The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is excited to launch the new Associate Credential with a specialized focus on Operations & Maintenance for technicians, the Operations & Maintenance Associate Technician Credential (OMAT)!
While we have tremendous support for our PVA credential, it remains crucial to develop a different certificate program that enhances the focus on standardized skills for entry-level technician roles in safety, operational protocols and system maintenance for residential, commercial and utility-scale solar PV installations.
In developing this new Associate Credential, NABCEP had two goals in mind. First, we wanted to emphasize with this new credential that Operations and Maintenance (O&M) is critically tied to overall PV system performance. In order to do this, it was important for our new OMAT exam to cover themes like optimizing system output, reducing downtime, understanding normal vs. abnormal system behavior, and troubleshooting faults could help reinforce the importance of this credential.
The second goal of developing the OMAT Credential was to develop an industry-recognized credential that is administered by an independent third party certification body (NABCEP) to advance industry standards, to provide a mechanism to document technician knowledge, skills and qualifications, and to promote a skilled energy workforce. We’re happy to say we’ve met that goal and are now prepared to launch the exam (see requirements below).
For NABCEP, that involved leading the certification exam development process to create a new Operations & Maintenance Associate Technician Credential, along with a Job task Analysis (JTA).
The NABCEP OMAT Content Domains are as follows:
- Safety – 20%
- Core Knowledge – 30%
- Existing System Infrastructure Considerations – 28.3%
- Operations & Maintenance – 21.7%
