[Peter Sweeney]

Guys

This is where I get contraversial.

The training in this country is toilet. If you think that the courses you have done make you competent think again. What you learn on the job is far more important but training and experience should work hand in hand. Just like NVQ's do in the current day setting. I'm not saying you should'nt do a course (because of course you should) but will you all get off your high horses and just help the guy out given the fact that we are all being so high and mighty about the industry's best interests and he has taken the trouble to ask (probably knowing he will come across as naive) and in doing so is protecting our so revered statuses as we see them  :

Gr. Give me a call

Pete 07816 276290

[Peter Sweeney]

Oh, and before I forget, have any of you done the BICs training course?

If not please don't ever pick up a cloth because yoou are not qualified

[derek west]

the training in this country for a newbie is excellent.
and once youve done one you are competent.

i'm sorry but cleaning a carpet is a piece of p1ss, any soft ass can do it, you don't need training to clean a carpet.

you need training so you can spot hidden dangers like shrinkage and colour run. this you can not learn on the job till it happens and by then its to late.

i can just imagine you guys employing someone and saying, "don't worry about training, its crap and under rated, just go out and make your own mistakes, thats how i learnt."

derek

[Mike Halliday]

Just out of interest does anyone know how to clean a foam backed carpet?

I haven't seen one for a while, I think they stopped making them because the foam created a poison gas when it burned. But  I just treated them as a normal cheap carpet, the backing sometimes became all crumbly when it was old but no real problem

[gr cleaning solutions]

firstly i did not mean to get this into a slang match over training ,i was just asking a question off something i was unsure about , secondly i do not run a slap and dash business i pride myself on all my work that i do and customers have always been very happy with my work. Im awaiting to hear back this week or next week regarding some funding so if that goes to plan i will be booking my self a course with clean smart

[colin thomas]

of course it is worth doing a course if only for the little things that might stick in your mind, like being told to watch out for bitumin backed tiles that you sholdn't use a solvent on, colours that might run, carpets that might shrink etc etc. i did the courses before i even had any gear to clean with but i was still as nervous as hell on those first few jobs, i just cannot imagine how anyone could go in 'cold' to clean someones carpet or 3-piece with the thought that they don't have a clue what they are doing.

would you trust someone to repair your car or van who had never picked up a spanner in his life before, not me, i'm sure gr is a top guy but this industry is full of people who 'play' at cleaning and it gives us all a bad name, how many people do you think are out there who had a bad experience with a carpet cleaner and now won't use one for any money?

colin

[Mike Halliday]

just a thought but hasn't Rug Doctor built a multi-million pound business on the basis of untrained people cleaning their own carpets?

good job they didn't read this forum first they would have really missed out

[Darren O]

How can you compare cleaning carpets to fixing vans mechanics do a 4 year apprenticeships carpet cleaners do 1 day training courses.

[daysdeepclean]

Well you can't compare really, can you?

[colin thomas]

it's not the point of what the industry is, it's a case of going in there gun-ho and saying you are a competant cleaner and you haven't done a days cleaning in your life, what if the first job you take on is a suede 3-piece worth a few thousand pounds and there you are with your bucket of suds to clean it, get the point? if you think it is ok to call yourself a carpet cleaner without a days training of any sort then you are bonkers.

colin

[ady]

darren hangings too good for em

[paul.g]

   Yep     Even More Character assaination

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

Foam back carpets are straightforward to clean and are unlikely to shrink.

As for training Pete, is right that there is little ongoing training within the industry and relatively experienced CC's quickly reach a stage where they feel they know enough.

I would like to see more indepth technical training, where the nature of the carpets and their fibres, type of stains, chemistry of staining, chemistry of stain removal, etc are taught so that a CC builds up a better knowledge of what is happening.

This could be linked to higher grades within a CC organisation which reflects the increase in CC knowledge.

Experience is a great asset and for the newbie who doesn't have it, then training and the forums are the best way of building knowledge more quickly.

GR has shown courage and good sense to ask and I would not like to think that others are reading this and thinking , I better not post a question in case I get some stick.

CIU has always been a forum where we have lots of newer CC's and all questions, well almost all , will be happily accepted.

It is of course advisable to atend a training course before starting, but in the real world this doesn't often happen and on the job training with an experienced CC is invaluable to any newish CC.

Cheers

Doug

[derek west]

mr meldrew
since when did i say i don't believe in training?

are you actually reading any of my posts or do you think you know me that well, you are just wrongly guessing what i'm writing?

pay attention fella

derek

[james roffey]

I have been trading only since June this year but i did my NCCA stuff last November plus seperate Spots and stain courses and practical training with a few of you guys which was all helpful i was too scared to just go into someones home and clean there carpets without knowing the basics plus as a one man band like most on here, your reputation is vital to your sucess even now i still get butterflies going to a new job as my knowledge is limited but i follow what i have learnt on the forums and training, and do a thorough job and i get good results surely its common sense to do it the right way and a lot less grief, you could be an accident waiting to happen otherwise !

[gr cleaning solutions]

thank for all your comments believe me all have been taken on board and all very good points . Peter i will be ringing you this week if that's OK with you and Derek i have read a lots of your post over the last few months and they make very good reading . But i would like to say that this forum is great its been very helpful from getting start to where i am now and hopefully help to make my business grow in the future. Has anybody on here been on a cleansmart course ? i hope i have not p**sed or offended body on here if so sorry

[gordon fraser]

Attended the Cleansmart course ( Derek Bolton) Very informative ,Highly recommended

[cannon]

I agree training is essential and would bennefit my self from a couple of courses i am still very much a newbie. How i got started was a local cc needed someone for the run up to xmas, he took me with him for a few days then it was a case of theres your diary off u go. I have now recently set up my self and found this forum a great help, i did however find it was my confidence that was lacking and i think GR may be the same.
  He has said he has cleaned a few carpets so prob has the same knowledge as a manufacturers  course when you buy a machine. He also says he has these carpets booked in so will prob clean regardless, and i feel was only looking for some reasurance and any potential pitfalls.

[Simon Gerrard]

Pete,

Training in this country is the toilet??? What a load of rubbish and how would you know, you've only been in this business for two minutes yourself!

For what it's worth the Prochem Training Course are first class and are probably the industry standard but I would recommend attending as many courses as you can because you pick up different ideas and techniques from different people..
Training teaches you 'the basics' and as long as you know and stick to the basic procedures of carpet cleaning you won't go far  wrong. With a solid understanding of the basics you can then go on and build up practical experience which you can only gain on the job.

Simon

[Peter Sweeney]

Simon

I won't be drawn into attacking your character nor will I comment on your abilities technical or otherwise as this is just unnecessary forum behaviour.

What I will say (having read the notes from most of the courses run)  is that ironically, Prochems is in fact one of the poorest for technical content in my opinion. As Doug states, there is little follow up on this type of training in the UK (apart from the lucrative business of stain removal courses). We are so far behind the U.S. in this way that we are a bit of a laughing stock over there.

I am happy to debate this in more detail with you Simon but if you are offensive then I will simply ignore you.

Pete