PMATT: Pest-control technicians need training

Chairman of the Pest Management Association of TT (PMATT) Anthony Rostant on Thursday said the association was striving to have a robust collaboration with the State during rodent and mosquito outbreaks in this country.

Speaking to Newsday during the first lunch and learn session on pest control in TT, at the Chancellor Hotel, St Ann’s, Rostant said Government had limited resources in the vector control division.

Rostant said it was his hope through collaboration between the Government and the organisation that they could provide services to the country.

He said, normally, there were a lot of complaints from the public when there was an influx of mosquitoes in communities.

“As you know during times of high vector incidents with mosquitoes and epidemic outbreaks with chikungunya and dengue, during those periods you would hear people complaining that they are not seeing vector control technicians coming around to spray their neighbourhood for mosquitoes.

“We have members all over the country on the ground that can be mobilised at a moment’s notice to provide vector control services during times of outbreak. That is not what happens presently, but that is what we hope will be materialised in the future.”

Rostant said technicians in pest control were starved for training in TT and for a lot of small operators it was prohibitive for them to go abroad for training.

He said the training that technicians received over the years had really been focused only on pest identification and pesticide management, but there was a lot more to the business.

“PMATT is a member of TTCSI (TT Coalition of Services Industries) and, through the TTCSI, we were invited to join in consultations with the drafting National Accreditation framework and the National Quality Policy.

“Through the two initiatives we are formulating a complete training comprehensive programme for the industry. We are hoping the training will take the individual as a starter now entering from an apprentice technician to a master technician.”

Rostant said participants would be put through various levels of training and certification in conjunction with operating hours in the industry.

He said the training was going to allow members to get international recognition for their qualifications which would give them exportability and transferability of their skills.

“The first intensive course will be in June and it is going to be a two-day back to back training session which will be on sales. Today we have 20 members from nine pest control companies throughout TT participating along with a couple of landscaping companies.

“We are encouraging the landscaping companies because they are delivering pest control services to customers and we are encouraging them to join the association and become part of PMATT as a whole.”