CEDIA, the Custom Design and Installation Association, has standardised its membership requirements worldwide.
With immediate effect, CEDIA Region 1 (UK, Europe, Russia and the CIS states, the Middle East, Africa, India and Pakistan) has removed the category of ‘Provisional Membership’: provisional members now transition automatically to the Electronic Systems Professional category.
Employing a CEDIA Certified professional will no longer be a mandatory requirement for a UK company to gain or retain its membership. This will bring the UK in line with the rest of Region 1 and CEDIA globally. Instead, the trade body will broaden its education programme, making it more accessible. CEDIA has introduced key initiatives to help companies that employ certified staff to differentiate themselves from other members, and will continue to reward those companies that undertake industry education.
“Last year CEDIA experienced the biggest membership growth yet within Region 1,” said Wendy Griffiths, CEDIA’s executive director (pictured). “This move will help continue that growth and make the benefits of membership more widely accessible especially access to improving skills. It will ensure that we remain an inclusive industry association and evolve to meet the needs of our members as a more diverse range of companies become involved in integrating technology in the home.”
She added: “In an increasingly fluid, global economy, having the same requirements for membership across all CEDIA Regions also makes perfect sense. This change will bring Region 1 in line with the rest of the world, and means that belonging to CEDIA is entirely straightforward, wherever an individual may live and work.”
CEDIA will continue to run and promote its Certification programme worldwide, ensuring that proven education qualifications and skills are recognised and valued by individual professionals, member companies, and the industry. In a key differentiating initiative, all CEDIA member companies who employ a CEDIA certified professional will enjoy a premium listing within the CEDIA finder service on the new consumer-facing CEDIA website, www.cedia.org.