EDUCATING THE FUTURE OF TOMORROW

The whole point of working with the college is to offer better opportunities. “It’s about giving back. And giving someone a chance to do something they didn’t think they could do, but now they can,” he says.

It’s an added benefit that creating this strong foundation for students also helps AV companies and reenergises the opportunities to get people in the door. More knowledge is beneficial to the students and makes them better engineers when they become employed.

Electricus has offered four classes at Waltham, including fascinating subjects like smart lighting and music. All the training answers two simple questions:

• How does it work?

• Why does it work?

HOW DO WE FACE THE OBSTACLES?

For Kyri, grassroots efforts are key. Having conversations and providing opportunities for young people and career changers to learn about the smart home technology industry is vital.

Integrators and other industry professionals should get connected with colleges that offer electrical courses. “I’d say more information targeted towards colleges would be good because they’re steady. People could walk through the door and have the smart home courses as part of their learning options. It might open someone’s eyes to go, ‘What’s that about? Let me read more about it’ as part of their prospectus,” he says.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kyri Androu, owner of Electricus Audio Visual realised he needed to add more engineers to its growing team. There was just one problem: the engineers he was working with didn’t have the necessary experience.

So, he set about creating a strategic solution: train the workforce early.

“Electricians know how to run cables, but they can’t terminate. If you can terminate a cable properly when you’re dealing with high voltages, why can’t you terminate low voltage?” Kyri questions. When he was approached by Waltham Forrest College, he knew it would be a great way to educate the future engineers of tomorrow.

He’d taught himself the AV trade, but it doesn’t have to be as complicated for new students. He explains, “Why not give a kickstart to someone else who’s doing their electrical apprenticeship? They’ll have a feel or some form of experience with AV, understand it a bit better, which gives them a better job opportunity going forward.”

As they learn, they may continue with electrical career pathway or love AV and decide it’s a career they will enjoy. Either way, Kyri emphasises, “Through the college, we’re giving them a foundation. It’s being able to understand basic level stuff, so they’ve got a good foundation. With a strong foundation, they can go out into the workforce and say, ‘I can help you with that so we’re doing it properly.’”

Kyri has found that since he’s been working with students, he’s becoming even more effective in conversations with his clients because he’s more clearly able to explain why he’s making project choices.

Challenges In Developing The Workforce

The path to successful workforce development is beginning to become clearer, although it’s not without challenges. Kyri points out a few obstacles he’s noticed.

General lack of awareness of the industry. “Most people don’t know this industry actually exists unless they’re in the ultra-high net worth space. Even those people don’t really know. They know they’ve got something in the house that when they push a button, something happens, but they don’t actually understand they’ve got a smart home,” he notes.

Clients aren’t necessarily managing their own smart home systems – integrators often work with the maintenance team. The clients who can afford ultra luxury solutions likely know the systems they have. They know they have a Lutron lighting system, for instance, but they’re happy knowing that when they push a button or touch screen, and something happens in their home. The maintenance teams are the people who understand how the technology works more than the client.

As for Kyri, he’s not slowing down his efforts. In fact, he wants to carry it on to more learning institutions. He explains, “I’ve got proof of concept. I know it’s working. I know I’ve helped a few people at least because they’ve come to our Instagram and messaged us saying ‘I really love what I’m doing now. You gave me good insights and it’s opened the door.’”

So far, Kyri’s model has directly impacted three students from the college. The students got opportunities in three different companies they may never have gotten before. And the companies may not have known about these guys before, either.

It certainly gives students hope – and the industry. Opportunity has been top of mind for most people hiring and looking for work in the growing smart home technology industry, and this new focus on workforce development brings a new level of excitement. Educating the future of tomorrow, as Kyri likes to say, is a winwin for everyone, and a model that could work around the globe.

If you’re ready to get involved in developing the next generation smart home industry workforce, CEDIA has a free toolkit to help you get started. There are ready-to-use resources, outreach message examples, industry insights, and an industry promotional video that shows how exciting these tech-based careers can be. Check it out and download the toolkit now to start your efforts! Kyri has made a positive impact and you can, too.