Several years ago, whilst teaching a course at the NEC in the UK one of the participants that caught my eye was a young man from Romania.

His name was Lucian and his company in Romania were involved in all aspects of pool engineering. After speaking to him for a while it became clear that whilst he was an accomplished pool engineer particularly in refurbishment and repairs, he was not, in any way involved with pool cleaning and maintenance. Lucian found that he was often asked about pool care; and water balance. He therefore decided to advance his knowledge by taking the CPO training course enabling him to confidently answer client questions in the future

During the past four to five years Lucian has been in constant contact. His “if in doubt, ask” attitude has meant we’ve built a very constructive dialogue over this period.

His engineering knowledge and his CPO experience led to his company taking the initiative in pool maintenance and care.  Lucian now has a fantastic pool shop, has brilliant products in stock and is a leader in swimming pool innovation throughout Romania.

Late last year Lucian contacted us after being asked on several occasions by others in the Romanian pool industry; how they could obtain the knowledge found only in a CPO training course. We were delighted to hold a course in Romania for the very first time.  Eight people applied and completed the course.  These students came from various cities across Romania. They were all people with whom Lucian often discussed pool related issues.

The course results were outstanding with percentage pass rates well above 90%. Displaying not only a willingness to learn but a desire to improve their services. As a result, we will be holding another course later this year, and a series of courses in 2020.  These will be regionally based and open to all students.

Lucian and his colleagues have been in constant contact; sending photos and updates of how they are putting into practice their newfound knowledge.

Transforming huge pools from Green to Clean and building new commercial pools. Furthermore, Lucian is an innovator in Eco (natural) Pools, which he has built not only in Romania but also in Spain.

I must take my hat off and congratulate these first students for their high scores and wiliness to learn. Discovering new methods whilst keeping in mind Health & Safety is key to maintaining good pools.

I look forward to teaching more students from Romania and indeed from other countries who wish to become Certified Pool and Spa Operators.