For operators of public swimming pools, hotel & club pools, spas, hydrotherapy pools, waterparks and interactive water features.
We offer private Pool Plant Operations courses conducted directly at your site. Private courses avoid the time and expense of travelling to other venues and allow much more time for site-specific content and discussions directly relating to your pool. This ensures that your staff receive the most relevant training and practical experience using the actual equipment and systems they work with every day. This approach enhances operational performance and can often highlight areas where small changes can deliver big improvements in energy use, water quality, or maintenance efficiency.
As with all our private courses, we can tailor the course timings to suit your staff schedule. Whether that means fitting sessions around shift patterns or adapting the course timings on a daily basis, we can adapt to what works best for you.
Learn from top pool industry experts with over 80 years of combined experience in commercial and local authority pool management, pool water treatment and chemical dosing, pool design, and health & safety management. Our seasoned pool plant tutors understand the real-world challenges of operating pools and plant rooms. They bring the knowledge and proven techniques needed to ensure your staff receive practical, actionable advice that improves pool water quality, energy efficiency, and compliance with industry standards. Private Pool Plant Operator training helps your staff become confident, competent operators, equipped with the knowledge and skills to manage your facility safely and professionally.
Beyond on-site training, our Pool Operators Video Vault offers an ever-growing library of online courses covering risk assessments, maintenance tips, water quality management, and health & safety compliance. Membership of The Pool Operators Club® ensures your team has 24/7 access to valuable information and our weekly Q&A webinars, allowing them to resolve issues and further enhance their learning and skills at their own pace. As a Pool Plant Operator course attendee, you'll also be eligible for discounted membership, ensuring you stay up to date with best practices and industry standards long after PPO training is completed.
Courses that deliver on competence and confidence!
The STA Level 3 Pool Plant Operations Certificate is a necessary qualification for those aspiring to progress their career in commercial pool operations, and take on the responsibility for the technical operation of the swimming pool and plant room equipment. Although no prior knowledge or experience is necessary to attend this course, the STA Level 2 courses, Swimming Pool Water Testing, and Swimming Pool Water Treatment courses provide a good foundation for those new to the commercial pool industry. Every commercial swimming pool should have a suitably trained and qualified Pool Plant Operator in-house, or at least on an on-call basis; the exception being Hydrotherapy Pools, which must have a Pool Plant Operator on-site for the duration of the daily opening hours of the pool.
Principles of healthy and hygienic pool water
Principles of pool water testing
Principles of disinfection, pool chemistry and dosing in pool plant operations
Principles of mechanical pool plant operations
Swimming pool heating, ventilation and energy efficiency
Management practices and health and safety in plant operations
The course requires 21 learning hours, including a multiple-choice exam paper. Successful candidates receive a certificate valid for 5 years.
Regulated by Ofqual
Training is in accordance with industry best practice and guidance from PWTAG, British and European Standards, HSG 179 and other HSE sources
Meets CIMSPA’s employer-led pool plant operative professional standard and the essential knowledge and skills that are needed to meet the requirements of the sectors minimum deployment standard
Will give you comprehensive knowledge on the maintenance and management of swimming pools, spas and interactive water features
It qualifies you as the responsible person for pool plant management and maintenance at your wet leisure site.
After 5 years, you can revalidate your PPO certification by attending a 1-day refresher course (in-person or on-line).
We'll be happy to provide a no-obligation quote for your venue.
The STA Level 2 Award in Swimming Pool Water Treatment is designed to provide learners with both the practical skills and theoretical knowledge needed to confidently test swimming pool and spa water, along with a basic understanding of what the test results indicate. In addition to water testing, the course covers the core principles and techniques involved in effective pool water treatment. The aim is to equip learners with the knowledge and skills required to support pool plant operators in maintaining water quality that ensures safety, hygiene, user comfort, and proper water balance.
This four-hour Swimming Pool Water Testing course and qualification is ideal for anyone tasked with routine pool water testing. For example, lifeguards often need to carry out these tests as part of their role. This course equips learners with the essential knowledge and practical skills to confidently test swimming pool and spa water, while also providing a basic understanding of the result outcomes.
With many years of experience in the development of private swim-school businesses, we are uniquely positioned to help you make your swim school vision a succesful reality.
We offer services to support and advise operators of existing facilities, and those organisations or individuals thinking of constructing their own facilities, on the most practical and financially viable means of achieving their goals. Health & Safety, technical advice and risk evaluation is also available for pool owners considering hiring out their facilities.
When considering a new facility, we can offer a full site audit with recommendations to include provision of parking facilities, access and egress to the building, customer journey analysis, and general condition/suitability of the building externally and internally.
Just need a little help and guidance along the way? Become a POC member and receive ongoing advice and support via our regular members' Q&A webinars, or via our dedicated Community forum. We also have short video courses dedicated to the planning and development of swim school pools in our Pool Operators Video Vault, also available to members at no extra cost.
Are you a larger site operator with your own Pool Plant Technicians, or a Pool Service business? We can provide on-site training to advance the knowledge and skills of service technicians in all critical areas of pool water quality management, filtration plant design and optimisation, advanced disinfection treatments, maintenance and problem solving; all important areas in reducing energy consumption and the environmental impact of pool operation.