Electical Contractor

With lighting and communications technology evolving rapidly, lighting manufacturers are under pressure to determine how to best reach out to and train busy electrical contractors (ECs) on new and existing products.

With the impending generational shift of workers in the electrical industry, it is becoming more important to get young people interested in electricity to replace the retiring ranks.

Juno Lighting Group announced its newly renovated, state-of-the-art IdeaLab, which is designed to educate lighting designers, architects, distributors, and their clients on the art and science of lighting design.

There’s a lot to learn from stories. In our industry, there are many stories being told: crazy, scary stories about bids and deadlines, addendums and job walks. Stories like, “One time I forgot to enter the feeder conduits for the fourth-floor electrical room. We won the bid by pennies!

Some things in education remain the same--—it’s all still really about reading, writing and arithmetic. But the way those and other subjects are taught has evolved significantly since many of us spent time in a classroom.

Lighting design begins with identifying the lighting needs for the space and then deciding what surfaces you want to light and at what intensities. Once you make these decisions, you can begin selecting equipment.

It's no secret that the business world is infiltrating social media, as many companies are finding an effective method of reaching customers in Facebook, Twitter and others. In the electrical industry, it’s helping to spread the word on myriad issues.

The smart grid concept is transforming- how the United States will produce, deliver and manage electric power to factories, schools, offices and homes. A continental end-to-end rebuild may be years away, but its development is now.

These two topics—training and safety—are appropriate to cover together; properly trained installers will be safe workers, and safe workers are more likely to do careful, good work.