Education Resources Archives

Webinar: AI and Ecommerce: The Future for Electrical Distributors

William Attardi on October 10, 2025

Discover how AI is transforming electrical distribution—from customer insights to ecommerce efficiency—in this exclusive webinar with industry leaders from DDS and ECI.

October 22, 2025 @ 11:00am ET, Duration: 1 hour.

In this webinar, Matt Christensen, President & Co-founder of DDS, and Chris Fisher, VP of Global Ecommerce at ECI, will share how both organizations are introducing new AI-powered solutions designed to help distributors:

Gain actionable insights into customer behavior and buying patterns.
Improve and optimize the product content that fuels online sales.
Streamline ecommerce management to free up valuable resources.
Strengthen digital marketing, SEO, and customer engagement.

Embracing Modern Software Development Practices in the AI Era

William Attardi on October 7, 2025

The whitepaper reveals how organizations can transform their software development practices to meet today’s demanding business requirements while ensuring security and quality. Key findings include:

87% of developers using generative AI reported increased focus on meaningful work
Organizations face significant challenges in monitoring security across growing attack surfaces
Modern software development requires new skills in infrastructure operations (59%), cloud migration (54%), and cybersecurity (52%)

Download to learn:

How to implement the four pillars of modern software development.
Strategies for successful adoption of modern software practices.
Ways to balance innovation with security and governance.
Best practices for integrating AI into development processes.

Harvard Business Review Analytic Services – DevOps Whitepaper

NEMA Launches Career Development Platform to Power the Electroindustry Workforce of the Future

William Attardi on September 19, 2025

NEMA announced NEMA Academy, a dynamic new online learning platform designed to strengthen technical training and workforce development across the electroindustry. The future of manufacturing demands a workforce skilled in robotics, AI, digital tools, and industrial automation, and NEMA Academy is designed to meet that need. Built for professionals at every stage of their careers, the platform provides access to more than 1,400 education and certification opportunities in multiple languages. Courses span a range of topics, including NEMA standards, policy issues, supply chain resilience, emergency preparedness, lighting, and more. With new content added regularly, NEMA also is working with Congress to advance comprehensive workforce development legislation to ensure long-term support for the electrical industry’s workforce. The bipartisan Veterans Energy Transition (VET) Actwill help match veterans with a range of technical and operational skills with the manufacturers of critical electrical equipment and components. NEMA Launches Career Development Platform To Power the Electroindustry Workforce of the Future – NEMA

Wesco Cares Scholarship Program

William Attardi on September 13, 2025

Wesco has partnered with Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) as well as ELECTRI International, an electrical construction foundation established by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), to establish a new scholarship program for future electrical workers. The Wesco Cares Scholarship Program supports the next generation of tradespeople and fortifies our commitment to the electrical industry. The $200,000 in scholarships will be awarded to qualified and deserving students entering skilled trades in the U.S. electrical industry. As the largest electrical distributor in North America, Wesco understands the critical role of tradespeople in powering our world and moving the electrical industry forward. Similarly, IEC and ELECTRI are tireless advocates of the electrical industry and are both committed to supporting the next generation of contractors. By helping to reduce the financial costs associated with trade school and apprenticeship expenses, the scholarship program will help encourage interest in the trades and contributes to an increase in skilled labor. Wesco Cares | Scholarship Program | Wesco

Welcome to the Lighting Controls Academy

William Attardi on September 6, 2025

In keeping with its alliance with NEMA and the NEMA Academy, the Lighting Controls Association is now the Lighting Controls Academy, a NEMA coalition. The LCA remains the leader in lighting controls education. Under the “Learn” tab, you can click the “Video Courses” button for a roster of free video courses that will be dramatically expanded over the next year. Under the “NEMA Academy” tab, you can access our Education Express courses that are registered for education credit. The new platform includes an enhanced website, comprehensive learning experience, and access to a broad and growing curriculum covering lighting controls in addition to other topics and categories such as lighting. Learn About Controls

