The Entertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP) Portable Power Distribution Technician (PPDT) examination will be offered at more than 190 testing centers in North America beginning July 15 for computer-based testing. There is no application deadline, and once a candidate is approved he or she can usually test within a couple of weeks, depending on candidate volume. Because this is a new examination, score reports will be delayed during this time.
ETCP uses a point system to determine eligibility to sit for examinations. A candidate must have 25 points to apply for the ETCP Portable Power Distribution Technician examination. Points can be earned through work experience alone or through a combination of training (i.e., internships or apprenticeships), licensure, and degrees from accredited institutions. Courses taken outside a formal program of undergraduate or graduate studies do not count toward eligibility.
To apply, candidates must submit the 2016 PPDT CBT Application, which can be found here: http://etcp.esta.org/ppdt
ETCP is also offering the examinations via paper and pencil in the following cities in August 2016: Orlando, FL; Dallas, TX; and Phoenix, AZ. If you would like to test in one of those cities, please contact Meredith Moseley-Bennett, etcp@esta.org.
The ETCP PPDT certification is focused on the large population of industry workers in the roles of technicians, stagehands, portable power set/strike technicians, as well as facility maintenance personnel for a wide variety of venues. This certification targets the top two-thirds of people working with this technology at various types of facilities in the corporate, trade show, outdoor event, theatrical, and motion picture/television segments of the entertainment industry. This certification is a subset of the Entertainment Electrician content outline and does not include questions relating to luminaries, networking, or control systems.
The ETCP Council members are key leaders drawn from entertainment business, labor, facilities, associations, and academia representing the diversity of the entertainment industry. Membership includes ESTA, AMPTP, Cirque du Soleil/MGM MIRAGE, CITT, Disney Theatrical Productions, IAVM, IATSE, InfoComm, The League, Live Nation, PRG, PSAV, TEA, and USITT. ETCP is an ESTA initiative created to promote industry safety.
