Electronics Technicians Association

Electronics Technicians Association International (ETA-I) is a not-for-profit, worldwide professional association founded by electronics technicians and servicing dealers in 1978. Those dedicated professionals saw the need for an association that would be totally independent of any industry influences on its technicians. The sole purpose of our association is to provide recognized professional credentials as a testament to an individual's skills and knowledge in a particular area of study. Membership in our organization is voluntary. We do not issue certifications and licenses as a means to market or sell products and services, or to increase our membership ranks. We recognize all industry standards and are dedicated to upholding the highest degree of professionalism in examination development and administration. A fundamental premise of ETA-I's member-eligibility requirements is that our certification programs are non-discriminatory, objective, and reasonable. These requirements set the ETA-I apart from other associations that offer certifications, yet require membership in their organization before even allowing a candidate to sit for an examination. In addition, our certification programs are in-depth, yet broad in their scope of industry application, setting ETA-I apart from individual manufactured product certifications, which are vendor-specific, and often do not meet the needs of technicians that must install, service, and repair a myriad of electronics industry products. ETA-I exists to assist and support technicians, not contrariwise. An ETA-I certification signifies that the holder has been thoroughly trained, has demonstrated professional proficiency, and is recognized as having the necessary knowledge and technical skill to meet international de facto electronics industry standards. As ETA-I was being formed in 1978, there were numerous business associations primarily made up of TV/audio/video service technicians whose jobs were to maintain the products of the electronics industry. These groups met regularly, coordinating manufacturer- or distributor-sponsored technical presentations and demonstrations to help them understand the latest electronics products and technology. At times, these meetings addressed difficult troubleshooting problems, other times they outlined innovative methods of servicing. Without a doubt, these groups were a necessary and vital part of the enormous task of maintaining the TV/audio/video equipment that had, by that time, cropped up in nearly every home, business, and automobile throughout the developed world. These groups also recognized the need for some way to verify that they and fellow electronics technicians had sufficient training in electronics industry standards, including troubleshooting techniques, knowledge of test equipment, and installation procedures. All of the local and state associations were advocates of "excellence in service" and loved being a part of a profitable and respected industry where they could practice and perfect their skills. ETA-I promoted regional and national electronics industry conferences and conventions by co-producing technical electronics and business management seminars, often held at hotels, technical colleges, and universities. ETA-I developed certification programs based upon electronics industry standards and specific technician skills, which were compiled by ETA-I's membership. Through these humble beginnings, courses of electronics technical instruction began to find their way into major universities, colleges, and technical schools throughout the United States and around the world. Many of ETA-I's members became instructors, professors, technical college presidents, industry CEO's, and electronics industry trainers. As ETA-I members reached positions of educational providers, they brought with them links to the electronics industry and offered ETA-I certification to their students. ETA-I now has more than 620 Certified Administrators for their examinations in all parts of the world. Hundreds of ETA-I members have either accepted officer positions in our association or have worked on the CET or FCC Licensing Committees. Some have taught seminar classes, others have written articles for the journal, authoring original technical, management, or employment monographs. Still others have represented ETA-I before local, state, or national agencies of government or industry. We now have over 25 Certified Electronics Technician (CET) programs and are one of the original Federal Communication Commission's COLEMs.