Introducing the New PERC Education Program

Starting in 2025, CETP certifications that have been replaced with equivalent PEP content will begin to be archived, and not available for industry use. PEP will be replacing CETP and provides learners with added benefits. PERC is focused on bringing world class education and safety programs to the propane industry. With our designation as an accredited provider by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), and our new modular and function based training, we’ll continue to be able to do that.

In 2019 the Council recognized the need to restructure propane industry training. The goal was to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach
to a more customizable focused, updated, and shorter training program for industry employees. The PERC safety team, with direction from the Council and working group, have spent the last few years creating The Learning Center and started converting CETP into smaller, interactive training modules.

PERC has taken the key learnings from CETP and broken it down in smaller, module-based learning paths. With PEP, employees only need to complete the training modules necessary to safely perform their specific job. The focus on smaller modules of instruction has the dual benefit of increasing knowledge retention and higher course completion rates. These learning paths can be customized to meet a company’s or employee’s needs. Additional programs and electives are also available. Because employees are focused on what they need to know, when they need to know it, we can speed up the process from initial hiring to putting people to work in the propane industry.

There is no change in tracking from CETP to PEP. The transcript lists everything the learner has taken, including any CETP programs they have successfully completed. Training records will still be maintained in The Learning Center transcripts.

The designation indicates PERC has completed a rigorous audit and evaluation of its courses, policies and processes against the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard, which is internationally recognized by companies, state agencies, regulatory boards, colleges, and universities. This ensures all training and educational materials deliver the best possible instruction to propane industry employees. IACET accreditation also authorizes PERC to issue continuing education units (CEUs) for online and instructor led training that meet the IACET standard. The content will be available to propane and allied industry professionals through The Learning Center.

No. Learners will not be required to take an assessment exam and complete a skills evaluation. With PEP, learners will be tested at the conclusion of each module they take. As each module is successfully completed, it will be documented and added to the learner’s online transcript.

The key benefits for propane marketers are the assurance that all training provided is of the best possible quality and is instructionally sound. It also has the additional benefit of being approved by a third party, to ensure it meets rigorous standards for excellence.

With the modularization of the content and building of learning paths that include several programs and modules, some of the programs and/or modules are meant to be optional. This gives people options to structure their training in a way that meets their needs to educate their employees on the job tasks they want them to perform. If an exam was created based on a learning path, it would need to be all inclusive of that specific path. A learner would need to complete all the training within the path to be better prepared for an exam. This forces people to study and learn content on job tasks they may never need, other than to pass the exam. Each module has a quiz within it that tests the learners knowledge of the training content.

PERC will work with State Associations in those states to assist in educating the State licensing authorities on what we are replacing CETP certification programs with and explain the accreditation program through IACET.

Starting in 2025, CETP programs with equivalent PEP content will be archived and unavailable for industry use. PEP will fully replace CETP. PERC is focused on bringing world class education and safety programs to the propane industry, and with the IACET designation and our new modular and function based training, we’ll continue to be able to do that.

PERC also has On-the-Job training materials for marketers to use to complete hands-on skills training with employees. The On-the-Job training worksheets can be uploaded to The Learning Center and documented in the learners’ transcript.

Instructor-Led Training Toolkits are available for every program PERC develops. The toolkit consists of PowerPoint presentations with instructor notes and learner workbooks in PDF format for each module in the program. Student books will no longer be printed. The learner workbooks are available in PDF format and can be used electronically on tablets or printed. The end of module quizzes can be printed or instructors have the option of assigning the quiz to learners in The Learning Center.

All CETP certifications will remain on your transcript in The Learning Center.

By completing PERC’s Train-the-Trainer course, instructors will be able to issue CEUs, they’ll ensure their training meets a verifiable standard, and they’ll be able to customize training while still meeting learning objectives.

Sign up at propane.com to be informed of upcoming PERC training sessions. You can also opt in to receive the Safety Matters and Training Tuesday newsletters.

No, you do not need to be a PEP-Recognized Instructor to deliver the instructor-led content.