Back in March, we wrote about an all-too common dilemma for electrical contractors called “the Contractor Crunch.” It happens when workloads are strong and contractors don’t have enough labor to keep up with a growing pipeline of projects. They are hard-pressed to find licensed electricians who are immediately available, and it can take a long time to get new, aspiring electricians licensed and out into the field. In some states, it can take two to four years to produce a fully licensed electrician.
In addition to the labor drain, technology is evolving at a dizzying pace – challenging electricians to learn about new LED lighting solutions and lighting controls products. And on top of that, a myriad of regulatory entities are continually updating electrical codes. For example, the National Fire Protection Association revises its National Electrical Code (NEC) every three years (according to Profile of Electrical Contractor 2016.)
At Acuity Brands, we work with electrical contractors every day, and we’re all too aware of the pressure they face in training new talent and keeping their veterans up-to-speed on the latest technological advancements and changing codes. And, since we just love to solve big industry problems, we came up with a simple, but genius idea: The Acuity Academy.
Acuity Academy is our integrated learning management system built to help contractors and electricians expand their lighting and controls knowledge straight from their desks 24/7/365…like an on-demand virtual training department.
The Academy offers instructor-led training, eLearning courses, and live & recorded webinars. Trainings are offered both virtually and onsite from our five regionally located Centers for Light & Space. Courses range from lighting & controls fundamentals, product and application training, industry specific strategies and solutions, controls installation & programming/troubleshooting, and training on our Visual® Software. A few course examples include:
- Popular Contractor Dual Strip by Lithonia Lighting
- Basic Lighting Control Strategies
- ASHRAE 90.1 2013
Many of the Academy’s e-Learning courses include CEU credits. Contractors and electricians can create a personalized profile to store their training & CEU history and certificates. Pretty convenient, don’t you think?
Signing up is simple. Just visit our Training & Education page to register and create a personal account. Then, take a look around and enroll in a course.
Feeling smarter already? Glad we could help.
