Wednesday, September 14, 2011
19 Local One Members Get ETCP Certified
Stage Directions: The Entertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP) has awarded 19 International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local One members with its Entertainment Electrician Certification. Among those newly certified, is the first female ETCP Certified Technician in the New York Local.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
The ETCP certification is something that all riggers and at least one electrician should have. I am concerned by a lack of standardization in our industry for certifications. We have riggers and electricians who have only anecdotal knowledge of the systems they are using. There are also a lot of older technicians who have out of date knowledge and maintain that they are still current. The certification program and re-certification requirements will allow us to have less unqualified people dealing with these dangerous and ever changing environments. Also I believe that schools of Theatre should all have someone who is certified teaching the rigging class and the advanced electrical classes. These certifications should be paid for by a professionals place of business as an investment in the company and in the industry. The certifications should also be mandatory at the LORT B houses and larger as well as all arenas. With all of that said our relative safety is still decent without these certifications but in pursuit of safety we must never become complacent.
Certifications are great when they're within reach, but at $500 per person every 5 years that might be something that a small theater or school can't fit into the budget. It's a large expense for someone new to the profession as well, which might be a barrier to entry in a profession that can have trouble finding qualified people as it is. Another problem as mentioned above is the people who have "always" done their current job and believe that they know everything that there is to know, convincing them to be certified is difficult without someone requiring to do so.
Post a Comment