Renewals
As a result of the many different certification courses and systems out there, renewals are required upon request from specific vendors. “We require recertification every two years, for partners to keep up with new versions of our software and other innovations in the industry,” Pedersen said. For others, new versions of training courses are updated every six months to one year, while slowly migrating to completely new contents in a span of two to three years.
Rapid changes in the industry mean that trainees continuously benefit from updated course materials even if renewals are not mandated. “We currently do not require certifications be renewed; however, with free training, many trainees attend courses to update their knowledge on a regular basis and, thus, receive updated certifications,” Morgan said.
Training for Better Security
Training courses are constantly under review for course contents and hands-on training given. “Our key vendors are regarded as partners, and, as such, there is a mechanism for dialog, feedback and review to ensure that both of us continue to deliver added value in the supply chain for installers and end users,” Harmer said.
Trainee feedback is incorporated into review as well. “Manufacturers usually lack field experience, as they do not deliver solutions and projects directly to end users,” Lim explained. “Our engineers will suggest blind-spot areas where new training materials can address some problems in these areas. Some manufacturers are willing to review their training contents and methods to accommodate our needs. These include ‘mock-up' scenarios, providing a more efficient way to install or calibrate a piece of equipment.”
For troubleshooting and product-specific, posttraining comments and inquiries, training providers normally direct questions back to the vendors for professional help, Lee said. “Trainees conduct a course survey at the end of every course. Through that mechanism, the trainees are able to provide feedback to the training provider about the improvements they would like to see on course content. Training providers like us also provide feedback to our vendor partner informally during partner meetings or other occasions. Through these various channels, the vendor's development team evaluates the comments and makes changes to new versions of the course contents as see fit.”
Ultimately, integrators and installers need to invest in learning and training on new technologies in order to continue to deliver systems and services that meet user expectations and needs, and manufacturers and channel partners need to innovate at all times on all fronts.