ALA Lighting Design Certification: CLC
The American Lighting Association (ALA) is a trade group representing home lighting and lighting controls manufacturers, retail showrooms, sales representatives, and lighting designers.
The ALA educational and credentialing program covers technical lighting issues, home lighting design, and sales training from the basics through very advanced concepts. ALA has allied with the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED), which provides online educational tools. As ALA members complete specific training requirements, they earn advanced designation:
Lighting Associate (LA) – geared towards sales and design professionals who are new to the lighting industry. It covers the basics of lighting and lighting design.
Lighting Specialist (LS) – recommended for sales and design professionals. It is earned by studying the comprehensive Residential Lighting Training Manual and passing an exam.
Certificate Specialist – ALA members gain additional expertise in specialized lighting topics: Kitchen and Bath Lighting, Recessed and Track Lighting, and Lamps and Light Sources.
Certified Lighting Manufacturers’ Representative (CLMR) – available to experienced independent manufacturers’ representatives.
Certified Lighting Consultant (CLC) – the highest design designation offered by the ALA is recommended for business owners, sales professionals, and lighting designers. Members earn the CLC by passing the Lighting Specialist Exam, completing a specified number of credit hours from ALA-approved education courses, and passing a blueprint exam. The candidate receives a set of residential blueprints and specifications and must complete a lighting design for a “family.” The completed design is evaluated by the ALA Certification Board.
All levels of certification for ALA must renew every 2 years by completing ALA-approved training courses.
Other lighting certifications
There are many other industry groups that educate and evaluate lighting professionals, including lighting designers. In the series “Lighting Design Certifications: From A to Z,” we sort through the alphabet soup of lighting credentials that recognize illumination professionals as literate, competent, or even expert, in their respective fields.
Written by Lois I. Hutchinson