At the end of March, NABCEP hosted its first Continuing Education Conference. The event was a resounding success. Over 175 NABCEP Certified Professionals took part in two and a half days of training. Certificants who attended the entire weekend of training obtained fifteen Continuing Education hours towards recertification requirements.

In addition to a wide range of manufacturers who offered training on their products, invited presenters covered fall protection, roofing for non-roofers, crane signals, and the NEC (National Electric Code). Many of the sessions were standing room only.

One of the most rewarding parts of this conference was the feedback we received from the presenters concerning their feelings about having the opportunity to train NABCEP certificants. Here are a couple of examples of post-conference notes we received:

Greg Smith from SMA America, LLC, who presented a training session on the Sunny Island, wrote and told us,“It [the conference] was first class all the way and the level of knowledge we encountered was incredible.”

Ryan Mayfield, Renewable Energy Associates, LLC, who offered two full-day presentations on the NEC to standing-room-only audiences, told us, “As a trainer, I have to say that was hands down the best audience I’ve had the opportunity to present to. In part that is due to the excellent conference you provided but even more so, I think it is a reflection of the NABCEP certifications.”

Ezra Auerbach, NABCEP’s Executive Director says, “This event lived up to and exceeded our highest hopes and expectations. It was such a success thanks to: the knowledge and enthusiasm that our certificants brought with them; the quality of the technical sessions; the efforts of our staff; and, last but by far not least, the commitment of our sponsors. Special thanks goes to NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research Development Authority)  for being the lead sponsor of this event, Hudson Valley Community College for their awesome venue, and SolarPro for their efforts as our exclusive media sponsor. Additionally we owe special gratitude to Mike Holt Enterprises for contributing an NEC guide to each attendee, and Solar Energy International and Power-One for their sponsorship contributions.”

Given the strong positive response we received from our certificants and presenters, NABCEP intends to facilitate more Continuing Education events. Stay tuned for more news on the dates and location of at least one more conference next year.