AVT Badges for This Whole Team in the U.K.
Throughout its work in residential, commercial, retail and higher education, U.K.-based Visualization Limited's emphasis is on providing the highest quality service customized to its customers' unique needs. Staff members are trained in-house, and AVIXA certification has become a high priority for this recent member of the association.
"We began training our entire staff to AVIXA AVT level," says Visualization Managing Director Nick Pidgeon, who recently presented a Build the Perfect Rack course at ISE 2016. "We are committed to delivering our partners the best quality service possible, and training our staff in-house makes more sense to us than a more generalized college course. The AVIXA-Recognized AV Technologist (AVT) certificate allows us to get all of our staff trained to a base level."
The AVT program is based on the popular AVIXA Essentials of AV Technology course, providing AV-industry newcomers the foundation and knowledge they need to excel in their field. It is often a stepping stone to the CTS® certification.
"The AVT certificate is great. It's relevant to everyone in our organization, even the admin staff," says Pidgeon. He expects some of the more technical-level staff to eventually begin working toward becoming CTS-certified.
Visualization had planned to roll out its AVT initiative during the traditionally slow months of January and February; however, business continued to boom, so it instead relied on small groups of staff doing the training online during shorter periods of down time.
"Everyone was keen, it was just a case of finding the time," he explains. "We've had a solid period of growth over the last year, with several new names on our books. We've all been kept busy, but our staff members are all about training; they're very enthusiastic."
Pidgeon is confident that both his staff and his bottom line will benefit from this additional training and certification.
"It gives us the opportunity to show our clients that we're serious about what we’re doing and that we can provide them with the best service backed up by our knowledgeable staff," he says. "We expect to attract new clients who value that quality and appreciate that we're serious about training."
Growing its team and a move into a new, expanded facility are immediate priorities for the company over the next few months. And Pidgeon is excited by the prospects of convergence between IT and AV. "For us, there are so many opportunities out there. It's no longer just AV," he says. "AV, IT, network and even broadcast are merging and it's all slowly coming together under one banner. We're very keen to capitalize on that with our team and the training we provide them."
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