On course for success Interactive Training International (ITI) continues to build on the success of its extensive coursework, with an eye on new programs and markets in 2020.
26 INCLEAN March / April 2020
“W
e trained more people in 2019 than we did the previous year, and we’re certainly looking to expand on that level of training this year,” explains Grant Hickey, general manager of Advanced Specialized Equipment. ITI, a division of Advanced Specialized Equipment, is an independent, education, training and certification body for the cleaning and restoration industry. ITI offers a wide range of training for industry professionals including technical certification training, advanced designation training as well as business building courses. Formed in 2006 as an IICRC training school, ITI moved from solely theory-based training (prior to 2006 it was part of the Steamway IICRC training group) to create its own hands-on training experience, with Restoration Sciences Academy (RSA), one of the industry’s largest global training organisation. This shake-up led to the opening of the company’s $1 million state-of-the-art interactive training house – understood to be the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere at the time of its launch in 2006 and still one of two in the southern hemisphere today Today, the facility is one of a handful of similar constructions around the world. The only fully furnished, two-storey house in the
world is designed to show students real-life scenarios and provide trainees with hands-on training in real simulations. The house is equipped with functional household amenities as well as an operational bathroom and laundry. It is fully flooded via a state-of-the-art fire sprinkler system so trainees can go through the process of completely restoring the house and furnishings for courses such as structural drying. The training house can be flooded with 5000 litres of water to create a real-world water-damage scenario. It also features crawl spaces so trainees can experience what is happening in all areas at all stages of the water drying process. Fire can also be simulated to expose students to the unpredictable nature of smoke and odour contaminated areas. Eight CCTV cameras are also fitted throughout the house, with a live feed back to the lecture theatre, so trainees can observe and learn from exactly what’s happening in the house in real time. “We always try to do something different in our classes. Our training schools aren’t dictated by the boundaries of the course itself,” explains Hickey. “The focus for us is always on trying to improve our classes and how we can streamline them to make the information clearer and the most up to date. It also can be initially daunting for someone who hasn’t participated at a training school or hasn’t undertaken any formal training in a long time, so we also try to remove any anxiousness about the theory and make it as practical as possible.”