presented by


A Division of Education Centers, Plus, Inc.

Do bookwork, homework and testing at your own convenience online, and then join us for a 2 day hands-on workshop to finish class requirements.
For more information, call: Education Centers, Plus, 800-344-0221. skrupp@chemmax.com

Enrollment form to register for the Inspector Class

Back To Top

There is still a shortage of Certified Carpet Inspectors in much of North America. Although many areas provide carpet mills with a choice of Inspectors, some areas are served by only one or two Inspectors.

Mills are not the only ones who use Inspectors. Retailers, consumer groups and attorneys are also looking for Certified Carpet Inspectors with valid credentials. Some have asked whether an individual can make a living doing just inspections. To answer that, many FTSA graduates ARE working full time and earning a respectable income. The need for independent quality Inspectors is growing.

This is encouraging to those individuals who can no longer lift the loads and tools needed by installers or cleaners. Small retail stores owned by experienced carpet people are feeling the financial pinch of advertising and inventory expenditures. Conducting inspections gives a person with a background in carpet, a new way to serve, that uses their experience and mind, rather than their muscle.

Every year, material for discussion has been added to the classroom studies in order to keep up with the changes in carpeting and the escalating role for Carpet Inspectors. FTSA has, out of necessity, added home study as part of the Carpet Inspector training program.

On-line study includes ten text books for study and reference. This gives students ample time for reading and learning before the hands-on class begins. Areas such as Fiber ID, the pH scale, and the Anatomy of a Carpet are now assigned for home study.

On-line testing ensures that the student is comprehending all areas of study required for a fully competent Inspector/Corrector.

Hands-on training will include an optional mill and testing lab tour for those who have not the opportunity previously.

Experienced, full-time Inspector Richard Mittie, is in charge of the inspection phase of the class. Richard owns and operates an Inspection and Correction business in southwestern Washington. He is a premier side match color corrector with his own perfected color balancing method. He jets around the country, working on major problems.

Paul Lucas has been conducting seminars with Flooring & Textile Seminars of America since 1982. He has a well balanced background in the industry. As an entrepreneur his experience includes certified carpet inspections and cleaning services. He is currently involved in chemical manufacturing. As an instructor, his background includes business development and training for one of our industry's franchises, along with close involvement in industry trade associations.

For supplemental help, guest instructors and alumni who have been through the FTSA class and understand the principle of unbiased, factual, and independent carpet inspections, are called on.

Once the carpet problem is properly identified and reported, the Inspector's job is done. The problem still exists, however. Now you can make an unhappy customer into a satisfied one by becoming a Carpet Corrector. Several of our students have found this to be a profitable added service which carpet owners and commissioning agents appreciate. Becoming a specialized problem solver is the natural progression of any customer oriented Inspector. By offering corrective services you can turn many win-lose situations into win-win experiences.

Alumni Inspectors should make an effort to attend the Carpet Corrector program. Much of the information is new. The program has proved so worthwhile that sponsoring carpet mills asked for an extra day of instruction for their own staff. Keep in mind that the income from carpet corrections is often much more than income from inspections.

Our two days of classroom study deals with practical applications, including hands-on field testing, carpet and color corrections, and marketing. The overall theme of each day is writing professional quality carpet inspections. This skill will be developed throughout the program.

Following the mishap at Three Mile Island, an engineer being interviewed said every employee had been required to pass an entry examination with a 75% score. This means they could be wrong one out of four times and still qualify to handle the safety and operating features required to run a nuclear installation. While the employee may feel safe with those odds, the rest of the world demands higher standards. Other certification bodies require the same standard of 75%. This means a certified inspector can be wrong one out of four times - and still qualify as a certified inspector.

The International Certification Registry has adopted the same grade concept for registering and certifying used by the Deep Sea Divers Certification. They require a diver to score 100% before they will certify the diver, because they simply can't take a chance of a diver in trouble being wrong, even once.

Rather than fill up an examination will frivolous questions to make up a set number of test questions, the International Certification Registry will concentrate only on questions of merit. Their approved courses are designed to combine assignments, demonstrations, hands-on, study and examinations. Candidates completing the various categories will know what is correct, 100% of the time!

NOTE: Other certification bodies never tell you what questions you've missed. Unfortunately, that means a successful candidate can miss 25% of the questions and leave feeling their wrong answer was in fact, correct. Candidates for listing in the International Certification Registry will know what they missed and will be encouraged to continue to study until they know the correct answers. An International Certification Registry Inspector, like a deep sea diver, can't afford to be wrong.

Notice! You are required to score 100% on your written examination to receive your certification. Start now to complete all assignments before class. Please do not forget to bring all of your manuals and homework with you. If you have read the manuals well, testing will not be a problem.