ETCP - Questions

[BLPisani]

Be forewarned: I might wander a bit off the stated thread title.

I'm interested in getting my ETCP - Electrician certification. I like the idea behind it, and I want to be able to brag about my knowledge and have some kind of edge. I'm currently working for a commercial tourism-oriented theatre in Pigeon Forge, TN. It's a non-union gig, and has changed from annual contracts to "employment agreements", i.e. wage work the way most other businesses do it. While I think the ETCP cert. should give me an edge, I'm not really sure how it would. I don't plan on moving from the area anytime soon (my wife is a career teacher, and we both have roots here).

Is it worth it to try to get the certification?
What are the pros and cons of the certification in general, if I were willing and able to move?
Because my schedule is very tightly locked down, how could I go about continuing education credits?
How could I use it as a bargaining tool if there isn't an actual contract?

Any advice would be welcomed.

 

[theatricalmatt]

Hey, Brandon!

I would approach your employed, and explain that having your certification will better satisfy the needs of his or her clients -- the people paying to rent the theater. If there's an issue that might require someone with an ETCP certification (bringing in an outside generator, etc.) it can be handled in-house, rather than having to hire an outside consultant. Some clients might specify having one or more ETCP certified electricians on the call. So expressing it this way, in terms of being able to meet needs and mitigate potential problems, puts things in a very positive light. You're helping your boss be more profitable, by either increasing income (better class of client, perhaps) or decreasing expenses (by dealing with issues in-house, rather than hire an outside consultant).

The other way to approach it, which may simply not work in your case, is that being an ETCP-certified electrician makes you more marketable and desirable to the competition; ie, you can get better paid elsewhere. I don't know Tennessee enough to know what the market is like there, or what your other options might be. That's a fairly negative and competitive approach, and has a possibility of backfiring, so it all depends on your relationship with your employer.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

I think your reasons are the right ones. Consider presenting it to your employer as a good investment in employees. Offer that for some it has lowered their insurance costs.

In general I'd encourage you to work toward it. I don't think the continuing ed will be that hard.

 

[BLPisani]

Thanks. I'm going to study that direction, certainly.

I don't care to mention where exactly I work, I just don't want to be seen as advertising. It's a 1400 seat theatre that does in-house produced shows and only does two short rentals (one day apiece) in January. The show run (with a short Christmas changeover) is from late February to early January.

I will investigate your suggestions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MikeJ]

While the ETCP rigging Certifications are widely accepted and respected, the electrician certification does not seem to really have taken off yet as far as being an expectation of employers. However, especially where insurance companies are concerned I would think that there will be an uptick in its popularity in the future. ETCP is a respected certification, and even if employers don't require it, it is respected, and also shows that you are invested in this industry. In my mind it does give you an edge, and a pretty decent one at that.

For an average stage hand, there is little point in getting certified, depending on the market; for a system tech that needs to deal with everything from Generators to follow-spot ballasts, there would be a much better argument for getting certified.
Personally, I would not mind having ETCP rigging and Electrical certifications, simply so I can tell stagehands to shove it when they try to argue with me(usually about really stupid things), though I do that anyway, and it usually still works out fine.

I think the first time you take the test, all of your points can come from work experience. For renewal the the requirements are a little ambiguous, but they seem to indicate 30 points from work max, and 10 from education, in a 5 year period. So assuming you work most of the year, you probably have 30 points covered, than you basically need 2 hours of training per year. It seems pretty reasonable.

 

[porkchop]

ETCP is a good way to prove that you stand out from your peers. It's also a good ace in the hole when trying to negotiate a raise or a promotion becomes available.

My understanding is that you can fulfill the renewal requirements if you are willing to retake the test (Not normally required for renewal) and work any kind of regular schedule in the industry. Basically if you don't have the time or opportunity do continuing education training you can prove you're staying up on the times if you can continue every 5 years to pass the test that is constantly updated with current working practices.

 

[DRU]

I've been looking into getting my ETCP as well, specifically Electrician and Rigging-Theater. The one thing that confuses me is how the hours are to be tracked for the points. Do they have a form? Do you track hourly (worked 4hrs today rigging, 3hrs yesterday with electrics, etc) or is it more broad? Also, is there a list of what constitutes "experience" with each certification? I've been working as a technical director for 4.5 years in a small venue, and I've done rigging and electrical there at least for a few hours each week for each show. I'm not sure what I need to put down for that.

 

[WayfarerAM]

Having recently been certified I haven't really noticed a difference. For me getting my electrician's cert didn't seem like a bad idea as something to have in my back pocket. I knew a fair amount of the information that was in the outline and it seemed like a way to validate my own skills. I found that the test wasn't terribly difficult but I did spend some time studying, especially the regulations, to ensure I passed the first time (and I did with a 91%). It also helped that my IATSE local was giving full reimbursements to members when they successfully passed the test. My current employer doesn't care at all (large entertainment/ corporate entity in Southern California) but it may be something down the road when I try to move on to help set me apart.

As far as the verification, I was able to track hours through my employers payroll system and just used that. I didn't really break anything specific but I know more than 3,000 hours of the 10,000+ I've been with my employer were electrical related. ETCP did call my direct report manager and get a summery of what I do which wasn't a big issue.

Dru, you could always call the number and ask or send an email and to the nice ETCP people and ask what they want to see.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

If you work hourly, keep track of hours. ETCP has log books for renewals. If your salaried, such as a college td, and can fairly estimate that a certain percentage of your time is rigging or lighting, I believe that will be acceptable.

I'll make my usual point that it's the verified experience to qualify to take the test that is more valuable than passing the test. BTW, its considered bad form and I thought prohibited by the ETCP rules to disclose your test results. But more importantly, I don't believe the test is very indicative of much beyond how well you do on tests. I, for instance, had a very high score on rigging. Two people I know we'll took it at the same time - first one - and barely passed - but they are both supremely more expert at rigging than I am.