ICIA Offers Online Course for Newcomers to AV Industry

The International Communications Industries Association, Inc.(ICIA)is pleased to announce the latest addition to the ICIA family ofInfoComm Academy online courses. "Quick Start to the AudiovisualIndustry" is an online introductory course designed for technicians,managers, and support staff in their first six months to a year ofhire.

This course helps current and future employees understand thecontext of their job and how the industry works. The online trainingprovides a basic understanding of the audiovisual communicationsindustry and is supplemented by a learner's workbook and manager'sguide. This course has also been designed for easy integration intoelectronics and/or broadcast/media technical and vocational educationprograms by secondary school and post-secondary school instructors andmentors.

“Despite the current economy, the AV industry neverthelessfaces a shortage of qualified workers over the next five years,”states Randy Lemke, ICIA’s executive director. “Quick Startis a key component of ICIA’s strategy for workforce development.It is designed to bring individuals new to the AV industry the kind ofbasic information that is necessary for them to be able to quickly comeup to speed. It is also a great way to introduce high school andcollege students who are in the process of determining career directionto the great opportunities our industry offers.”

A recent posting to the Quick Start bulletin board underscores thisneed and illustrates an opportunity for ICIA to work with potentialemployees: “I was wondering if anyone can give me advice ongetting into this wonderful field. I have the skills from previouswork, but I'm not sure where to start. Any help isappreciated.”

The course consists of approximately three hours of interactiveonline training plus bonus materials for both the manager/advisor andemployee/student. ICIA members have long stated that they don’thave time to develop their own programs and exercises for newemployees.

This course makes it easy for a manager to coordinate hands-onpractice with concepts learned through Quick Start. Topics includein-depth discussion of various roles in the industry, the distributionchannel, vertical markets, team concepts, as well as introductions tobasic technical concepts like the difference between analog anddigital, factors to consider in visual and audio environments, andapplications of the technology. It is a perfect lead-in to ICIA’smore advanced science and technology online course, "Essentials of theAV Industry."

The Quick Start training program is free to ICIA members, and isfree to non-members for a limited time only. To register, simply go towww.infocomm.org/education/online.