Buyer Beware! Why Choose ESA Courses Over the Other Training Providers?
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
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Posted by: ESA Communications
Just because it looks and sounds Like ESA’s National Training School doesn’t mean it is.
We have seen a lot of new training providers emerge in recent years that have created courses that are quite similar to ESA’s National Training School offerings. Even the course titles are shockingly similar. On one hand, we take it as a compliment that they want to replicate themselves after us. However, the buyer needs to be aware of the distinct differences between NTS and others. These companies can be quite misleading by mimicking our course names and by making the consumer think they are getting the same quality of training that they have been getting from ESA’s National Training School for the last 30 years.
Top Ten Reasons to Choose ESA’s National Training School:
Instructors
We have a pool of 85 Certified Instructors that teach and act as subject matter experts. These instructors have combined several hundred years of field-experience and have expertise in a variety of areas. Our courses are not developed by one guy who has installed alarm and/or fire systems. They are developed and updated using a rigorous development process that allows for input from many subject matter experts plus codes and standards compliance review.
Manuals
Every ESA course comes with an in-depth course manual. This is not a PowerPoint presentation, but a comprehensive resource manual that can be used by technicians in the field. The Certified Alarm Technician Level One course manual is over 400 pages!
Certifications
ESA believes that training for the electronic security industry is not a “once and done†activity. With codes and standards on a continuous improvement cycle, the fast track of new technology developments and advancements in life safety techniques, technicians need to be continuously learning. That is why our education model is built upon certifications that need to be maintained by taking required continuing education courses. Unlike some of our competition, our courses lead to industry recognized certifications. These are not just pieces of paper you get after taking a class but something that is continuously earned through work experience and CEU credits.
State Approval Status
Throughout our thirty years of existence NTS courses have been recognized by state licensing agencies that require training to attain an electronic security technician’s license. In many states we have set the standard of license training. The association is asked to provide guidance to regulatory agencies on a regular basis.
Computer Based Testing
Contrary to what the competition says, it does not take ESA six weeks to grade exams and send course completion notices. Many of our training providers are using computer based exams which means students use a Wi-Fi enabled device to take their proctored exam and get results immediately upon submission of the exam. For those that take a paper based exam, we send out an email to the student letting them know they can login in to our learning portal and see their results and even print a copy of their course completion certificate.
Online Courses
Travel is expensive and so is time out of the field. For that reason ESA offers online delivery for almost all of our courses. These courses allow learners to learn at their own pace, use a schedule that fits their busy lifestyle, and to access the course materials at a location that is convenient for them.
Instructor Led Courses
Everybody has different learning styles and that means online learning may not be as beneficial to some. Our instructor led courses can help assure that a variety of delivery methods are used to ensure all learning styles are accommodated. In addition, technicians that are new to the industry may have better success rates in training by having a live instructor teach the course. The instructor is there to deliver the curriculum, show best installation practices, provide assistance with tricky electrical formulas, and listen and respond to questions regarding concepts not fully grasped. Instruction at this level is very difficult to deliver online as online courses have limited access to an instructor. It is for these reasons ESA continues to offer instructor led courses for all our training.
Private Courses
The needs of each electronic security company are unique to them. To help support those unique needs ESA’s training providers will bring training to the company and customize it to fit their needs. This could include hosting the training at their site, adding content based on the company’s installation protocols, or custom schedules to fit the company’s needs.
Support the Industry
ESA is a non-profit trade association so all profit we collect from training gets reinvested right back into the industry. Your funds are not used for individual gain but reallocated into public relations campaigns to promote member companies, workforce improvement programs, codes and standards development, and government relation initiatives to make sure the industry’s needs are being considered in state and federal legislature.
Staff
Know you are in great hands with the team of staff that support you through your ESA/NTS Training. We are proud of the many years of experience the team has within the industry and also within education administration. The Vice President of Training & Certification has 20 years’ experience in teaching, instructional technology, and administering professional credentialing programs. Additional staff includes experts in instructional design, apprenticeship, occupational training, association management, and electronic security administration. Our mission is to ensure we are offering training that is relevant and that is assessed frequently to ensure it is meeting the needs of the consumer.