For the past 29 years the President of the United States has sent greetings in support of National Pest Management Month and the pest management industry’s efforts to enhance public awareness on the dangers of pests, to help citizens prevent the harm and destruction of pests, and to emphasize the safe use of pest management materials.
To celebrate National Pest Management Month, the Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA), the public outreach arm of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) develops industry-wide initiatives each year in an effort to make the public aware of the industry’s contribution to society. This year PPMA will continue their educational initiative designed to generate career interest in the pest management industry among high school students with a program titled Pathways to Pest Professions.
The program has been designed to help small and large pest management companies reach out to local students and promote the professional pest management industry’s diverse and exciting opportunities.
Pathways to Pest Professions includes materials available on CD and posted online at www.npmapestworld.org.
Materials included are:
- Guide to Contacting Schools
- Sample Letter to Counselors
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Pest Management Industry Overview
- Pest Management Position Descriptions
- Shadowing Program Guide
- Sample Shadowing Handout
- Career Day Guide
- Educational In-School Powerpoint Presentation
Also new this year are complete “In School Educational Packages”. Designed for elementary and secondary education, these complete packages include everything you need for a school visit – coloring books, posters, presentations and more. Visit www.npmapestworld.org and click on the Bug Store.
“Many students are unaware of the diverse and exciting opportunities available in the professional pest management industry. With so many career options for today’s students we hope Pathways to Pest Professions will allow students to add another career choice to their list,” said Cindy Mannes, executive director for PPMA. “As we continuously compete against the many opportunities that students have to choose from we need to work together to publicize and promote the opportunities available in our industry.”
Pathways to Pest Professions is one of many programs that PPMA funds each year. PPMA was founded in 1997 as the public outreach arm of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) to defend, protect and grow the pest management industry. As the voice of the professional pest management industry, PPMA continues to provide the public with information on the value of professional pest management. PPMA is funded solely by contributions from industry leaders and stakeholders in many large and small companies. If you are currently not contributing or would like to learn more about PPMA visit www.npmapestworld.org or contact Cindy Mannes at cmannes@pestworld.org.