Filling the Gap: EFC’s Industry Playbook

Aug 4, 2021

By Daniela De Marco, Marketing Specialist, Electro-Federation Canada

In the time that I joined the electrical industry almost four years ago, and the EFC team in June 2019, the pattern of season professionals embarking on the next chapter of their lives has become more evident. Through member engagement meetings run by EFC’s management team, our statistics department’s membership surveys and various research programs, it has become apparent across all channels that there is a precipitously widening gap to be filled. “Talent availability” is a top game changer affecting our industry. (Learn more in EFC’s Talent Research Report).

EFC continues to develop programs to assist members with talent attraction, engagement and development. As our industry faces significant changes of various forms, it is important to upskill our new and existing talent so they are armed with the market insight needed to navigate through a time of transformation; the changes our industry is undergoing requires the most resilience.

EFC’s interactive Electrical Industry Playbook training module supports the professional development of your team. Designed for all employees across North America, this training module provides an insider’s look at the electrical market, channel partnerships between distributors and manufacturers, and the bidding/buy/sell process. The module features downloadable resources for learners to deepen their knowledge and apply it back to the company and their own position. Plus, it’s available in both English and French.

When I entered the industry as a young professional for a lighting manufacturer, learning to ask the right questions, seeking mentorship, and understanding the market and channel partners were attained through experience. After taking this module two years later, it helped me connect the dots on my knowledge. I wish this playbook had been available when I was beginning my career as it would have accelerated my learning curve exponentially. The Electrical Industry Playbook is best utilized as an onboarding tool that will help build a strong foundation of understanding for new employees. Incidentally, the playbook has been widely used by many tenured employees as well to help sharpen their cross-channel knowledge.
Since its release in November 2019, I’ve been conducting playbook demos and pilot group sessions with organizations such as Rexel, Eaton, Eddy Group, Franklin Empire, Hubbell Canada, Stelpro, among others.

This resource is widely available to all distributors, manufacturers, contractors, system integrators, specifiers…anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of the full electrical ecosystem. Specifics on how this training module can sharpen skillsets and industry knowledge are provided below or you can visit the EFC Electrical Industry Playbook webpage: https://www.electrofed.com/efc-training-modules/

Electrical Industry Playbook: An Introduction to the Market, its Players and the Business

Overview: This online training module centres on the full electrical industry ecosystem, drawing on key market segments (residential, commercial, industrial, retail, utility and institutional); market players (end users, specifiers, contractors, integrators, agents, manufacturers & reps, and distributors); the project business: Traditional, Design Build, P3, in plant automation, retrofit; and the importance of the distribution channel focusing on key drivers for success.

This training platform will help accelerate new employees’ knowledge of our industry while also providing existing employees with a complete picture of the market so they can understand your business’ impact on the value chain.

Who Should Take this Program? Designed for employees in any department (inside/outside sales, counter sales, marketing, quotations, purchasing, project management, customer service…just to name some areas) who need to understand the market, the interrelationships among channel partners, and the bidding/buy/sell process. This would be an excellent introduction to the industry for new employees as part of an orientation program.

Details:

• Available online in English and French

• Duration: one-hour

• Includes interactive activities to further engage learners and to check for understanding.

• Features various resources: glossary and user manuals (for trainees and managers) to support each learner’s journey through the program.

This training module will propel your onboarding and professional development programs and help fill the gap in industry experience. For questions or to book a demo, contact me at ddemarco@electrofed.com.

Daniela De Marco is a Marketing Specialist with Electro-Federation Canada.