Benefits of Continuing Education

Throughout my life, I have always enjoyed opportunities to develop new skills, meet new people in my field, and gain exposure to resources that could help me do a better job. Even though these opportunities always involved some sort of fee that must be paid, I knew that it was well worth the investment because the return meant I had expanded my own ability to earn more income. Is some cases, I learned how to reach out to more customers. In other cases, I learned how to be more efficient in managing operational expenditures. And there was another occasion when I met a person that ended up offering me a much higher paying position. There really is no end to the benefits that come to those who are committed to taking advantage of continuing education opportunities at least once or twice each year. Regardless of the industry, whether you own your own business or work within a large or small company, continuing education is not only encouraged, but often times required in order to keep moving forward in your career growth potential.

This is especially true in the cleaning industry. You will be amazed at how much potential there is not just to improve your skills, but to literally transform your business and perhaps set your career path on a completely new and different direction through continuing education opportunities in the cleaning industry. For example, these unique events allow you to check out some of the newest developments in cleaning equipment that will shave hours off the job site, which empowers you to take on more business and achieve greater profit margins. Many cleaning contractors are not aware of how much more they could improve their cleaning strategy by using water fed poles, modern pressure washers, as well as reclaim equipment.

Every cleaning contractor needs to be made aware of industry standards, and certification is a great way to ensure that your operations are consistent with others who are providing the same service throughout the country. In many cases, this will set you apart from your competition in the local market, as many cleaning contractors are not aware of industry standards and do not obtain any certification whatsoever. Certification gives potential residential and commercial property owners searching for a cleaning service a greater sense of confidence when they see a cleaning service is fully certified, which prepares them to deliver high quality service, and customer focused interaction at competitive and reasonable rates. Other areas that certification and continuing education opportunities help strengthen your business include: quality systems, service delivery, human resources, health and safety/environmental care and concerns, and the overall management of your business in areas such as marketing, staffing, budgeting, and daily operations.

While there might be several ways to network with fellow cleaning contractors, there really is no better opportunity to get to know more contractors and develop a greater depth of relationships with those you already know than through continuing education events. These events bring contractors together, and the information you receive from others in the exact same line of work as you are in is invaluable. They will be able to provide insight from their experience that will benefit you greatly and equip you so that you’re able to avoid the mistakes they’ve made. Perhaps they have equipment that they are willing to give away or sell at a bargain deal, or maybe they have discovered a new cleaning solution that cuts right through the stains you can never seem to penetrate. Everyone realizes that the internet is far too crowded to do any significant networking in depth, regardless of how many social media accounts you possess. But there is nothing like good, old fashioned handshakes, eye contact, and smiles to build friendships with colleagues that will last a lifetime!

The list of benefits the continuing education provides is literally endless! Increasing creativity, upgrading technology, increasing profits, identifying leaders, expanding marketability, gaining new skills, improving your image, exposure to industry trends, increased job satisfaction, and host of other advantages to lengthy to list!

Throughout my career, I have been to dozens and dozens of continuing education opportunities and have never regretted a single one. There were always those "takeaways" that I implemented in following weeks, and I quickly found that I couldn’t act on everything I learned because resources were limited. But that never kept me back from continuing to learn, grow, and develop as a leader. Henry Ford said it this way: "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young." And Einstein said "Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death." Perhaps it’s been a while since you learned something new when it comes to your business in the cleaning industry. Maybe you’ve taken a break from all that "trying to learn and grow" stuff. Well, the break is over! Today is the day and now is the time to once again commit yourself to doing something different, making a change in your strategy, and expanding your horizons. It’s time to take advantage of continuing education opportunities and events in the cleaning industry! You’ll be so glad you did!