View From the Top: Dazed and Confused by Training and Certification

Organizations are spending more on employee training and devoting more hours to training than ever before. A well-trained workforce is the key to keeping a competitive advantage.

So the choice is obvious. We must provide employee training and education for our staff. But as an employer, this can be a confusing endeavor.

We know that training and development is important. But in the home-technology industry we are often left frustrated. There are few standards for training and certification and many organizations are competing for education dollars.

With so many choices, how do employers choose the best investment for training and development?

Education and certification is a revenue source for many manufacturers and industry organizations, such as BICSI, CEA, CEDIA, CompTIA, EH Publishing, IEC and SBCA. It's an alphabet soup of training and development opportunities.

These organizations offer effective training programs. But the information offered by many of these organizations is often duplicated and not coordinated with each other. There is no single organization that is the standard bearer for industry training and certification.

Add to this the taboo subject of state certification/licensing of low voltage and communication and sound contractors. How does this required certification compare or compete with that provided by industry associations? Does a state-certified contractor also need a BICSI, CEDIA or other industry certification?

Let's look at one example: me. I hold several industry registrations/certifications. But even after obtaining them all, I have a hard time endorsing any one program over another. They each have their advantages and disadvantages. I still don't know where to send our employees.

Decisions, Decisions

I believe that certification is less important than the training itself. From my experience, few builders and customers care about certification.

They want knowledgeable people who can get the job done quickly and efficiently. This is not to say that certification is not necessary. Our industry needs to decide on standards for an industry-wide certification program.

I've learned that because there are no clear choices, an employer generally chooses the training programs based on cost, location and convenience. Lucky for us, there are many training events, seminars and programs in our locale from which to choose.

I also advocate the establishment of formal apprenticeship programs for residential network technicians. Many trades, such as air conditioning, plumbing, electrical and others have formal programs recognized and funded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Apprenticeship & Training.

A program already exists for Commercial Voice/Video/Data Technicians. A nationally recognized curriculum would need to be developed that would be consistent throughout the country and delivered perhaps through vocational trade schools or community colleges. But who would be responsible for writing the curriculum?

While this question remains unanswered, hopefully we all agree on this: Providing frequent, ongoing training and education opportunities for employees is not just what's best for our companies, but it's what's best for our industry.

Shawn Smith is vice president of Oldsmar, Fla.-based S&S Electric Co. Inc., 86 on the CE Pro 100. He can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).