NSCA's Wilson Appointed Consortium President

NSCA Executive Director Chuck Wilson has been appointed president of the Consortium for Electronic Systems Technician Training. He will serve a one-year term.

Chuck Wilson

Under Wilson's leadership, new goals were also set for the group of associations that comprise the Consortium, including more emphasis on establishing an electronic systems technician apprenticeship program already written and awaiting approval from the U. S. Department of Labor. "Over the last couple of years the Consortium focused its efforts on developing a curriculum for training electronic systems technicians, ESTs, at the college level," said Wilson. "With a written curriculum now in place and actively promoted to vocational schools across the country, we felt it was time to set some new goals, and that includes an apprenticeship program and a new occupational classification for our industry."

Last fall, the NSCA developed "national guideline standards" for ESTs and submitted them to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Apprenticeship Training, BAT. Now awaiting approval, the Consortium will first help speed up the process. Once approved, the guidelines will be made available to contracting companies interested in implementing an in-house apprenticeship program.

Secondly, the Consortium will support NSCA's efforts to develop a standard occupational classification, SOC, for "systems technicians" to compliment the apprenticeship program.

"Establishing a separate SOC for systems technicians will help further enhance our ability to get people in our industry recognized with proper workers' comp insurance," said Wilson. "Securing a SOC was recommended by the bureau of apprenticeship training as the federal government likes to see an apprenticeship program with a SOC attached."

To turn goals into reality, the Consortium also decided to devote more individual organization's staff time to the efforts. Several of the associations volunteered government-relations experts to aid in the BAT approval effort. Approved guidelines and a new SOC are expected by later this year.
The Consortium for Electronic Systems Technician Training is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit corporation, incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Regular membership is confined to not-for-profit associations and business leagues that have as members companies that manufacture or install electronic systems.

The following organizations are 2001 members of the Consortium: Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA), Automatic Fire Alarm Association (AFAA), Building Industry Consulting Services International (BICSI), Canadian Alarm Security Association (CANASA), Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA), Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA), Home Automation and Networking Association (HANA), International Communications Industries Association (ICIA), National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA), National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA), National Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee for the Electrical Industry (NJATC) and Security Industry Association (SIA).