I've never been a " joiner " as, like the vast majority in this industry I like to be my " own man " and work outwith constrictions such as ..............THERE IS ONLY ONE ACCEPTABLE METHOD OF CLEANING when we all know it's the person at the end of the tools and their individual approach to problem solving that gets results EVEN WHEN USING LOW POWERED MACHINES AND ALTERNATIVE METHODS TO HWE.
While I appreciate the SOCIAL and COMMERCIAL value of memberships I SIMPLY DO NOT BELIEVE ANY SINGLE ASSOCIATION WILL IMPACT SUFFICIENTLY ON THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO MAKE MEMBERSHIP VIABLE.
Having said that..............I fully appreciate that some WILL gain from MEETING others within their industry and seeing demonstrations of machinery and products.
In past " lives " I've HAD to join associations as a requirement of my employment and wore a few badges along the way, eg, I HAD to join the PGA when a Golf Pro, Had to join the RHS when lecturing on Horticultural subjects within the College course I ran on Golf Course Construction and Management and even as a Driving Instructor I was a member of two associations.
In every case MEMBERSHIPS simply gave OTHER PEOPLE an income from members and in EVERY CASE the titles, the badges and letters after my name meant nothing to the general public.
For those who wish to be " part of something " joining an association may give you some return but the only people who got a return from any association I was in were the people who opened the letters from interested parties seeking to fill a vacancy or find a service supplier.
Cynical
??
Sure, but that's the OTHER side of the argument.
Now, there is the possibility that a FULLY ACREDITED TRAINING ORGANISATION can achieve more by delivering a RECOGNISED qualification at a reasonably high level ( probably around NVQ 3 ) and have that recognised by the Insurance Industry and Manufacturers then you might have something of value.