Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about the Structural Pest Control Board's (SPCB) testing and licensing process.  There are certain aspects of this process that Industry are responsible for and parts that the SPCB are responsible for. 

Industry has the ability influence the time in which a new employee is licensed.  One way of decreasing this time is by registering with PSI as soon as the employee is eligible for the test.  This will give the candidate the opportunity to pick the time and place to take the test.  If you wait until the candidate has studied and is “ready” for the RA test, then you may need to wait longer to find an available seat. 

Recently, the SPCB ran a report looking at some of the time frames associated with various steps in the licensing process.  In a random selection of RA candidates, it took Industry an average of almost 17 days to register for a test with PSI.  It then took another almost 11 days to get a seat.  PSI is contractually required to get us a seat within 5 days (doesn't need to be our top choice but close).  So if Industry is taking a seat that long out, then it is our choice.  But if PSI is not offering a seat within that time frame, then please let me know and we can address that with them.

Another aspect that Industry controls is the application information.  One of the comments from PSI and the SPCB is the handwriting on the applications is not able to be read.  This impacts the ability for PSI to email the handbook and the candidate not receiving it in time. 

There is a common misunderstanding about when a newly licensed technician can work on their own.  A technician can work on their own once their license number is posted on the SPCB website.  The Department of Consumer Affairs is under contract to mail license numbers out within 8 business days.  Again, if this is not happening, please let me know.  However, it is not needed to wait for the paper license to arrive.  Print out the webpage that has the license information and carry that around until the pocket license arrives.

While industry has their aspects, the SPCB has theirs, DCA has theirs, and PSI has theirs.  We all have room for improvement in our parts and we are working on them.  Please let me know if there are specific questions you have about the process.

Here is the link to SPCB's License Lookup

Darren Van Steenwyk, M.S., BCE
Structural Pest Control Board, President
LEED Green Associate & Technical Director, Clark Pest Control
darrenv@clarkpest.com