Orkin Named to Training Magazine’s Top 125 for Ninth Straight Year

ATLANTA – Training magazine recognized Atlanta-based Orkin as a Top 125 company at its annual awards banquet on Feb. 7. Orkin ranked No. 68 in 2011. This is the ninth consecutive year the pest control company received a Top 125 ranking.

Training selects this prestigious list of companies based on programs tied to business objectives, best training practices and outstanding training initiatives, among other criteria. Orkin is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rollins Inc., a nationwide consumer services company.

To ensure that every initiative supports the professional development of the company’s employees, Rollins recently established a corporate learning steering committee. This team ensures each aspect of training aligns with and supports Rollins’ overall strategic and operational business goals.

“We are constantly analyzing and tweaking our program to provide the best training methods for our employees,” said David Lamb, Rollins’ vice president of learning and media services. “The program we’ve created takes advantage of current technologies and sets us apart from our competitors. It supports our goal of being the best service company in the world.”  

The foundation of Orkin’s blended training approach is Rollins TV, a satellite television network launched in 2006. Orkin’s expert technical instructors lead live, interactive training broadcasts on new techniques and important public health information. Participants use a viewer response device to respond to surveys and quiz questions in real time, and instructors can provide immediate feedback on their performance.

The live satellite broadcasts are combined with on-the-job training and self-directed training. Managers can track their employee’s self-directed training in Orkin’s learning management system as they view videos on demand, complete interactive videos on demand and participate in other Web-based training. Certified Field Trainers, Orkin pest control technicians schooled in coaching and training techniques, assist employees in applying what they have learned in the satellite classes and self-directed study.

In addition, Rollins University, a multi-million dollar training facility, is the pest control industry’s premier hands-on training center. This Atlanta facility includes a model restaurant, commercial kitchen, hospital room, hotel room, supermarket, warehouse space and a full-sized, fully functional house for applied learning of pest and termite control methods. Cut-away walls and examples of common building practices provide commercial and residential trainees with first-hand knowledge of what to expect when servicing customers across the country.