Every five years CEDIA completes a Job Task Analysis (JTA) to ensure the ongoing accuracy and relevance of each certification and corresponding education pathway. The training, certification, and overall growth of the workforce is a strategic priority for CEDIA, and to support that goal, the Certification Commission has completed an additional scheme alignment study to ensure that the full set of CEDIA certifications are best meeting the needs of the industry. The goals of this study were:

1. Develop a clear, seamless pathway for individuals to start from no industry knowledge and work their way up into a competent, well-rounded technician who can work independently on a jobsite.
2. Incorporate into CEDIA’s certifications the foundational knowledge domains of jobsite safety, construction methods, tools, safety, and cabling practices which had been previously covered under the ESPA EST certification.
3. Eliminate any overlap in certifications so that they are stackable and offer clear recognition for either a specialized skillset, or competency to perform a particular job role that is widely recognized in the industry. New eligibility requirements should be incorporated when appropriate to ensure that foundational knowledge is held and therefore not required to re-test on higher level exams.
4. Bring certifications up to the highest possible level of quality for professional certifications. This is defined by the global ISO/IEC 17024 standard to which CEDIA seeks accreditation under.
5. Ensure that CEDIA certifications are globally relevant and recognized. Building codes along with certain practices and terminology have regional differences, but those elements will not be tested on exams, and measures will be put into place so that exams are not biased towards one region.

The result of the JTA and certification scheme review process was the creation of the CIT and IST certifications, which meet the goals above but do not necessarily align with the scope, purpose, eligibility, and renewal requirements of existing technician certifications. The new certifications have an additional Code of Conduct for holders, have an increased number of items on the exams, and in the case of the IST, require at least one year of experience and the foundational CIT certification as a pre-requisite. The new certifications will also be submitted for accreditation under ISO/IEC17024, which brings additional policy updates to how the certifications are administered. With significant changes in substance, it was necessary to reconsider the naming scheme to ensure clarity for all stakeholders and the long-term success of the certification.

Introducing these new certifications under the current naming scheme was considered but proved challenging in various ways and did not meet one of the goals of this process, which was to establish an easily understandable scheme of certification with long-term usability. In deciding names, the Commission reviewed data from over 1,000 job descriptions posted on career sites and considered the recommendations from a 2019 CEDIA survey which specifically asked industry stakeholders what they preferred to be called. The last criteria considered was to establish certification names that were as descriptive as possible of the actual role and knowledge they encompassed. This makes them more understandable at a glance to various stakeholders and provides better, more specific recognition for earners as they progress in their career.

Candidates who were planning to take the CEDIA ESC are highly encouraged to take the new Cabling & Infrastructure Technician (CIT) instead when it becomes available for beta testing in August as this will be the new starting place for certification. The CIT is also a prerequisite for the new Integrated Systems Technician (IST) certification, which is the next career step for technicians. The ESC will still be offered until the CIT is live in September so candidates who are ready to be recognized now may still take this. Active ESC holders receive a highly discounted rate of $25 to take the new exam, so there is not a cost burden to taking the new exam when it becomes available. Please view the Exam Comparison Chart and CIT Exam Blueprint for a more detailed understanding of the new exam.

Your ESC Certification will continue to be recognized until the period expires, but you are highly encouraged to test into the new technician certifications starting with the Cabling & Infrastructure Technician (CIT) and then Integrated Systems Technician (IST). CEDIA is making each of these available to you at the highly discounted rate of $25 during the beta test. Demand for the ESC has grown in recent years and these changes look to build upon its success and create an even stronger set of renewable credentials for technicians to earn as their career progresses. From an exam content perspective, ESC holders should be in a strong position to earn the new certifications, but there are key differences they should be aware of as the new exams are now longer and the scopes do not exactly align with the ESC. Please view the Exam Comparison Chart, Certification Transition Chart and CIT Exam Blueprint for a more detailed information regarding the new exam.

In November, beta testing will start for the Integrated Systems Technician (IST) which is the nearest equivalent to the ESC-T. The new pathway for technician certifications requires that the Cabling & Infrastructure Technician (CIT) be earned first so all new technician candidates are highly encouraged to test into the new scheme, which means starting with the CIT in August. However, the ESC-T will still be available until the IST goes live. So for candidates who are ready to be certified at this level now, it is a reasonable option to take the ESC-T right away, knowing that active ESC-T holders are eligible to take new IST exam at the highly discounted price of $25 when it becomes available later as a beta test. Please view the Exam Comparison Chart and IST Exam Blueprint for a more detailed understanding of the new exam.

Your ESC-T Certification will continue to be recognized until the period expires, but you are highly encouraged to test into the new technician certifications starting with the Cabling & Infrastructure Technician (CIT) and then Integrated Systems Technician (IST). CEDIA is making each of these available to you at the highly discounted rate of $25 during the beta test. The IST will fill the place of the ESC-T as CEDIA’s primary certification for experienced technicians, but new earners will be required to hold the CIT first. Your existing ESC-T certification satisfies that pre-requisite requirement, but you are still encouraged to earn that new certification to showcase your ongoing foundational infrastructure skills. 

When the IST is ready for beta testing in November, CEDIA is encouraging all ESC-Ts to participate and test into the new certification right away. ESC-T holders who do not test into the new certification but do earn their required 30 CEUs will go through a renewal application process where they agree to the new Code of Conduct and begin their next certification cycle as an IST under the IST renewal policies going forward. This grandfathering option recognizes the level of competency already demonstrated by ESC-T certified individuals and their ongoing compliance with the CEU policies in place when they last tested or renewed their certification.

Please view the Exam Comparison Chart, Certification Transition Chart and IST Exam Blueprint for a more detailed information regarding the new exam.

The ESC-N and ESC-D certifications are not changing at this time, and current holders should continue to earn 30 CEUs towards renewal. These certifications are scheduled to be updated after the new technician exams are released and any changes in policy will be communicated in advance. CEDIA is looking to add more specialist certifications like the ESC-N and ESC-D for experienced professionals to better showcase their areas of expertise. 

In 2019 the CEDIA Board of Directors established the Certification Commission which is a permanent, independent governing body that sets certification policies, monitors existing programs, and works to ensure that the certifications are best meeting the needs of the entire industry. For large one-time certification activities such as the recent Technician Job Task Analysis, the Commission forms a wider volunteer Task Force with appropriate stakeholder representation. The Commission also oversees the volunteer working groups working directly on the exams. The current Commission includes the following:

• Dennis Erskine, commission chairman, Erskine Group
• Pete Trauth, commission vice-chairman, Nirvana Home Entertainment
• Andy Baker, commission secretary, Baker Stone Systems
• Amanda Wildman, TruMedia
• James Chen, Kordz
• Mike Ranpura, Smart Life AV
• Frank DeFilippis, DISH Network