The electrical training ALLIANCE is excited to announce, the all new Electrical Theory Simulator (ETS) is almost complete. Beginning the first week of December we will be removing the previous version of the ETS and it’s associated labs from the current AC Theory and DC Theory topics and replacing them with the all new model. The new version was built to not only resolve the old operating system and browser concerns…including the necessary loading tools and Flash, but also to allow for a more simple interaction, better functionality, and future additions. This process of replacing the old with the new will take us a few weeks to complete. Read on to learn about the improved user experience and user interface. (more…)
Course Completion and Grade Management Tracking Integrated into TMS
Capturing learner course completion status and managing their course grades are now included as part of the Training Management System feature set. This new tool allows you to manage documenting course completion in the same manner that the course enrollments were made. This powerful tool pulls in LMS coursework progress and the online Test Assessment scores (where the online feature is being used) directly into your view for use in documenting the completion. Since this information is already stored in the system, the process for determining completion is a snap and allows you to later pull reports and learner transcripts. (more…)
2020 Significant Changes to the NEC® – Curriculum Update
The electrical training ALLIANCE is proud to announce, the 2020 Significant Changes to the NEC® in collaboration with NECA eBook and printed book are available now and the PPTs will be by the end of the month. For the new Code cycle, the PPTs will be available on a flash drive and not a CD.
The National Electrical Code® (NEC) 
is the most widely used electrical standard in the United States and is being adopted more globally as electrical codes and standards evolve internationally. This authoritative text is written by leading industry experts to inform electrical contractors, Electrical Workers, maintenance personnel, inspectors, engineers, and systems designers of the most significant revisions and new requirements in the 2020 NEC. Coverage of changes provides readers with insight and detailed information about the reasons for the change and how these changes impact electrical installations and one’s daily work and business operations.
eBooks
The eBook version of the textbook comes with all the bells and whistles a professional eBook rightly should. The user will be able to access this information wherever they are, because wherever they are, their smartphone is likely very nearby. They will also be able to efficiently search the reference, make notes, and highlight from either the device they downloaded the eBook to or via use of the web app from any device.
For purchase, distribution and access details regarding eBooks from the electrical training ALLIANCE please review this Blog post. Included are two videos to help explain how to go about this process and some of the important highlights.
Thanks for reading!
LMS Timeout Error Update 9.23.19
The LMS system experienced performance issues on 9.23.19 starting at 3:41 pacific. These issues continued to be displayed for a few hours. At all times the system data was secure but access to some parts was sporadic for some users. It was also found that a few other large internet access providers experienced long lag times as well as full time outs including Comcast and Sprint both being affected this evening. We continue to monitor all aspects of the system and will provide updates when they are available.
Harassment Prevention Course Re-Enabled
We have resolved the technical issue we found with the Harassment Prevention course. We are very sorry for the inconvenience we caused. We understand the importance of this curriculum and appreciate your patience as we worked through the issue.
Harassment Prevention LMS Course Temporarily Disabled
Due to a technical issue, we have had to temporarily disable the Harassment Prevention course. We are working diligently to resolve the issue and apologize for this inconvenience. We understand the importance of this curriculum and appreciate your patience as we work though this issue.
Exciting Update to the PLC Courseware and Reference Material
At long last the updated PLC course Introduction to Programmable Logic Controllers (J162LM) is now available. This course replaced the Programmable Logic Controllers, Level I (J237LM.J1) and Programmable Logic Controllers, Level II A (J237LM.J2A) training. This LMS course utilizes the Introduction to Programmable Logic Controllers (S531) reference textbook. We are still another couple weeks away from having the Online Test Generator Tests completed for use, but have made the course available now. When the tests are completed, another blog post will be published.
