Simon MacSorley of pest management specialist Pe.st has become the first technician to pass the new RSPH Level 2 Award in Using Aluminium Phosphide Safely for the Management of Vertebrate Pests.

Simon was trained and assessed by PestTrain, the specialist pest training & consultancy run by Oliver Madge and Chris Parmiter, and has already obtained a Distinction for the RSPH Level 2 Award in Pest Management. PestTrain are the first RSPH Centre to deliver the new qualification. The assessments were then externally verified by RSPH.

Internal Assessor at PestTrain Oliver Madge stated: “It’s a real honour and privilege to be able to deliver this new qualification, as well as a wider suite of RSPH courses and as Simon showed with his distinction, we’re also quite good at providing this wider knowledge and direction as well! The pest industry has a really good opportunity to demonstrate professionalism with this qualification and hopefully many more will follow Simon’s vision and his enthusiasm to be knowledgeable”.

Richard Burton, Head of Qualifications Development at RSPH commented: ‘PestTrain is the first centre to gain approval to offer our new aluminium phosphide qualification but the number of centres approved is increasing so we expect to see a large number of candidates start to come through. RSPH is running a train the trainer event in association with Rentokil and Killgerm, the two suppliers of aluminium phosphide products, in late March at Harper Adams University. A limited number of places are still available on this course.’