Most industries have some sort of accreditation process by which individuals and companies within that industry are recognized as being competent and knowledgeable within that field. For instance, architects are accredited by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and acousticians are accredited by the National Council of Acoustical Consultants (NCAC). An individual that has these credentials has passed the necessary examinations, peer review, and required work hours to carry the credentials so that people who hire them can be assured they know what they are doing. So just what is a CTS?
For many years the audio-visual industry struggled to have an effective accreditation process. While there are still several different industry organizations, the vast majority of the audio-visual industry has coalesced behind the Infocomm International trade group and their Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) credential. From the Infocomm website: “A Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) performs general technology solution tasks by creating, operating, and servicing AV solutions, while conducting AV management activities which provide for the best audiovisual resolutions of the client’s needs, both on time and within budget.” The CTS program assesses individuals against peer-developed standards and competencies and provides a credential that is time-limited (3 years in most circumstances). Ongoing renewal requirements must be met by CTS holders in order to maintain their credentials. The CTS program is the only audio-visual certification that is accredited by ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024.
Let’s face it, there are a lot of people who claim to be audio-visual professionals. But how can you tell if they really know what they are doing? If they have the CTS certification from Infocomm you can have confidence in their ability to do audio-visual work. At Acoustics By Design we’re proud to be corporate members of Infocomm, and three of our staff have earned the CTS credential. We fully support the on-going work of increasing audio-visual knowledge, training, and certification within our industry.
