Pest Management Professional, March 2014

Sponsored by 2013 closed with more than 760 ACEs and the ESA expects to have 1000 ACEs by the end of 2014 The past two years have been perhaps the most important in ESAs history with respect to the ACE program Recognizing the strong growth in the pest management industry the society began reviewing and updating the program to ensure standards were maintained at the highest levels A certification consultant led a team of subject matter experts through a long process of reviewing the ACE exam content outline and exam questions For 18 months the program was refined and retooled resulting in a new exam that debuted in January 2014 Simultaneously the ESA began conversations with the National Pest Management Association NPMA arguably the strongest association that specializes in the urban pest control industry Both groups agreed more education and professionalism can only result in good outcomes for pest management In late 2013 the ESA and the NPMA formed a strategic partnership to build and support the ACE program in the United States and throughout the world Our leadership sees this new partnership as a longterm strategy to work together on taking the program to the next level as well as increasing the positive impact it can have for the pest management industry says C David Gammel ESA Executive Director On the horizon Through the NPMA partnership the ESA seeks to expand the ACE certification internationally At NPMAs PestWorld 2013 a small committee convened to begin to lay the groundwork for this aspect of the program The goal of a new ACE Pest Control International program is to have it mirror the quality and rigor of the domestic U S certification program as closely as possible Were tremendously excited to be on the cusp of taking the ACE program global says Chris Stelzig director of certification for ESA Theres such a strong desire and need for advanced training education and professionalism throughout the world No launch date has yet been set for the still to benamed ACE international certification program but Stelzig What is an ACE Youve heard the term for 10 years now But what does it mean when someone says theyre an ACE By popular definition an entomologist is someone with an advanced degree in entomology or a closely related field Because a degree isnt required for ACE certification ACEs arent officially entomologists theyre among the most trained and highly credentialed pest management professionals PMPs The official name of the program is Associate Certified Entomologist Pest Control The ESA is researching other related industries that have deep entomological ties to see whether a credentialing program might be a good fit but for now working in the pest management industry is the only way to become an ACE If you or a colleague would like to become certified you must t BWF TFWFO ZFBST PG FYQFSJFODF JO QFTU NBOBHFNFOU t 1SPWJEF BU MFBTU POF QSPGFTTJPOBM SFGFSFODF t 4JHO UIF PEF PG UIJDT t F B MJDFOTFE BQQMJDBUPS JO BU MFBTU POF TUBUF t 1BTT BO FYBN PG OP GFXFS UIBO RVFTUJPOT BOE t F BCMF UP EPDVNFOU BO BWFSBHF PG DPOUJOVJOH FEVDBUJPO VOJUT 6T PWFS B UISFF ZFBS QFSJPE To apply or to learn more about ACE certification visit www entocert org ACE expresses optimism the process is moving faster than he imagined Anyone interested in earning their ACE BCE or simply staying informed about the progress of the international ACE program are invited to follow the ESA certification blog at www entocert org Entomological Society of America ESA 1BSL 1MBDF 4VJUF t OOBQPMJT t www entsoc org t esa@ entsoc org t www mypmp net Pest Management Professional March 2014 AU7