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Installers - Getting the Right Skills and Qualifications (3/5/2007)

By Matthew Poyiadgi, CompTIA

Just ten years ago a digital home was the preserve of the super-rich. But more modern homes are filled with technology than ever before. Falling technology prices and increased consumer awareness mean that many households run a combination of digital entertainment, advanced security and home automation systems. Technology has become cheaper, and harder to avoid. Analogue television is scheduled for switch-off next year, MP3s have replaced vinyl and home security is more about keyless entry than locks and bolts. Networked technology has become embedded in society. It is more difficult to avoid living in a digital home than to build one.

An example of today's digital home

In the past, digital home systems ran on a limited number of platforms, and were sold and installed exclusively by qualified professionals. Consumers bought a complete system and if they upgraded, they did it all at once through the same vendors.

Things have changed - and not necessarily for the better. Today, a large proportion of digital homes have not been so deliberately planned. Equipment is acquired and upgraded ad-hoc, from a number of suppliers and for a range of platforms. Much of the hardware, particularly for entertainment, is seen as secondary to the content it unlocks, and does not come with installation or technical support. This means it is installed and maintained by consumers themselves who may not have the technical expertise to get the most out of their system.

Digital plumbers

This is a huge opportunity for anyone able to setup, fix and maintain home technologies. As more domestic homes go digital, there is an increasing need for 'digital plumbers' - service providers who can install and trouble-shoot a range of systems and are not limited by their skills, dominant platforms or products. The same way we expect a traditional plumber to deal with a range of boilers and bathrooms, washing machines and sewage systems, a digital plumber will be an expert in whatever hardware and software makes up your digital home network.

The skills required for this task are numerous. Technicians need to be able to deal with a range of equipment in an almost infinite variety of configurations. They will need excellent communication skills, as every customer's expectations and understanding of what their digital home can offer will be different. Rather than in-depth knowledge of particular high-end systems, digital plumbers will need a solid understanding of the principles behind a fully-networked digital home. And because they are working inside the consumer's home, they will need to be able to prove their qualifications and build trust.

Skilled staff

One of the key challenges facing the industry is finding people who are up to the job, and equipping those that are not with the skills to prosper. Toby Treacher is the founder of dt3, a company that offers digital home support to consumers. He has found that there is no easy way to spot good staff.

"Our experts have come from a range of backgrounds, including electronics, programming and hardware. We've found through experience that university qualifications or 'years on the job' is not necessarily a good indicator of competence. The technology moves very fast, and we need to be confident that our experts can deal with whatever gets thrown at them."

Training availability

With the digital home maintenance industry still fairly young, the training options are limited. Many people enter the industry with basic systems or networking skills. This knowledge is then built on as they gain experience, or more formally, with on-the-job training.

Many vendors offer short intensive courses designed to train custom installers to get the most out of particular systems. These range from free half-day sessions to two-day courses costing hundreds of pounds.

In practice, they tend to be undertaken by installers with some experience who specialise in a particular system or systems. The level of detail contained in the course is necessary for people who are installing and configuring systems from scratch, but would be of limited use for trouble-shooting or maintenance engineers, faced with such a range of systems each day.

For a while, there has been an increasing need for foundation skills training in digital home technologies. Specifically, the need has not been to teach people how to work with a specific product but to help them understand and appreciate the underlying principles of smart homes. This way they can make independent systems work together based purely on a knowledge of the underlying technologies, standards and protocols.

Back to basics

Some options are beginning to emerge and are being well received. The Custom Electronic Design Installation Association (CEDIA) for example, offers courses designed to give a more general introduction to the skills required for custom installation. These do not require industry experience or academic qualification.

Another example is CompTIA's new DHTI+ certification - recently launched as a foundation course in digital home technology, and developed in partnership with industry. DHTI+ certification is designed to equip individuals with the knowledge required to tackle a range of technologies, giving the industry the real benchmark for knowledge, understanding and skills that it has needed for some time, and helping technicians support the past, current and future digital home.

DHTI+ is run over three to five days, and is designed as a precursor to more in-depth vendor-specific training. For instance, Birmingham's Technology Innovation Centre (TIC) has put together week-long intensive courses that begin with DHTI+, followed by a vendor's course over the final two days.

Recognised certification

Foundation-level certification is also an excellent way into this growing industry, and a good way to demonstrate skills to a potential customer or employer. Choosing a certification that is recognised by industry means you can be sure that that your skills will be valued, and of real use out in the field. As Toby Treacher of dt3 explains, "We're keen to offer a trusted service to our customers. Recognised certifications help us demonstrate that our people can be relied on to do the job well."

Conclusion

The array of technologies, found in the new breed of digital homes, poses a formidable challenge to traditional home technology experts. Once custom installers dealt with a small number of well-planned, high-spec systems. Now they will be expected to deal with a huge variety of hardware and software - all of differing quality, purchased independently of each other and without regard for compatibility or suitability. To meet this challenge, digital plumbers need a thorough understanding of the underlying principles behind automated technology rather than just a knowledge of specific products from individual vendors. Only by understanding the basics of how to integrate the underlying technologies, can they really help customers benefit from the power of the devices in their home.

Recognised certification is essential to ensuring that people working in the industry have the skills required to do the job. It will help ensure the reputation of the digital home industry and the people who install and maintain digital home networks remains strong and positive.

Matthew Poyiadgi is the Regional Director for CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing the growth of the IT industry and those working within it. With more than 20,000 members in 102 countries, CompTIA is the leading global IT trade association with influence in all areas of the IT industry worldwide.

uk.comptia.org