Annual report | PPC106
Our two long-running committees and our two new committees, run by member volunteers, gave an update for the BPCA annual report.
Servicing Committee report
Fresh input, fresh ideas
It’s been an interesting year for the Committee with the introduction of member rotation.
This has seen a mixture of previous members continuing their valuable voluntary contributions, along with new members joining and bringing fresh ideas.
In my last year as Chair, it’s pleasing to see that the Association’s longest operating committee continues to develop.
We’ve continued liaison with Manufacturers and Distributors Committee (M&D) which gives valuable opportunities for servicing and M&D members to query upcoming changes and clarify ongoing product use.
As always, a thank you from me to Daniel Lightfoot for attending servicing meetings and a thank you to committee members who attend M&D meetings to represent BPCA servicing members.
Committee members have been busy helping the BPCA Staff team to develop new and enhancing existing guidance documents. These documents are an important member benefit and are used by many servicing companies.
In our April meeting, servicing members raised concerns regarding the inconsistency of service when sub-contracting drain investigation work.
As a result, committee members have engaged with the National Drainage Contractors Association with a view to creating a guidance document for BPCA members.
The Committee is also continuing to advocate a mandatory trap approval scheme so that servicing members have a proactive voice regarding the quality and effectiveness of break-back traps.
Committee members have also been engaging with companies to try to develop some new member benefits. Some of these companies have now been listed in the member benefits area of the BPCA site.
January 2022 marks my final year as chair of the Servicing Committee and will also mark my last meeting. I’ve enjoyed every minute of being part of the Servicing Committee since joining seven years ago.
Our industry is ever-changing so I hope the next seven years will be as interesting for the Committee going forward!
Martin Rose-King
Servicing Committee Chair
membership@bpca.org.uk
Professional Standards Committee report
Ongoing improvement
My thanks go out to my fellow committee members and also the BPCA Staff team who have worked exceptionally hard in their respective roles to make this inaugural year for the Professional Standards Committee a special and successful year.
The membership review analysis project reviewed membership criteria, member benefits and services, categories of membership and subscriptions.
The project began with research involving BPCA members that explored the value of the BPCA website, systems, processes and procedures to see where improvements or changes could be made.
The review concluded with a formal report highlighting some proposed changes that will be further reviewed in 2022.
The Committee oversaw the development of two new online courses during 2021:
- Pest Awareness for Non-technical Employees
- Pest Awareness for Cleaning Operatives.
In addition, the General Pest Control online learning programme aligned with the RSPH Level 2 Award in Pest Management qualification syllabus.
Initially developed in 2015, it was given a complete overall with all members of the Committee volunteering to review the three modules before final sign off.
BPCA successfully procured funding from the Ufi VochTech seed fund in 2021 to support the development of a 3D competency assessment.
The Committee agreed to set up a working group of volunteers to drive this project.
One of the largest projects the Committee worked on in 2021 was the exploration of a qualification framework that would deliver a clear career pathway for those working in pest control.
By the end of the year, the working group had approved development of onboarding and graduate entry programmes, and sufficiently developed a draft framework to be sent to the Board for consultation.
Through the committee, a working group was set up to review the BPCA Code of Conduct with the aim of ensuring that it was suitable for the business environment that we work in today.
We developed a process for quality assurance assessments that would be fit for all membership categories by looking at current compliance processes.
By the end of the year, a completely new three-year membership assessment cycle had been approved and implemented.
It has been a great year for the Committee and we look forward to continuing our success in 2022.
Malcolm Stowell
Professional Standards Committee Chair
training@bpca.org.uk
Outreach and Communications Committee report
Getting out there
December 2020 saw the creation of a new Committee designed to overview how we communicate with our members, stakeholders, and the outside world.
Our first year of operations saw us work on some very interesting and exciting projects in the ‘represent’ and ‘support’ spaces of BPCA strategy.
Our agendas have updates from the Staff team, Shepherd PR on press wins, and progress from our public affairs partners, Nudge Factory.
We are starting to see some real successes:
BPCA is positioning itself as the voice of the industry – this is an area that is set for more success in the future.
Following on from 2021, we have some substantial projects in 2022. We will put our creative thinking caps on to work out how best to deliver these sensational projects:
- Getting pest management on the national policy agenda
- Delivering networking events across all four home nations parliaments
- Continuing to raise awareness of members in the media through the ‘Be Protected’ campaign
- We will reach out to local authorities to encourage them to signpost to BPCA members
- Watch this space for news on the BPCA app
- Finally, we will develop a new marketing strategy for the BPCA.
I’d like to thank our committee members and extend a warm welcome to our new recruits who have just joined us. I’m very excited to see what this incredible team can do with our new projects.
We are still looking for talented and creative people with ideas to join our Committee, so please get in touch if you are interested and would like to observe a meeting. Many hands make light work!
Julia Pittman
Outreach and Communications Committee Chair
marketing@bpca.org.uk
Manufacturers and Distributors Committee report
Research for insight
I‘m extremely proud to have been chosen by my peers as the new chair of the M&D Committee in September 2021 and appointed as Executive Board Member for the Association.
M&D members have supported the Board to oppose the proposed Bill to ban glue boards, collaborating with servicing members to influence opinion and to protect the technicians’ tool kit.
Some M&D members have reached out directly to servicing members and offered glue board training free of charge to promote best practices and good stewardship to help achieve this.
The M&D Committee members voted on several strategic projects that could be delivered in 2022. The two that were the most popular were:
- Consider the development of a ten-year environmental plan for the sector
- Conduct market and sector research and analysis.
The Board, in turn, agreed to park the first project to 2023 and welcome the start of the second project to conduct market research into the sector.
I am very excited to work with members to kick off the project in 2022 and help all members gain an even greater insight into the sector.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the M&D Committee member volunteers for their hard work, commitment and great passion shown for the Association in the last year, and especially the great support I have had since they elected me as chair of the M&D Committee.
Anthony O’Hare
Manufacturers and Distributors Committee Chair
membership@bpca.org.uk
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
If you'd like to observe one of the committees, with an option to join, get in touch with us.
enquiry@bpca.org.uk
Source: PPC106