The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) has launched the Center of Excellence, an online, on-demand education hub. Built by the industry, for the industry, the Center of Excellence offers a comprehensive course curriculum available for businesses and working professionals.

“PHTA’s Center of Excellence upholds our mission to educate, advocate, and elevate on behalf of the industry,” said Sabeena Hickman, CAE, president and CEO of PHTA. “Built for the real world, where learning needs to happen every day, the Center of Excellence is more than just an online course platform—it provides the resources for professionals to level up their skills, and for businesses to scale up their service offerings.”

Launching with more than 100 on-demand courses available, and more coming online this fall and winter, the Center of Excellence offers research-backed training via self-paced learning pathways. Full learning pathways for Building & Engineering, Service & Maintenance, Retail & Distribution, and Facility Operators & Managers will be available fully by year-end 2025. Learning pathways for Manufacturing and Business Education will follow by mid-2026. From foundational courses to advanced expertise, each learning pathway is designed to guide the user through progressive levels of knowledge and skills specific to the individual’s area and level of expertise.

The Center of Excellence platform was designed to be flexible with one-to-two-hour courses designed and taught by industry experts who provide world-class training and technical instruction to help professionals stay current and compliant with evolving codes, safety practices, innovations, and research. A mentoring feature is also available via live weekly office hours with industry experts, allowing pros to get real-time answers to real-world challenges directly from leaders in the field.

Amid workforce shortages, professional development helps attract and retain the best of the best

Within the pool, spa, and hot tub industry, as with other skilled career sectors, workforce shortages are at odds with the demand for talent and rising project demands. In fact, according to PHTA’s 2024 Business Operations Survey Report, recruiting and retaining skilled employees was considered among the top challenges reported by builders, service companies and retailers.

With more of today’s employees prioritizing continuous learning as a key to both personal career growth and long-term job satisfaction, experts agree that continuing education provides employers with a tool to help solve recruitment and retention challenges.

“The introduction of new technologies and standards, coupled with shortages in available talent, have created unique challenges for the pool and hot tub industry,” added Hickman. “Professional development and continuing education are necessary for businesses to enhance productivity, operate efficiently, raise service quality, build stronger client relationships, and most of all, remain competitive.”

With a focus on accessibility, affordability and real-world application, the Center of Excellence aims to help new entrants to the field, industry veterans and everyone in between enhance their skill sets.

The Center of Excellence is open to both PHTA members and non-members, with flexible pricing options available. To access the platform, PHTA members can apply their complimentary Class Pass course credits to enroll in the Center of Excellence courses of their choice. Most of the courses available on the platform earn one PHTA CEU (continuing education credit) upon successful completion.

Subscription access is also available, providing unlimited access to all Center of Excellence courses and learning pathways for the duration of the subscription, offering a continuing education solution for professionals, an onboarding tool or professional development curriculum for companies with multiple employees. To get started, visit https://www.phta.org/coe/.