CEDIA, the leader in training and education for the residential integration industry, and Nationwide Marketing Group, North America’s largest buying, marketing, and business support group for independent retailers, announced a partnership today that gives Home Technology Specialists Nationwide (HTSN) dealers access to the global industry association’s robust educational platform. Through the partnership, HTSN dealers will receive complimentary membership with CEDIA — paid for by Nationwide — and CEDIA member pricing toward CEDIA Academy courses and other training opportunities.
In addition, CEDIA and Nationwide are working closely to align education designed to enhance HTSN dealers’ business. One example of activating the collaboration is offering CEDIA Outreach Instructor Train the Trainer courses at future Nationwide PrimeTime shows and HTSN Summit events. Completing the course empowers CEDIA members to provide continuing education unit (CEU) courses to industry partners from the design and build communities.
“The value of education for the custom installation professional cannot be understated,” says Nationwide President and Chief Member Advocate Tom Hickman. “When there are more certified and well-educated custom installers across our channel, it benefits everybody — from their clients to the designers, builders and architects they work closely with. And when it comes to training and education in the CI industry, CEDIA has long been the gold standard. We couldn’t think of a better or more complete curriculum than the one they bring to the table, and we’re thrilled for the opportunity this partnership presents to our members.”
CEDIA Academy offers integrators a slate of rigorous technical and business courses that cover a wide range of topics, including brand building, finance for the non-financial managers, hiring best practices, cash flow and more. The association’s Cabling and Infrastructure Technician (CIT) pathway is designed to give entry-level or new-to-the-industry technicians the foundational knowledge needed to be job-ready. Additionally, CEDIA members receive complimentary Media Room-level access to The CEDIA Designer, which helps create technically-perfect home cinema or media room plans in minutes.
“CEDIA is known throughout the world for providing the highest level of technology integration education and this partnership with HTSN and Nationwide Marketing Group will broaden the opportunity to skill up the dealer community,” says CEDIA Interim Co-CEO Giles Sutton. “From business-focused courses to industry-leading certifications, CEDIA’s professional development and networking opportunities provide unmatched value for our members in all branches of the high-tech landscape. We welcome our new members and look forward to helping them achieve greater success in this exciting industry.”
In order to streamline access to CEDIA’s educational offerings, Nationwide and CEDIA are collaborating to integrate the courses directly into the Nationwide eXchange platform. That means HTSN dealers will be able to explore CEDIA’s training opportunities and shop for product for their businesses, all from the same portal.
“We want to make the experience as seamless as possible for our dealers,” HTSN Director Hank Alexander explains. “Education is a top priority for us in 2021, and the more dealers we can get participating in CEDIA’s programs, the better. We hope that, by making their courses available through the eXchange platform with which our dealers are already intimately familiar, we’ll be able to maximize the visibility of this critical partnership and get as many Members engaged with CEDIA’s education as possible.”
CEDIA and HTSN plan to hit the ground running with this new partnership. CEDIA will join Nationwide at Virtual PrimeTime, March 16-18, in the Consumer Electronics Lounge where they will be available to meet with dealers. The association is also already in the early stages of planning their presence at Nationwide’s summer PrimeTime show and the next in-person HTSN Summit.
