NEMRA Lighting’s Stepped Educational Program a Hit With Industry Members of All Levels
Within the evolving lighting industry, technical fluency and professional credibility are no longer optional — they are essential. Lighting agents and manufacturers who wish to successfully call on specifiers, architects, and engineers must do more than sell.
They must educate, collaborate, and provide real value throughout the design and specification cycle.
To meet this demand, NEMRA Lighting – in collaboration with its alliance partner, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) – recently introduced a first-of-its-kind virtual, Stepped Educational Curriculum designed for lighting professionals at all stages of their careers. The goal is to offer ongoing professional development — whether participants are new to the industry or looking to advance their expertise.
The rollout comes at a time of notable change in the lighting industry. As lighting systems grow more complex and expectations from specifiers rise, demand for accessible, standardized education becomes increasingly urgent. NEMRA Lighting’s curriculum seeks to address this need by bridging gaps in knowledge left by fragmented or cost-prohibitive training options.
Building Early Momentum
Since its launch, NEMRA Lighting’s Stepped Educational Curriculum has demonstrated strong early success, quickly gaining traction across its agent and manufacturer members. Enrollment has exceeded initial expectations, with participants engaged at all curriculum levels. Many participants have cited the program’s unique blend of practical application, theoretical grounding, and relevant industry topics as a much-needed resource in today’s evolving marketplace.
The curriculum’s virtual self-paced delivery has been particularly well-received, offering flexible online access to comprehensive training regardless of location or prior experience. User feedback highlights both the relevance of the course material and the adaptability of the program structure in meeting the varying professional development and skills-related needs of learners.
Gustavo Fernandes, Quotes Lead with Diverse-Agents, stated about his experience, “I really appreciated the certification process on the portal. In particular, I liked how concise the classes are. They get straight to the point and provide many practical examples.”
The positive industry reception signals that NEMRA Lighting is addressing a critical demand for accessible, structured professional education at a pivotal moment for the lighting community.
A Stepped Approach to Professional Mastery
NEMRA Lighting’s Stepped Educational Curriculum, available to all NEMRA Lighting members, is structured around four sequential levels, each designed to match real-world job roles, market demands, and evolving competencies in the lighting sector. This tiered system enables professionals to either begin at the foundational level or enter higher levels that align with their experience, with each stage building upon the last to create a cohesive learning pathway.
• Level 1: Lighting Trained
This 8.5-hour course is the entry point for participants, offering up to 5.5 CEUs, and covers fundamental lighting concepts, terminology, and basic control strategies. Suited for industry newcomers, inside sales and customer service teams, or those seeking to reinforce their foundational knowledge, Level 1 equips graduates with the confidence to speak accurately and intelligently with distributors, contractors, and specifiers.
• Level 2: Lighting Educated
Building on foundational knowledge, this 10-hour course, offering up to 10 CEUs, focuses on the fundamentals of selling lighting across various customer segments, including distributors, contractors, ESCOs, and end-users. It is geared toward professionals in sales, quotations, or project management, emphasizing hands-on learning through practical scenarios and customer engagement.
• Level 3: Lighting Specialized
This 10-hour course, offering up to 9.5 CEUs, transitions learners from generalists in lighting to specialists. This advanced tier offers a comprehensive “cradle to grave” view of how lighting products and solutions are evaluated, selected, and integrated by the specification community, comprising lighting designers, architects, and engineers. Participants learn how to engage in the specification process, anticipate pain points, and add meaningful value during critical project phases.
• Level 4: Lighting Professional
Level 4 is the pinnacle 8-hour course, offering up to 8 CEUs, and is designed for those supporting the consultative sales approach, design-build teams, and high- performance projects. It explores advanced topics such as lighting layout, system integration, control zoning, and strategies for visual comfort and sustainability.
Insights from participants highlight the practical benefits of stepwise skill level design, from foundational to consultative, in the lighting industry. For instance, Samantha French, a Quotation Support Member of Emergensee Light, shared her experience, saying, “As someone brand new to the lighting industry, I enrolled in the NEMRA Lighting Courses to build a strong foundation of knowledge. I’ve found these videos extremely helpful in building my understanding. The biggest benefit so far has been learning how the industry works as a whole and being able to see the process from start to finish.”
The lighting industry has become more complex, along with the expectations of its end- users and specifiers. For many agents and manufacturers, finding reliable, structured education on lighting and controls has often been a fragmented or too costly process.
The NEMRA Lighting curriculum eliminates those barriers by offering a clear, accessible path to professional growth that supports every stage of learning, from foundational knowledge to advanced specialization.
Planned Curriculum Enhancements
Looking ahead, NEMRA Lighting has set out an ambitious roadmap to further develop and refine its Stepped Educational Curriculum. Planned enhancements include the addition of non-proprietary member-contributed course modules, enabling experts from across the industry to share real-world insights, case studies, and best practices that reflect the evolving challenges faced in the field. This peer-driven approach is intended to ensure the curriculum stays grounded in day-to-day realities and emerging trends.
The organization also plans to update course materials on a regular basis, directly aligning certain modules with widely recognized certifications, such as the Lighting Certification (LC). This means content will not only remain current, but also serve as a practical study aid for those pursuing advanced credentials. By expanding access and continuously updating their curriculum, NEMRA Lighting strives to ensure that the next generation of lighting professionals is well-equipped to innovate and lead in the lighting industry.
Technology and learning flexibility remain central to future improvements. NEMRA Lighting aims to expand its remote learning options by introducing in-depth explorations of cutting-edge topics, such as advanced controls, sustainability, human-centric design, and integrated IoT lighting solutions, in response to the industry’s accelerating pace of innovation.
According to Jeff Bristol, Divisional Vice President of NEMRA Lighting, “Our ongoing focus is to make these courses even more flexible, accessible, and relevant so every member can benefit regardless of experience or location.” Taken together or by module as desired, these courses are designed to ensure NEMRA Lighting’s educational offerings evolve in lockstep with the lighting sector, helping both new and experienced professionals stay ahead of the curve.
Building Trust With the Lighting Community
Positioned as the capstone of NEMRA Lighting’s Stepped Educational Curriculum, building trust with the lighting and specification community is fundamental to the program’s vision. By establishing a common framework for knowledge and professionalism, the curriculum empowers lighting agents and manufacturers to become not just vendors, but strategic partners to specifiers, architects, engineers, distributors, and contractors. As a result, NEMRA Lighting members are better equipped to provide
credible, informed guidance, facilitate stronger communication, and proactively address project needs.
This collaborative foundation ultimately strengthens the lighting agency model and supports the industry’s continued evolution toward shared expertise and partnership. By prioritizing education and shared standards, NEMRA Lighting aims to ensure its members remain trusted contributors and vital resources for every stakeholder in the lighting ecosystem.