Winning the Race AMERICA’S AI ACTION PLAN

William Attardi on August 28, 2025

The United States is in a race to achieve global dominance in artificial intelligence (AI). Whoever has the largest AI ecosystem will set global AI standards and reap broad economic and military benefits. Winning the AI race will usher in a new golden age of human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security for the American people. AI will enable Americans to discover new materials, synthesize new chemicals, manufacture new drugs, and develop new methods to harness energy—an industrial revolution. It will enable radically new forms of education, media, and communication—an information revolution. And it will enable altogether new intellectual achievements: unraveling ancient scrolls once thought unreadable, making breakthroughs in scientific and mathematical theory, and creating new kinds of digital and physical art—a renaissance. America’s AI Action Plan has three pillars: innovation, infrastructure, and international diplomacy and security. An industrial revolution, an information revolution, and a renaissance—all at once. America’s AI Action Plan

America’s Talent Strategy: Building the Workforce for the Golden Age

William Attardi on August 27, 2025

President Trump has set a bold economic strategy to reindustrialize America, dominate the artificial intelligence (AI) frontier, and reclaim control over the levers of national prosperity. Achieving this vision requires a workforce system capable of propelling American workers into high-wage careers, upholding the dignity of hard work, and delivering the talent businesses need to power the nation’s economic resurgence. This strategy lays out a comprehensive plan to address the workforce needs of American companies, integrate existing workforce development systems to maximize efficiency and effectiveness, provide accountability for workforce training programs, upskill incumbent American workers, and develop alternatives to 4-year college degrees. The goal is to build a durable system that expands our labor force, helps workers advance, supports employers in meeting their needs, and positions the country to lead in today’s economy and to transform our national workforce investments to meet the talent needs of employers, empower more Americans to access high-wage careers, and reindustrialize the United States America’s Talent Strategy: Building the Workforce for the Golden Age

Decoding California’s Title 24, Part 6

William Attardi on August 26, 2025

Commercial building energy codes regulate the design of nonresidential buildings to minimize energy consumption. While the majority of U.S. states adopt model codes and standards, the State of California developed its own code: Title 24, Part 6 of the state’s Building Standards Code. The latest version was released in 2025 and will take effect January 1, 2026. Title 24, Part 6 covers residential, nonresidential, high-rise residential, and hotel/motel buildings. Title 24, Part 6 contains robust, detailed lighting and control requirements. It requires a broad range of controls to ensure general lighting is turned Off or reduced when not needed. . For lighting, a number of changes have been made, mostly adjustments and clarifications. Decoding California’s Title 24, Part 6

NEMRA Lighting and IES Partner to Launch Lighting Educational Curriculum

William Attardi on August 21, 2025

NEMRA Lighting and IES say this new virtual learning pathway bridges the lighting knowledge gap. To meet the growing demand for comprehensive lighting education and skills development, the platform builds on lighting and controls expertise while preparing participants for broader industry certifications.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The curriculum features four progressive levels, from basic lighting fundamentals to advanced system design and integration.
Courses one and two are free for NEMRA Lighting members, with higher levels requiring additional memberships and offering CEUs and industry recognition.
Partnership with IES ensures high-quality, accredited content that supports professional growth and industry credibility.
Participants gain certificates, CEUs and LinkedIn verifications, enhancing their professional profiles.

For more information, visit NEMRA Lighting Division

NEMRA Lighting and IES Partner to Launch Lighting Educational Curriculum | Electrical Wholesaling

Powering the Future: Insights on the Growing Electrification Market

William Attardi on August 14, 2025

As electricity demand continues to grow, the electrical distribution industry is uniquely positioned to help lead the transformation of the energy landscape with the services, materials, and solutions needed to support its customers and drive progress. To help members navigate this shift, NAED’s Education & Research Foundation, in partnership with Ducker Carlisle, presents the research study: Electrification Drivers, Disruptors, and Scaling Your Business. This study delivers valuable insight into:

What’s driving electrification—and what may disrupt it
The most promising project areas for distributors
How to strategically scale and prepare your team

NAED Electrification Research