Kramer USA has licensed three of InfoComm International’s premier education products and is offering complimentary classes to groups of AV professionals across the country.
Since January, Max Kopsho, MCSE, CTS, Director of Training and Consultant Relations for Kramer, has taught sessions of CTS Study Group and Essentials of the AV Industry to hundreds of students as a service to the AV industry.
Participating companies have included CCS Presentation Systems, CTG-Atlanta, and DASCOM Systems. Kramer has also licensed InfoComm’s AV/IT Integration training and plans to offer classes later in the year.
“We at Kramer believe we have a responsibility, as a manufacturer, to educate our customers on current technologies, as well as emerging technological trends,” said David M. Bright, President of Kramer Electronics USA, Inc. “To merely concentrate on our own product training would be short-sighted and self-serving.
“In these trying economic times, many dealers cannot afford to do in-house training of their own, and need the help of their vendors to educate their new employees and also advance the education of their experienced staff. In the long run, helping develop well educated industry professionals will benefit everyone…the dealer and the manufacturer, and allow the U.S. industry to maintain its global leadership.”
To encourage participants to achieve their CTS certification, Kramer has reserved testing space at Prometric Testing centers where they offer CTS Study Group. Their students taking the exam are passing at the current pass rate for the test, which is 75 percent.
Kopsho, an InfoComm Academy senior instructor and long-time member of InfoComm’s Professional Education and Training Committee (PETC), said, “Kramer Electronics brings InfoComm’s body of knowledge to the systems integrator’s doorstep. It is rewarding to play a role in the development of the next generation of AV professionals.”
Kramer is also taking full advantage of InfoComm’s renewal unit provider opportunities. Many of the classes Kramer offers provide renewal units (RUs) – continuing education credits that are required to maintain Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) credentials.
Kramer has also compiled a book that has been broken into 17 white papers on topics including AV Signal Amplification, AV Systems and Interference, Coaxial Cable Performance and Construction, Switching and Control and more. Readers of these papers can take a short test and receive some of the 30 renewal units needed to maintain their CTS credential at no charge.
In addition, Kramer has developed 20 training classes aimed at helping AV professionals earn renewal units. Companies that have taken advantage of Kramer’s free renewal unit training include Professional Communications Systems, ExhibitOne, TRG, Midwest Computer Products Inc., Tierney Brothers, SBC Global, Ford AV, Lee Hartman and Sons, Integrated Systems, Inc and Cornell University (Ithica, NY).
These classes cover topics including AV in the Digital Age, The Basics of Solution Selling for AV Integrators, Choosing and Applying the Best Display Type for Your AV Design, Knowing Your Circle of Influence – The Steps to Optimal Influence, Current and Emerging Technologies for Classroom Environments, No Compromise – Sales and Service in Pro AV, and IT Speak for the AV Pro.
“Challenging economic conditions require systems integrators to have a workforce that is educated and can do the job right the first time,” said Randal A. Lemke, Ph.D., Executive Director, InfoComm International. “Repeat business will be the key to staying in business and Kramer is now positioned to be the systems integrator’s partner in quality.”
“There is also a convenience factor in training large groups of installation professionals at one time at their home facility,” said Lemke. “By helping professionals prepare for the CTS exam and delivering free renewal unit opportunities, Kramer has established its commitment to the business and career development of countless AV professionals. This loyalty will have implications for many years to come.”
“Over the past 25 years, Kramer has stressed building relationships, not just sales,” said Bright. “Educating is the most important part of building strong business, as well as personal relationships that can last an entire career.”