Demand for skilled electricians is growing. The industry is looking for traditional electrical installation abilities as well as advanced expertise in controls programming, networking and systems integration. Electricians who combine these disciplines will meet the existing growth of building automation systems (BASs) and address the increasing green workforce demands to implement energy management, efficiency and sustainability measures. However, that is a lot of crossover, and individuals who have all of those talents are rare.

Contractors face the challenge of finding knowledgeable electricians or training the ones they already have. In many cases, the solution is to combine in-house training programs with vendor-provided system education. Of course, training requirements vary according to each contractor’s business model and the companies it works with.

BAS companies often go to contractors for electrical installation. A variety of sources can provide the integration, programming and system management work that follows. Control Technologies Inc., Williston, Vt., works with contractors who install its systems, according to Joe Eagle, training coordinator.

“We almost always do the technical portion of the installation, which is the programming and final checkout of the devices,” Eagle said. “The wiring and mounting of the devices is performed either by our in-house electricians or by a subcontractor working from our engineered system plans.”

Smart Building Technologies (SmartBT), Bethesda, Md., offers web-based, open-protocol controls for mechanical and electrical systems in commercial, higher education, government and laboratory facilities. These controls provide for management and monitoring of electrical and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in addition to energy-management programs aimed at utility savings. From the system and services SmartBT provides, some projects are design/build retrofits for existing outdated platforms while others are new specified projects.

“Depending on the type and size of the project, SmartBT will utilize in-house installation teams or subcontract to contractors who specialize in control work,” said Paul R. Meng, SmartBT principal.

Sending them away

Global technology company Siemens provides two BASs, Apogee and Talon, which are used in multiple industries.

Siemens offers online and in-person training through its BT University program. In addition to building automation systems, courses cover installing and servicing fire, life safety and security systems. (The 2016 course schedule is available at www.siemens.com.)

In most cases, technology vendors offer online resources for training electricians to work with these products. It’s possible to get the basics of most products through online videos and free web-based training. Siemens offers training for contractors that install its products. The company is seeing growth in several of its automation systems based on demand for green, intelligent building management systems, and, therefore, sees demand for more qualified installers.

Getting trained is only part of the battle. As building automation technology changes, contractors have to make a concerted effort to keep up to date. Ken McQuillen, marketing manager at Siemens’ building technologies division, said that, regardless of whether contractors attended BT University at Siemens, they can also contact local Siemens representatives for help.

Our managers try to determine who has the aptitude to progress and thus provide that extra effort with on-the-job training. It may take six to 10 years to develop a fully trained and experienced technician.
—Paul R. Meng, Smart Building Technologies

In-house training

For contractors, training BAS installers has been a challenge for years. Aside from a few factory-training seminars, there aren’t many options except to train electricians in-house.

Installation personnel must have a good understanding of the National Electrical Code and a strong knowledge of HVAC equipment and applications, Meng said. But how do you communicate such information to an employee? Some contractors and installation companies send one or two employees for training. Those employees can then return and get others up to speed.

“We send our people to an electrical apprenticeship program,” he said. “At the same time, our experienced technicians provide on-the-job training as it relates to HVAC equipment and controls.”

Eagle agreed.

“A great idea is to have one of your more technical people attend the factory training and then create an in-house version more specific to how you use and install the product,” Eagle said.

Of course, it’s always up to what the employee wants to do. Electrical apprentices tend to fall into one of two categories.

“Some may be happy to continue as an electrician specialized in ATC [automatic timing and controls] installation, while others continue to develop their knowledge of HVAC controls applications and become technicians,” Meng said.

The latter would be given a laptop and sent to various factory programming seminars for certification.

“Our managers try to determine who has the aptitude to progress and thus provide that extra effort with OJT [on-the-job training],” Meng said. “In the end, it may take six to 10 years to develop a fully trained and experienced technician.”

In some cases, recruiting experienced technicians can reduce a contractor’s training concerns.

“However, I can tell you that this can be expensive and not always successful,” Meng said. “Not only do you not get the benefit of the lower cost of an up-and-coming technician, these new recruits aren’t always up to speed on our systems and have to go through a learning curve at a high rate of pay.”

In the end, it’s usually up to the contractor to develop in-house training programs, along with taking advantage of training provided by vendors. There are still the traditional routes through the Electrical Training ALLIANCE, which offers advanced low-voltage programs. The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association and the National Low Voltage Contractors Association similarly offer programs to gain building automation system installation skills.

However, at the present time, there is no known training program that combines building automation and electrical systems.

“If only there were a program dedicated to our trade, perhaps years could be shaved from the training process and/or provide continuing education,” Meng said.