Matt Nimmons, Managing Director at CEDIA EMEA, delves into the professional integrated home market and explains why electricians have all the training and support they need to make a successful transition.
According to the latest UK Integrated Home Market Analysis – powered by CEDIA, the estimated current size of the professional integrated home market is £1.2 billion with integrator companies expecting continued growth in the next 12 months.
This analysis also predicted that more electrical contractors will continue to enter the market in the years ahead, which should come as no surprise to readers.
Lifestyle benefits
A professionally installed integrated system offers so many more lifestyle advantages to the homeowner. CEDIA members are adept at providing the right blend and balance of technology to deliver exceptional home entertainment, comfort, and security experiences for their customers as well as providing the expert design, installation, and integration skills to create secure, robust, and functional environments to allow working from home.
However, with so much new technology, unfamiliar terminology, and specialist integration skills needed to create such systems, it can be a daunting task entering the industry without the necessary training.
CEDIA is the industry association that can help electrical contractors make the successful transition into the professional home technology industry. We recognise that the long-term success of the smart home sector is reliant upon a well-trained and professional workforce. For this reason, CEDIA continues to focus on its educational pathways to ensure that industry professionals can always be at the top of their game.
We currently offer two fundamental education packages to help contractors on this journey – Smart Home Technician Essentials and Smart Home Technician Further Skills.
Smart Home Technician Essentials
This five-day pathway offers a solid foundation for electricians interested in starting their careers in the industry or supporting junior technicians in their journey towards CEDIA certification.
The package covers essential topics such as audio and video fundamentals, best practice in structured cabling, smart home subsystems, as well as design and installation of AV racks. The last day of the programme also covers the UK’s regulations of electrical safety.
Smart Home Technician Further Skills
This five-day package is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of individuals who already have some experience in the field or who have completed the Smart Home Technician Essentials package.
This more advanced training equips learners with the expertise to handle more complex smart home systems. The package covers topics such as wired and wireless networking, lighting systems and control, fundamentals of home cinema design, as well as the principles of project and business processes.
The main advantage of CEDIA’s essential and further skills packages is that they’re both comprised of standalone one-day courses that can be booked individually. This allows learners the flexibility to choose which courses to attend based on their individual needs and schedules.
Additionally, the format enables learners to fill specific knowledge gaps and acquire the skills they need to become proficient in specific areas. Whether learners are new to the industry or looking to advance their skills, they can take advantage of the single day courses and customise their learning experience.
The Smart Home Technician courses are only part of a tailored career journey. The skills covered in the courses align with CEDIA’s globally accredited certifications: Cabling & Infrastructure Technician (CIT) and Integrated Systems Technician (IST). These provide members with the opportunity to showcase credibility, development, and differentiation.
Get more details on CEDIA’s Smart Home Technician training course here
