Agree...At our community theater I am the technical director and happen to be a good electrician - and the only electrician here. I have worked with many 'trained' lighting designers and only one had any electrical skills. This is important for several reasons - understanding
phase load balancing, knowing that your equipment (luminaries, cords and sockets) are in good nick and used safely, and performing simple maintenance and repairs on fixtures. Most cannot
wire a
plug nor test it see if it is done correctly which has lead to many burned
dimmer 'firing' cards.
I have recently trained a retired professional
lighting designer with good hanging skills, on how to tear down and completely rebuild a classic
fresnel fixture - she had a great time. She also now understands
phase balancing, the difference between a
neutral and a
ground, and the importance of proper bonding - and she now knows when an extension is faulty.