how to resolve the pest infestation/s on their site. The risk assessment and treatment report previously created by the candidate as part of the previous modules will be used to challenge the candidate on any recommendations that they make.

Certificated Advanced Technician Accreditation Award

Once you have successfully passed each of these 5 modules, you will receive your Certificated Advanced Technician (CAT) accreditation.

Natasha, Kevin, Gemma, Chloe and William all did exactly that, passing with flying colours.

Each achieved distinction (85% or more) in multiple sections of the assessments they undertook, no surprise to use given their fantastic record of success in the field over the last few years.

Importance Of Certificated Advanced Technician Accreditation

Here at Pest Solutions, we are firm believers in the importance of accreditation and regulation in the pest control industry.

In the UK, the pest control industry is both highly controlled in some regards, but also far less regulated than other countries in others.

The use of chemical pesticides, for example, is strictly controlled and regulated by national legislation and all pest control products are constantly under review, with labelling requirements and restrictions on use changing year-on-year as new research emerges.

However, there is no regulatory body responsible for the licencing of pest technicians in the country, and no restrictions on who is legally allowed to carry out pest control services.

So why bother putting our technicians through training and accreditation processes if they are not legally required for the services we provide?

Well, firstly, our pest technicians themselves are constantly looking for ways to better themselves and become even more effective than they already are in tackling pest infestations.

Completing training programmes and acquiring BCPA accreditations is one of the best ways for them to do just that.

Furthermore, as a company that is built on responsible practices and is fully committed to protecting the welfare of humans and the environment, we believe that engaging with regulators to control pests in the safest and most sustainable way possible.

By engaging closely with voluntary initiatives aimed at promoting best practice in the pest control industry, and putting all our technicians through extensive BPCA accredited training to achieve qualifications such as the Level 3 CAT, we ensure that we are able to tackle pest problems in the most effective way possible whilst remaining compliant with all animal welfare and sustainability legislation.

As an active BPCA member, our customers are guaranteed an extremely high level of professionalism as we strictly adhere to the BPCA codes of best practice and have been audited to BS EN 16636, the British Standard in Pest Management.

Almost all the pest controllers recognised at the National Pest Control Awards every single year are members of the BPCA (Including our own) and this is testament to the high standards required by the body.

We also believe that further future regulation is inevitable and are determined to be in the perfect position to lead the industry forward when it arrives.

Many other countries, already have certification requirements for pest control and as the industry moves forward in terms of research, innovation, and technology there is a high chance that the UK could follow suit in the future.

By complying fully with the leading voluntary pest control regulations currently in place, we feel that we are putting ourselves in the perfect position to adapt to whatever the future brings.

What’s Next For These Pest Professionals?

Here at Pest Solutions, we are always striving for excellence in everything we do.

We are constantly looking for ways to help our fantastic service team better themselves in terms of knowledge, identification, and treatment processes so we can provide the best possible pest control services to each and every customer.

We look forward to supporting our recently qualified Certificated Advanced Technicians as they look to progress to Level 4 training programmes in the future, with becoming a Certificated Field Biologist (A level 4 qualification) already on their radar.

We have technicians of all levels of experience at Pest Solutions, from recent graduates to seasoned campaigners with 20+ years of experience under their belt.

No matter what stage of their career each individual is at, however, we have the exact same commitment to supporting them on their journey towards bettering themselves as pest controllers and providing the best possible service to our clients.

It is great to see this approach returning fantastic results with our company growing significantly over the past couple of years and we are constantly on the lookout for new talent that will match the enthusiasm and ambition of our current team.

We believe that with the right people at the heart of everything we do, the accreditations and awards that our technicians have received in recent months are only the beginning of what is an incredibly exciting next few years.

No matter how big we grow, our goal will always remain the same, deliver customer service excellence by investing in our staff whilst maintaining the highest standards of professionalism.