Kitchen & Bath Business - November/December 2017 - 34

ORLANDO
JANUARY 10-12
2017

Strength Through Knowledge

B Y B I L L D A R C Y,
NKBA CEO

KBIS offers several opportunities for professional development
The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) believes in empowerment through sharing knowledge and that we are stronger when we all work
together. Professional development is a big part of NKBA's mission to keep
the industry healthy and well positioned for the future.The association's threepronged strategy includes providing access to the gold standard in authoritative industry knowledge; a newly revamped Affiliated Schools Program; and
its long-standing, highly regarded Certification Program.
The NKBA has helped post-high school educational institutions prepare
thousands of students for careers in the kitchen and bath industry and set
them on the path to design certification.The outreach is evolving along with
the industry to better serve schools, educators and students.This new program
launched for the fall 2017 semester, with an array of new features phasing in
over the next 18 months.
Among the upgrades in the program, participating schools get an official
web presence, including a profile page for the school on the NKBA website
plus the NKBA Affiliated School logo for the school website; access to an
online community tailored to educators with discussion forums, lesson plans,
best-practice guides, curriculum and other resources; and an online forum
to network with other educators in related fields. They'll also be able to use
an internship portal; attend educator-focused, in-person forums and virtual
meetings; and have access to mentoring by experienced program coordinators.
NKBA membership is free for affiliated schools, their educators and students.The students also receive a free KBIS 2018 Expo pass, access to online
internship and mentorship matching centers, professional coaching webinars
and other online programs and a web page to build their student profile and
begin showcasing their work.
Graduates of these programs are on the fast track to earning NKBA certification, the first step of which is the Associate Kitchen and Bath Designer
(AKBD). Achieving certification is an important milestone in career development. Certified designers are more apt to find quality employment and
higher income and gain wider media exposure over non-certified competitors and are recognized as having more credibility and knowledge by future
employers and clients. Following the AKBD are the Certified and Certified
Master Kitchen and Bath Designer (CKBD, CMKBD), each signifying an
increasingly rigorous course of study and exams.

Requirements for achieving and maintaining certification include earning
Continuing Education Units (CEUs). The NKBA offers monthly online
webinars that contribute to these units. KBIS'leading showcase for learning,
Voices from the Industry (VFTI), will feature 80 sessions over the three
show days, Jan. 9-11, that count toward CEUs.The hour-long presentations
are grouped into five themes: Design, Grow Your Business, Management,
Customer Service and Kitchen and Bath Specialty Training.
KBIS 2018 attendees may also take courses on Monday, Jan. 8, the day
before the show opens. NKBA is hosting four learning courses as well as
two prep sessions for designers who want to sit for the AKBD, CKBD or
CMKBD exams.
THE LEARNING COURSES INCLUDE:
â
A Vision of Designing the Future Today. This class will identify the latest

technologies for rendered environments, discuss the capacity of these
technologies and how clients may visualize and experiment and show
how to maximize this technology for efficiency and transparency in the
design process.
â
Advanced Lighting for Kitchens & Baths. This course will teach object reflectance, photometric data provided by lighting manufacturers and lighting
calculations (including aging-in-place adjustments) to help designers
create lighting plans.
â
The Artistic Kitchen. This will be an exploration of the emerging trend of the
kitchen as a living room, its implications for designers and how to apply
specific art and design components to kitchens.
â
Beyond Design: Establishing Monetary Value for Creative Skills. This business
class goes beyond design to put a monetary value on creative skills, capitalize
on specialized skill sets and establish appropriate fee structures for services.
â
The two certification prep courses. These two-hour, instructor-led refresher
courses provide key concepts, including NKBA guidelines, sample study
questions and test-taking tips.They're great final reviews before taking the
on-site exams on Monday afternoon, following the courses.
Full descriptions of the sessions, details on locations and information about
the instructors are all available on www.kbis.com,click on "Learning,"then select
"Voices from the Industry Conference"or "Professional Development Courses."

Kitchen & Bath Business / NOV.-DEC. 2017 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of KBIS (KBIS.com)

http://www.KBBONLINE.COM http://www.KBIS.com

Kitchen & Bath Business - November/December 2017

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