Episode 52 – CPLM: Pathways to Success

Welcome to the TRSA podcast. Providing interviews and insights from the linen, uniform, and facility services industry. Most Americans might not realize it, but they benefit at least once per week from the cleanliness and safety of laundered, reusable linens, uniforms, towels, mats, and other products provided by various businesses and organizations. TRSA represents the companies that supply, launder, and maintain linens and uniforms. And in this podcast, we will bring the thought leaders of the industry to you.

 

I’m your host, Jason Risley. Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Linen, Uniform, and Facility Services podcast, interviews and insights by TRSA. On the last podcast, we focused on labor law issues with Joe Shelton, a partner in the Nashville office of Fisher Phillips. Make sure you check it out if you haven’t already. On today’s episode, we’ll turn our attention to professional development through TRSA’s certified professional laundry manager or CPLM credential.

 

Joining us to discuss the CPLM credential is Sam Lane Ketavong, the Senior Director of Certification and Accreditation at TRSA. Sam Lane directs and oversees TRSA’s family of certification programs, including Clean Green, Hygienically Clean, as well as individual certification programs such as the CPLM. She’ll outline the process to obtain the CPLM and how it creates value for your company and your employees. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Sam Lane, and I am TRSA’s senior director of certification and accreditation and also your direct contact regarding the CPLM program.

 

So what is the CPLM credential? The CPLM credential is awarded to managers who have demonstrated competency in all areas constituting production laundry management. The typical applicant for this credential are production managers that are responsible for the laundry processes at their plants, but it’s not only for them. If you supervise personnel or is responsible for continual process improvement of laundry operation, then this credential is also for you. Why the CPLM credential?

 

Certification is a choice and also a privilege. It is also an important role in the laundry industry as it identifies high professional standards. When you decide to pursue certification, you distinguish yourself from your peers by making the extra commitment to hone your craft. Certification can benefit both the individual and also the company. So what is the value for individuals?

 

As a CPLM, you have demonstrated to your employer and your customers that you have a high level of management skills and knowledge. This credential also provides you with professional credibility and a competitive advantage. Not to mention, employers may also require confirmation that their employees possess certain skills and can be be verified. Thus, the CPLM credential will provide that for you. So what about the employers?

 

What value does the CPLM credential bring for the employers? For employers, having an employee become a CPLM means that you are making an investment in your employees by enhancing their knowledge of best management practices and production excellence, which ultimately leads to an increase in corporate productivity. Most importantly, you’re also recognizing, rewarding, and retaining your valued production managers. Again, consider this an investment in your employees. So how does one earn the CPLM certification?

 

There are 2 routes to obtain the CPLM credential. One is the self guided pathway, which can be done at home, or the guided pathway, which is attending the PMI Institute. The self guided route or what TRSA considers the online self study program is geared towards professionals who prefer to study at their own pace at their own time. This option is strictly virtual, and everything you need to prepare for the CPLM exam will be provided to you. We offer materials in a 100% digital format or a hybrid format consisting of both digital documents and hard copies.

 

The CPLM examination can then be purchased with the package or separately. The items included in the self study package is the laundry operations and management book. This book will be the most important book as you prepare for the exam. It provides you with information pertaining to best practices in laundry operations and management. You will also be provided with study guides from the Professional Management Institute, Institute, which is also known as PMI.

 

These includes presentations from lectures and discussions to enhance your knowledge of laundry operations and managements. Since the CPLM examination also tests your knowledge of hands on skills, the production training videos will also be provided to show you the 5 fundamental laundry processes for producing reusable textiles. These are all industry specific training videos that highlight key skills in operating laundry machinery safely and efficiently. Narration and depiction of steps in the overall plant flow before and after the processes are also highlighted. You will also be receiving additional study materials such as lectures and discussions from past TRS events and, of course, the wash formula development, which is key in producing a hygienically clean textile.

 

Now for a brief message from TRSA. Laundries are certified hygienically cleaned through 3rd party inspection and quarterly testing that quantifies an established threshold of pathogens on textiles to levels that pose no threat of illness. Inspectors also verify employee training, safety standard compliance, and operational efficiencies. Certified laundries must maintain a quality assurance or QA manual that indicates their management, housekeeping, and training practices comply with the hygienically clean standard. Now back to the episode.

