National Clothesline

It was the Irish writer James Joyce who once said, “A man’s errors are his portals of discovery.”

While that may be true, an error in the drycleaning industry can also lead to an expensive claim or an unhappy customer who will never return.

The National Cleaners Association has scheduled many classes covering a wide variety of industry-related topics throughout the year and cleaners can pick and choose what they feel they need to learn more about.

Right around the corner is a one-day, eight-hour course on “Intensive Inspection and Innovative Packaging” on Sunday, May 2.

The class will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and cost $250 for members and $350 for non-members. Another offering of the class will be held late this year on Sunday, Dec. 12.

Cleaners who need to obtain or update their D.E.C. Certification will have an upcoming opportunity on consecutive Sundays, June 6 and 13. A class in Korean has also been scheduled to take place on May 16 and 23.

The class begins at 9 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m. on each Sunday. The cost is $1,295 for non-members, but it is only $795 for members.

In June, NCA will offer another class in Korean. It will cover “Extreme Stain Removal” and be held on Sunday, June 13. An English version of the class will take place on Sunday, Nov. 14.

The one-day course will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and cost $250 for members and $350 for non-members.

For those seeking a more in-depth education, NCA has planned a five-day, 40-hour course on “Radical Drycleaning/ Stain Removal” during the week of Aug. 2 to 6.

The comprehensive course covers drycleaning, stain removal, bleaching and the proper use of stain removal equipment as well as the relevance of fabrics, dyes and garment construction.

The course will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tuition is $750 for members and $995 for everybody else.

Next up will be a three-day, 24-hour course on “Basic Pressing and Finishing” from Sept. 24 to 26 for cleaners who want to make sure garments look their best before they are returned to the customer.

The class will meet on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. The cost is $455 for members and $595 for non-members.

Late in the year, NCA will present a pair of one-day classes that will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. They will cost $250 for members and $350 for non-members.

First up will be a course on “Intensive Bleaching” on Sunday, Oct. 10; “Wetcleaning” will be held on Sunday, Nov. 7.

Numerous other classes are slated to appear this year from NCA, but the class dates have yet to be announced.

Some of the classes will include: “Pressing and Finishing,” “Technical Training at the Counter for Customer Service Representatives,” “What You Need to Know If You Are Faced with a Clean Up” and “Business Practices.”

Many will be held on the road while the rest will be held at NCA’s New York School of Drycleaning located at 252 W. 29th St.

On-line learning

In addition to those classes, NCA will continue to offer webinars for cleaners who want to take advantage of attending a class from the comfort of their own computer or telephone.

Webinars run on designated Wednesdays at 3 p.m. PST (6 p.m. EST) and cost $69 each for telephone and web-based participation.

Upcoming webinar topics and dates include:

• “Customer Service” with Jennifer Johnson on May 19.

• “Removing Difficult Stains” with Alan Spielvogel on June 16.

• “Social Media” with Norman Way on July 21.

• “Problem Garments” with Alan Spielvogel on Aug. 18.

• “E-Mail Marketing — The Keys to the Kingdom” with Nora Nealis and Katie Morelli on Sept. 15.

• “Tips on Offering Tailoring and Alterations” with Victoria Aviles on Oct. 20.

• “Growing Your Route” on Nov. 17; and “Blogging 101” on Dec. 15.

A full list of NCA’s upcoming educational programs is available at the association’s web site, www.nca-i.com, under the “NCA Calendar” heading.

The site also has information on clothing care tips, designer links and how to become a member. The association’s Platinum members can enjoy free webinars, and those who can’t attend online live can use a free CD-ROM copy as a training tool for employees.

Information may also be obtained by contacting the association directly at (800) 888-1622 or (212) 967-3002.