reo unitles for ced ar sales tratning

D ECOGNIZING product knowll\edge training as the key to sales success throughout the supply chain, the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association is further expanding its educational offerings.

WRCLA's original training program began with the hiring of field representatives whose mandate is to travel extensively throughout the U.S. to provide on-site training to members' distribution staff and their dealer and contractor network. These two to three hour sessions provide a good introduction to the western red cedar species, the products available from our members, and how to install, finish and care for them.

Recognizing the need to have a network of cedar "champions" in the market, WRCLA conducts a five-day Cedar School in Vancouver. The indepth training in forestry practices, wood properties, manufacturing processes, product grading, installation and finishing ensures that students are given the most comprehensive experience available in the industry. Graduates are empowered by their experience and many return to take on leadership roles in their company's cedar sales programs.

Cedar School is the ultimate training experience. However, it is time consuming and requires a sizeable financial investment for employees to attend. In response to numerous requests from the trade to conduct an "in-market" version of Cedar School, WRCLA has undertaken a series of intensive training sessions in various regions of the U.S. Featuring instructors from Cedar School, and following much of its curriculum, these oneday sessions allow companies to train more people at a significantly lower cost and with less time off the job.

It's hard to beat the effectiveness of face-to-face training sessions. However, the reality is that the limitations of budgets and staffing levels put a real restriction on the reach of WRCLA's traditional training programs. Recognizing the growing importance of the Internet and the tremendous reach of its various websites (more than 300,000 visitors in May), WRCLA has developed an online version of its Cedar School.

Comprised of seven modules covering all aspects of the regular curriculum, the online school features a narrated presentation with excellent visuals. Each module has an examination. Following completion of all seven modules. students submit their exams to WRCLA staff for grading. Students achieving the required 707o passing grade receive a certificate of achievement from WRCLA.

The training package also has the potential to be available to people all over the world. In addition to English, versions are available in French, Japanese and Mandarin. Of further interest to employers and students, the program is free and can be studied in spare time.

Training the architect community about the properties and uses of western red cedar has long been a priority of WRCLA. WRCLA was greatly honored when the prestigious American Institute of Architects reviewed the online Cedar School and deemed it to be worthy of seven credit hours of professional development training.

Furthermore, a shorter PowerPoint version of the WRCLA Field Representatives' "live" training sessions has been awarded two credit hours of AIA professional development credits. Field reps will deliver these sessions upon request-when a sufficient number of participants are available.

Proper installation is another concern. There have been too many instances of homeowners having less than satisfactory experiences with the performance of the product in their homes. All too often, these performance issues are directly linked to improper installation and finishing practices by the people who install the product.

WRCLA's latest training initiative is to reach out to the installer community and offer a comprehensive training package based on elements of the online Cedar School and the "How To Install" handbook. Participants will be required to pass an examinalion lo ensure they are familiar with WRCLA's best practices guidelines. Working in cooperation with WRCLA's distribution and dealer network, a database of trained installers will be created so that they can be kept current with emerging installation suidelines.

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