CEDIA and its recently-launched certification commission are calling on technicians to participate in a survey designed to shape the future of CEDIA Certification and education initiatives. The CEDIA Technician Survey, which is open through April 22, involves feedback from technicians or those who supervise technicians. The commission and information gathering initiative are part of CEDIA’s continuing efforts to better align certification and education with the needs of the workforce.

The Certification Commission, a permanent body established by the CEDIA Board of Directors, sets policies and provides independent oversight of the CEDIA Certification program with the goal of developing certifications that are accredited to the globally-recognized ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 standard.

CEDIA and the commission are working their way through updates, improvements, and potential new certifications, beginning with entry-level and moving toward advanced and specialized certification types.

The survey results, which will help inform the work of CEDIA and the commission, examine the regular duties and tasks of technicians and provide key data that CEDIA will use to update and build certifications, develop relevant education tracks and to accurately represent the industry to government bodies and prospective members of the industry.

For completing the survey, current CEDIA Certification holders can earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs), which help CEDIA Certification holders maintain their credentials. CEDIA Certification credentials are designed to reflect defined areas of knowledge in the home technology industry.

The accreditation process involves meticulous assessments to ensure the organization seeking accreditation follows international standards and demonstrates competency for their work. For certification holders and the general public, accreditation ensures that the credentialing body is developing exams that are fair, accurate, and reliable.

Members of the CEDIA Certification Commission are:

• Dennis Erskine, commission chairman, Erskine Group
• Pete Trauth, commission vice-chairman, Nirvana Home Entertainment
• Andy Baker, commission secretary, Baker Stone Systems
• James Chen, Kordz
• Henry Clifford, Livewire
• Frank DeFilippis, DISH Network
• Omar Hikal, The Brand Company
• Mike Ranpura, Smart Life AV
• Amanda Wildman, TruMedia