Becoming a workplace supervisor

To have your pest trainee technicians complete this course, they must find someone in their place of work to be a workplace supervisor. This will be a person who is prepared to officially supervise the training. The person must be a licensed pest controller.

Remember, a good workplace supervisor (WPS) is responsible for:

•       Developing your trainee’s pest management practical skills and knowledge.
•       Supervising your trainee while he/she is completing a number of pest management tasks that are undertaken on most jobs.
•       Assessing your trainee’s abilities and skills in the completion of seven pest treatments (the site assessment tasks).

We have put together a training guide for how to be a good workplace supervisor for trainees/students.

How to be a good workplace supervisor

• Encourage the student to ask questions, even those they may think are silly questions.
• Be willing to actively guide the student through several on-the-job tasks.
• The student will not usually know industry or business jargon. Explain the terms when they are used. These terms will include pests, products, equipment, treatment types, individual business terms or jargon.
• Give clear explanations and instruction on the use and maintenance of each tool or piece of equipment. What may seem easy to you will need to be practised and those skills developed by the student.
• The student will want you to think of them as knowledgeable and will often say they know or understand something when they do not. Explain and show the student anyway – for example, the way a piece of equipment is used in the pest control industry may not be the ‘standard’ way the item is normally used.
• While demonstrating a skill or providing instruction, talk to and watch the student. This will keep their attention and will help them to focus.
• Ask questions to establish understanding. This will help your understanding of their progress. Provide positive feedback.
• Stand back and watch the student use the equipment and undertake the required tasks. The student needs to demonstrate their ability and skills to you.
• Let the student complete the task before saying anything. You will then know what they can and cannot do. This will help in identifying the student’s development and future training needs.
• Always be in attendance while the student undertakes new types of work or tasks, or tasks you believe them not yet to have full competency.
• Ask about the student’s progress in the course work they are undertaking. This will help keep the student focused and encourage them to keep studying.

Can I be a workplace supervisor?

To be a workplace supervisor, you must have successfully completed the units of competence yourself and have work experience in these areas.

Following are the units of competence you must have completed.

Pest Technician Training Course: 

•       Manage pests without pesticides.
•       Manage pests using pesticides.
•       Chemical and equipment storage.

Timber Pest Management:

•       Inspect and report on timber pests.
•       Manage timber pests.

Please provide a copy of your statements of attainment (or certificates) covering these units to Work Ready Training for verification.

You must also have a current pest management licence and have a minimum of two years’ experience in the work being supervised.

For more information on online pest or timber training, check out our highly recommended courses.