Let’s look at a few issues tree care professionals deal with.
- The industry is extremely competitive, which can make it challenging to win jobs.
- Fly-by-night contractors are making it harder for professional tree care contractors to earn a living and are giving the industry a bad name.
- Finding and retaining good crew members is difficult.
There’s no cure-all to these, but one thing tree service owners can do to try to gain an edge is to encourage their employees to get professional credentials.
“As the public becomes more knowledgeable about the importance of professional tree care, the demand for credential holders in the marketplace will become greater,” says Kevin Martlage, director of professional development at the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). “Proper and professional tree care is also becoming more and more relevant in the municipal setting, increasing the need for credentialed tree care professionals to submit bids and complete various municipal projects.”
ISA has become synonymous with tree care certifications, especially the ISA Certified Arborist® credential. There are more than 30,000 ISA Certified Arborists worldwide, and the number is increasing yearly.
The organization offers six certifications and one qualification in all, and it has more than 40,500 credential holders in 40 countries. While Certified Arborist is the most popular, the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) is growing at the highest rate. It promotes the safety of people and property by providing a standardized and systematic process for assessing tree risk, according to Martlage.
We’ve covered before the benefits to individuals of getting certified. Here are six benefits, courtesy of Martlage, to tree care companies of having employees with professional credentials either from ISA or other credentialing bodies:
- Used in conjunction with the Z133 safety standard and the A300 standards — both accepted standards in the tree care industry — it shows both their customers and competitors that they are committed to providing a skilled and safe arboricultural service using proper and professional tree care practices.
- Owners know that a credentialed employee has met the competency level required by the various credentials. This helps them create a better skilled and safety-minded workforce.
- The credential holder must obtain 30 hours of continuing education units every three years to maintain the credential. This means that they will continue to develop their arboricultural knowledge on an ongoing basis.
- Credentials can help supplement a company’s employee training and development programs. By including a credentialing program with a proven, accredited track record, business owners can help provide a more rounded training program, with incentives, to their employees.
- Certifications, sometimes more than price, can be a deciding factor when multiple companies bid for the same job. Homeowners, businesses and municipalities may place a priority on hiring a company with employees with professional certifications because they believe those companies will have the skill and training to do the job right.
- Encouraging employees to pursue credentials also shows that the employer is committed to the professional development of its employees. This is typically seen as an added benefit of employment and can help set a company apart to attract the best talent.
In short, having credentialed employees on staff allows a tree care company to show that it is committed to the professional practice of arboriculture — something that may help when trying to woo customers and employees. At the same time, Martlage cautions, companies need to understand that credentialing is only a piece of the puzzle.
“They still to do high-quality work and provide great customer service,” he says. “Taken together, this will help set them apart from the competition and allow them to gain a competitive edge in today’s economy.”