ESSENTIAL CEDIA
PROVING YOUR PROFESSIONALISM Chhaya Landschultz, Lighting Designer and Director of IndigoZest, examines ways to prove professionalism and competence in the smart home and AV sector.
As an industry, we all strive to be the best that we can be and we’re eager to be positively described in these terms, by our peers, by clients and by other construction professions. When taking on a new project and joining a team which includes other contractors, an interior designer, an architect, a property developer and other trades, it can be hard to get that recognition. A lack of understanding of the work that we do and the skills that we employ can lead to us being undervalued. Sometimes, on a site, we might still be referred to as the AV guys and looked down on rather than seen and respected as the professionals that we are. It helps enormously if we can get that respect immediately so that, from the off, other professionals look upon us favourably and will work with us, not against us.
Likewise, with the building and construction industry often requesting some level of certification or validation of health and safety to gain access on site, we need a quick way of proofing those important qualifications. So how do we go about showcasing our credibility to everyone on site? Well, a professional ID card is a good place to start. Luckily, our industry has a card that allows us to do this – the ECS Home Technology Integrator card. This card is a way to formally recognise the skills of integrators, provide us with a simple and effective way to obtain access to construction sites, and offer proof of identity and qualification levels. It’s no guarantee that you’ll be asked to show this sort of identification on every site – some sites never ask to see it, others do require it but then forget that they did and aren’t worried if they don’t see it. While for others, it’s mandatory – not just for getting on site, but it is an automatic part of the tendering process. The latter point is especially true of MDU projects. We are receiving more and more requests for our engineers to have the ECS card. Perhaps, this is a reflection of the type of work that we do and we see this form of identification and professionalism as extremely important.
More than that, it’s also about our industry being taken seriously. We want to be seen as professionals who have every right to a seat at the top table with other professions - more than just hobbyists, tech geeks or the AV guys. This is what we all aspire to and it’s the direction that the industry continues to move towards. The quicker we can get there, the better. So, if you want to be a part of developing the credibility of our industry, of always being in the position to provide identification when asked for it to access construction sites, and for not missing out on the opportunity to join a project tender, then the ECS card is for you. At IndigoZest, we now have six technicians who proudly display their ECS card. The feedback from our team is that it not only proves their credibility on site, but it provides them with the validation that they are a part of a professional company and that their career is on the right path. It builds self-worth within the team. We will continue to support this movement and hope that more integrators join the scheme. CEDIA is currently running a promotion where it is waiving the card application fee for an ECS Home Technology Integrator card. This offer is available until October 31. For more information, visit cedia.net/ecs-cards or contact Emma McMylor, CEDIA’s education coordinator - Telephone: 01480 213744 or Email emcmylor@cedia.org.
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AUGUST 2022 41