 

The excerpt covers the key principles of effective laundering to recognize laundering options and ultimately to determine the appropriate wash formula structures which facilitate the goals of the laundry. For those who are in a managerial or supervisor role, webinar recordings will cover important management skills such as communications, conflict resolutions, ethics, leadership, and safety. These are 8 self paced prerecorded webinar presentations. As mentioned before, the second route for certification is the guided route, which TRSA has dubbed the in person or live pathway. For those individuals who prefer a more hands on approach and are visual learners, this is the best route for you.

 

The Professional Management Institute also known as PMI is a 2 year hybrid program that is held at the University of Maryland campus in Hyattsville, Maryland. There are 2 sessions for this program. Session 1 is where you will build a solid foundation of laundry management practices along with networking opportunities. This is a 4 day classroom and case study sessions spanning over 12 months with online enrichment in between. During PMI in session 1, you will also be exposed to industry best practices for all phases of plant management, a plant tour, and a debrief for those who have yet to view other plants, of course, networking with faculty and attendees of TRSA’s EMI group, which is also co located with PMI.

 

Session 2 occurs 1 year later, and we encourage for you to return with your friends and colleagues. This is where you’ll gain further enrichment and earn your actual CPLM credential. The CPLM examination will be administered live at the conclusion of this session. The development of a valid exam begins with a job analysis. This job analysis super surveyed over 1200 known production managers.

 

To develop the CPLM exam, TRSH chose laundry man managers subject matter experts, also known as SMEs, to determine the required knowledge and skills needed for this designation. These SMEs had 15 to 30 years of experience in the industry. PRSA then contracted with PSI Services, which is a testing company, and worked with their psychometricians to develop the comprehensive examination with specific knowledge and skills statements. The job analysis surveyed 38 tasks in 36 states, which included Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, and surveyed the food and beverage, health care, hospitality, and uniform industries. There were 1 to 41 years of experience with an average of 19 years total, and the respondents had high school diplomas, which is 31% of that, and 35% had a bachelor’s degree.

 

Age ranges were from 27 years to 67 years with an average age of 47. These knowledge and skill statements were specific to laundry processing and management skills ranging from soil sorting to pack out to workflow and safety. The laundry processing knowledge statements are in soil sorting, wash aisle, drying, finishing, finish quality, and pack out. The skill statements are related to management, which includes workflow, business, inventory control, and safety. The CPLM examination itself is a 100 question examination.

 

You’ll be given 90 minutes to complete the exam, and the passing score is 75% or higher. If you choose the self guided route, this examination will be done online at home requiring a user login and password. You will receive your results immediately at the conclusion of the exam. If you chose option 2 and take the exam at PMI, it will be a paper based examination in a classroom, and you will receive your scores within 2 days. So as you know, there are 2 different routes for the CPLM.

 

The online package costs are reflected here. As a member, you will receive significant discounts for the CPLM. You can purchase the CPLM self study alone or with the examination included. We encourage for you to purchase the self the self study and examination package together to receive the best benefits. If you complete the exam and are unsuccessful, you are able to retake the exam immediately with a rate of $250.

 

Once you pass the examination, your certification is awarded for a 3 year window. Certified individuals must engage in continuous professional development to renew this designation every 3 years. You can maintain your certification by participating in continuing education programs such as live webinars and those found on the TRSA on demand learning centers, training, teaching, and undertaking leadership roles in laundry and business management associations. You are required to obtain a minimum of 22 points of continuing education. During your renewal process, you will then have to submit an application for renewal and submit the spreadsheet to confirm that you have completed the required minimum of 22 points.

 

For more information on TRSA’s certified professional laundry manager credential, visit www.trsa.org/cplm. Additionally, if you’d like more information on TRSA’s Professional Management Institute or PMI, go to www.trsa.org/pmi. This year’s program is scheduled for August 7th through 11th at the University of Maryland. Please subscribe, rate, and review our show on Apple Itunes, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. For the latest news and information from the linen, uniform, and facility services industry, subscribe to our newsletter, Textile Services Weekly, and our monthly print publication, Textile Services Magazine.

 

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