EDUCATION If You Build It… ALOA’s new training center is ready to open — and ready for your input. By Jim Hancock, CML, CMST the existing classrooms for various training purposes. Past ALOA President Tom Demont secured funding from several sources to get these classrooms built without using ALOA operating funds — and he solicited a single-source donation to equip all the classrooms with the needed AV equipment, tables and chairs to provide a comfortable learning environment. Slowly (due to monsoon rains, extreme weather, earthquakes and power outages) M but steadily, the center began taking shape. As each wall went up and was painted, with every door frame and hardware that was installed, and’ as the LCD projectors were mounted, a sense of purpose in creating this permanent, useful benefit that “For this facility to be viable, to be a point of pride for ALOA members, to be relevant and —most importantly — to be empty, we need input.” ore than 18 months ago, an idea was put into action to create a training center with multiple classrooms at the Dallas headquarters. The new space would accommodate the ever-growing Fundamentals class by providing a more spacious training room, and it would include several smaller classrooms to complement This facility is for you, our ALOA members. It was planned, designed and built to help the industry — but specifi- cally, members — receive training in all aspects of our trade. But unlike the re- ally heart-wrenching, wonderful story of “Field of Dreams,” I don’t believe that just because we built it, people will come. I think it will take great classes at an un- paralleled price point. I think it’s going to take effort on the part of the education department to put together a schedule that makes sense and is relevant to the industry today. But it’s also going to take effort on your part as members of ALOA and the industry. Help Us Help You We have asked on several past occasions for input on everything from classes de- sired to ideas about PRP changes, and the response, frankly, is underwhelming. I hear at every convention and other train- ing events from a few people who say, “I uys would…” and I always re- ame way: Send me an email so get, and we’ll work on it if it’s ble. Very rarely does it happen, everyone is busy and tends to o so. But for this facility to be be a point of pride for ALOA , to be relevant and —most im- y — to not be empty, we need d an email to education@aloa. st a short note responding to l of these questions: asses would you like to see de- d that don’t currently exist in raining (classes you have seen y other entities, not manufac- sses)? anufacturers would you like nduct training and on which product lines? d you like to see classes devel- o directly relate to a certification c Electricity, Electronic Access 52 KEYNOTES OCTOBER 2015 WWW.ALOA.ORG n o t
