NABCEP & Training [RE-wrenches]

[Allan Sindelar]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brad Bassett" <bsbassett at earthlink.net>


> I think that training MUST be an integral part of any certification
> program, how else will installerrs learn how it should be done without
> the years of experience that most wrenches have? If pv is going to
> continue to expand as most of us hope, there will have to be many new
> installers. It is these installers that we must get to, and train to do
> installations in a manner that will serve the industry and the customer.
> I see lots of effort by NABCEP to certify experienced installers, but I
> do not see an effort to have a training program or to certify new
> installers.

Yes, installers must either be trained in a training program or through
years of on-the-job experience. But neither can fill the role of the other.
And it is no more the role of the testing/certifying agency to provide the
training than it would be in any other skilled trade. NABCEP's role as
better served as a third-party certifier to accredit other training
facilities, more than to offer its own training.

 > How are new installers supposed to get the experience they
> need? What kind of installations are they going to do until they have
> that experience?

Installers will get the experience in the same way they do now: on the job.
They won't be prohibited from working in PV. The certification is voluntary,
not mandatory. The installer can work without certification, either on their
own if they know what they're doing, or as an employee of a Certified
Installer if a particular customer or government program requires it. The
certification is an indicator of competence, and should not be easy to get.
And it should be structured to be as difficult as possible to scam.

> Without a training program and certification for
> installers who have passed this training, this will be just another "old
> boys club".

Look at the requirements to sit for the exam:

The NACBEP may want to come up with a training program or we
> may have to accept what the IBEW & NECA based NJATC comes up with, which
> would of course be part of union training and apprenticeship.
>
> I think that there should be a training course that is required, with
> maybe some grandfathered in wrenches, but only if the test is very
> rigorous. Perhaps there could be different certification levels, one for
> newbies who have passed the test and one for experienced installers.
> There could also be different certifications for residential and
> commercial work, just as there is for electricians in many states.
>
> I would also like to see a separate certification for PV designers. This
> will increasingly be a different task than system installation, and can
> be done wrong just as easily. Other industries often have this
> certification separately.
>
> Take a look at
> http://www.radiantpanelassociation.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=185
> for an example of a certification program in a sort of similar industry.
>
>
> One other note is that in my experience with a past project consisting
> of many potential installs in CA a few years ago, the IBEW and NECA were
> very aggressive about trying to exclude non-union PV installers, and
> their playing card was supplying the training for the installers. Unless
> they have changed their tune, I would be wary if you don't want to be
> union or excluded in some way.
>
>
> Brad Bassett
> bsbassett at earthlink.net
>
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