Thanks for Reading! 🙂
PLC Courseware and Reference Material Update
Sometimes, in the world of electricity, no matter how hard you try, something causes the imaginary smoke to be let out of what you are working on and you have to regroup…
Recently, unexpectedly, and unfortunately the electrical training ALLIANCE was informed that the current PLC textbook Programmable Logic Controllers (S597) will become no longer available once the publisher’s existing inventory is depleted, and subsequently (nearly simultaneously) our requisition of those books depleted their inventory. Therefore, our orders exceeded the anticipated availability. As an interim solution, we have built a course based around ATP’s textbook Introduction to Programmable Logic Controllers (S531). In fact several of you, have already received this new textbook. This interim course was listed as part of the upcoming catalog release, and will be used until a complete new training course and system is completed. (More info below)
It is anticipated that the interim replacement LMS course Introduction to Programmable Logic Controllers (J162LM) will be ready in mid-August and at that time, we will be scheduling webinars to review the material and review any changes and questions that you may have. This course will replace the current, Programmable Logic Controllers, Level I (J237LM.J1) and Programmable Logic Controllers, Level II A (J237LM.J2A) training, and will utilize existing Allen-Bradley/ Rockwell Automation SLC 500 processors. These would be the suitcase style PLC trainers and also include many of the processors on your instrumentation trainers, in fact some have asked previously, “How can we use these trainers we still have?” Well this may just be the perfect opportunity.
Additionally, it was anticipated that the select programs which participate in the Programmable Logic Controllers, Level II T (J237LM.J2T) course, would continue to be able to be supported with textbooks and LMS courseware. Unfortunately, this does not appear to now be possible. We sincerely apologize for this unfortunate circumstance. Should you have a critical need to support your tag-based system training please contact Jason Lunardini to discuss a solution.
The bright side to this unfortunate situation is, the electrical training ALLIANCE had already begun investigating and planning the process of updating the overall PLC training course in advance of this issue. The new course is going to based on a newer Allen Bradley product, the Micro 800 series controller, and we believe this will offer a flexible and very cost effective training solution to provide introductory PLC training, as well as grow into more advanced motion control topics. This system will be a wholesale change of not only textbooks and LMS courseware, but also hardware, and offer free software support, all being done in a hands-on lab based format. Look for more information on this in late 2019 and early 2020.
Should you have purchased the existing textbook Programmable Logic Controllers (S597) and companion LMS courses Programmable Logic Controllers, Level I (J237LM.J1), Programmable Logic Controllers, Level II A (J237LM.J2A), Programmable Logic Controllers, Level II T (J237LM.J2T), and would prefer to utilize the interim single course textbook Introduction to Programmable Logic Controllers (S531) and LMS course Introduction to Programmable Logic Controllers (J162LM) please contact Steve Strickland (sstrickland@electricaltrainingalliance.org). Should you have technical questions regarding the interim and future courseware, existing trainers, new ideas or what the weather is like in Pittsburgh, please contact Jason Lunardini (jlunardini@electricaltrainingalliance.org)
Thanks for Reading!
Introducing the New Mobile Application for use at NTI
NECA and the IBEW, with collaboration from the electrical training ALLIANCE are excited to announce the deployment of our new ProTech Skills Institute mobile application. As mentioned in our previous announcement, IBEW and NECA created the ProTech Skills Institute to offer new tools and resources to serve your needs. Streamlined services and tools with high functionality have been requested by you and this new mobile application was designed to do just that.
We are launching this now in time for NTI. On it you will find all NTI tools for a great experience in Ann Arbor including maps, the event guide, your personal schedule, communications and much more. Beyond NTI, this mobile application will be a central location for accessing upcoming and future service tools and resources without need of downloading new apps each time. This newly architected solution will become a single-stop location to access all of the many resources you have requested of NECA and the IBEW to support you with.
Please take a moment and watch the video announcement above of this new application, where to access and download it and how it will be a primary tool for use at our 30th Annual NTI.
Download the app from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store or from the https://protechskillsinstitute.org website.
Introducing the ProTech Skills Institute
It is the mission of the electrical training ALLIANCE to develop and standardize training to educate the members of the IBEW and NECA contractors to insure and provide the most highly trained and highly skilled workforce possible. To be effective and competitive in the electrical industry, we must constantly improve our processes and enhance our services for you. You have told NECA and the IBEW the areas that need focus and you have been heard. Please take a moment and view this exciting announcement of how NECA and the IBEW have created the new ProTech Skills Institute.