The American Lighting Association is proud to announce the newly revised Residential Lighting Training Manual (Manual) is now available for purchase.
The updated version of the Manual reflects the changes in technology that have affected the industry over the past 10+ years as LED has become the dominant light source and incandescent and fluorescent applications have been reduced.
“The Residential Lighting Training Manual is a very comprehensive course,” notes long-time ALA educator architect Joe Rey-Barreau, AIA, IESNA, who is also a tenured Associate Professor at University of Kentucky’s College of Design.
While the hardcover edition of the Manual spans 850+ pages, it has been meticulously streamlined compared to previous versions to make the content more concise. “It gives anyone who has not had any prior experience with lighting – or even people who have had some sales experience, but haven’t gotten into the more technical side – a phenomenal introduction to lighting,” Rey-Barreau says.
Rey-Barreau was a recent guest on ALA’s podcast That’s Brilliant, where he provided an in-depth account of the changes to the Manual as well as the optional online Residential Lighting Training Course that helps students prepare for the exam. You can listen to that podcast episode here.
The revised Manual consists of seven modules – covering everything from a basic introduction of light, color, electricity, dimming, lighting controls, decorative materials, and applications – plus includes sub-units for a total of 35 chapters.
Raelle Bell, vice president of marketing g for ALA, comments, “It is THE book on Residential Lighting; it provides everything you need to know from a residential lighting standpoint.” Upon successful completion of the final exam, students receive the official ALA designation of Lighting Specialist (LS).
Bell notes that the Manual is not exclusively for showrooms, but that the entire membership benefits from having it on-hand.
“We used to have mostly lighting showroom salespeople taking the course, but now we have sales representatives, people who work for manufacturers, and recently integrators who work with high-end audio-visual equipment,” Rey-Barreau states.
“One of the big objectives we’ve had with the new edition of the Manual is to update everything regarding LED. Older editions contained a lot of references to incandescent lighting, but about seven or eight years ago during the last update, we started integrating LED into more of the discussion,” Rey-Barreau says. “This also led to a revamp of the light source section, which previously covered fluorescent lighting as well as HID. We decided not to take out references to those light sources because they are still a part of lighting’s history, but we have condensed the information.”
The dimming and lighting controls section has also been expanded. “It’s become such a huge part of the industry,” Rey-Barreau comments. “Some showrooms dove very deeply into dimming and controls, and other showrooms have not gone in that direction because they felt they would do best with just the decorative lighting part in their market. The dimming and controls portion of the Manual has allowed us to expand what we do in the online class as well, where I like to have break-out sessions to talk about what everyone is doing in their own business and how we can develop more interaction with dimming and controls.”
The Residential Lighting Training Course is now online
Most students who wish to earn the Lighting Specialist designation find taking the companion Residential Lighting Training Course that corresponds to the material in the Residential Lighting Training Manual to provide a tremendous advantage.
“Years ago, we held these classes all over the country for three-and-a-half days, and sometimes the students might not have received the Manual ahead of time. That could be overwhelming since the exam was on the fourth day,” Rey-Barreau remarks. “Plus, it was a lot of expense since people had to take off from work and travel (which may have included hotel and airfare). The beauty of the new program is that the course can be taken online over a two-week period rather than four days. We hold the classes on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10a.m. – 12p.m. EST, and then from 2p.m. – 4p.m. So if you’ve just received the Manual, you won’t be overwhelmed by only having three days to prepare before taking the exam. You’re going to have time to read and better understand the material. There are also Review Questions at the end of each unit to help with comprehension. By conducting the classes over a two-week period, people can take their time to do the first section, they get a break in the middle of the day and go back to their work, and then they come back online at 2pm or whatever their local time is, and we go over the next section. I give them some guidance on what they need to catch up on reading, and they have three days to do that before they come back on Friday for another two sessions of two hours in the morning and the afternoon. They then have another two weeks to take the exam. During the class, we go into great detail through everything that is on the exam. It’s comprehensive, but by the time they need to take the exam, they’re very well-prepared. I would say our success rate is pretty close to 100 percent.”
While purchasing the new Manual is required to take the Lighting Specialist exam, the Residential Lighting Training Course is not mandatory.
“If you already know a lot of the information covered and just want to get the LS accreditation, you can look through the Manual and find the chapters that have the information that you didn’t already know, study them, and then you can take the exam,” Bell explains.
“We have had people who have not taken the class, but have read the Manual, taken the exam, and have been successful,” Rey-Barreau notes, adding, “Everybody learns differently so there’s no one way to do it.”
However, the feedback Rey-Barreau has received from students is that the online class is very convenient, it clarifies issues, and provides the opportunity to have any questions answered in class. If you’re doing the studying on your own, you don’t have that.”
Why become a Lighting Specialist?
“I view the Lighting Specialist designation like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval,” Rey-Barreau says. “In this case, it’s the American Lighting Association’s seal of approval that assures customers that this person has gone through training that allows them to talk intelligently and professionally to give you the advice and information you need to make a good lighting decision. I find that many times selling is a by-product of the education,” he adds. “What I’ve found in my own work is that if you teach somebody and you do a great job at it, you’re not ever having to sell them. They’re already sold. They will become life-long customers. They’ll remember, ‘Oh that’s the place where I need to go to get the right answers about my lighting.”
The Manual also includes a large glossary of terms. “I make a big point in class about learning the nomenclature — which is all of the terms that are unique to a discipline. Professionals should know the terminology of their industry. The best way to sell is through education. I think if showrooms really focus on ‘We are educators who also sell,’ then I think that their sales are going to increase,” Rey-Barreau states. “Education is an on-going process. If you take the attitude of ‘I know everything,’ you’re not going to be as successful as when you take the attitude of, ‘I need to constantly update myself and learn more every day.’”
Bell concurs, “You can be an expert, but there’s always something new to learn. We want these training materials that ALA offers to provide value to our members whether they’re just starting out or have been in the industry for a long time.”
An added bonus: Having an LS or a CLC on staff will draw attention to your showroom on the Showroom Locator feature on the ALA website. When potential customers are searching by zip code for a lighting showroom in their area, those showrooms with an LS or CLC on staff will appear first on the list of search results.
You can order your copy of the new Residential Lighting Training Manual here for $399. The hardcover Manual will be mailed out starting in March.
Members can register to attend the upcoming online Residential Lighting Training Course online here. The course starts March 12. The registration fee is $600 and includes the live training sessions, a recorded library, section review materials, and guidance from Rey-Barreau throughout the course.