The National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA) Lighting Division and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) recently announced the launch of the NEMRA Lighting Stepped Educational Curriculum, a multi-tier online educational program intended to elevate lighting knowledge through an accessible pathway for growth.
The curriculum builds on NEMRA Lighting’s core focus on education and reflects its commitment to raising consistency, knowledge, and collaboration across the industry. To work effectively with specifiers, architects, and engineers; lighting agents and manufacturers must go beyond selling—they need to educate, collaborate, and add value throughout the design process. Expertly crafted by lighting leaders, the curriculum bridges a key knowledge gap.
To meet the growing demand for comprehensive lighting education and skills development, the platform builds on lighting and controls expertise while preparing participants for broader industry certifications.
The NEMRA Lighting Stepped Educational Curriculum is comprised of four progressive levels, each tailored to meet real customer and application scenarios, along with expert input around key lighting topics, to ensure the lighting agents and manufacturers develop the right expertise to serve their audiences effectively.
Level One: Lighting Trained – The entry point for all participants, the Level One course is the gateway for newcomers or those refining their expertise. This foundational online course establishes a core understanding of lighting basics, control principles, terminology, and system understanding to confidently engage with distributors, contractors, and specifiers.
Level Two: Lighting Educated – Building on foundational knowledge, Level Two teaches advanced skills to sell lighting and controls. Designed for lighting agents and manufacturers, it covers product positioning, customer conversations, solution-based selling, and common applications. Perfect for sales, quotations, or project management roles, the course helps the student better understand customer needs and provide effective guidance.
Level Three: Lighting Specialized – Advance from lighting generalist to specialist with training designed for working with designers, specifiers, architects, and engineers. This course covers the full lifecycle of a lighting system—from bidding to performance. Learn to navigate specifications, tackle challenges, and add value at every project phase. Prove that you’re ready to collaborate with the design community, not just sell.
Level Four: Lighting Professional – The Level Four course of the NEMRA Lighting Stepped Education Curriculum helps you master advanced lighting and controls, including layout, system integration, zoning, and design. Created for design-build teams, integrators, and high-performance projects, it covers visual comfort, spatial intent, interoperability, sustainability, and lighting quality. For agents and manufacturers, it’s about becoming trusted advisors and taking a more strategic consultative approach.
Courses one and two are free with NEMRA Lighting Membership. Courses three and four require both NEMRA Lighting and IES membership. This is recommended as the next sequential step in professional development. Membership offers benefits – knowledge, mentorship, connections – but additionally shapes both personal and professional involvement in the lighting industry.
The NEMRA Lighting Stepped Educational Curriculum eliminates barriers to professional growth by offering foundational education to advanced specialization. Course participants receive lighting knowledge and skill, CEUs to apply towards their Lighting Certification (LC), a Certificate of Completion for each course, a Credentialed Verification for their LinkedIn profile, and industry-wide recognition by NEMRA Lighting. By completing these courses, the organizations state that lighting agents and manufacturers will position themselves as knowledgeable, trusted partners ready to meet the evolving demands of the industry.
To begin taking the courses within the Stepped Educational Curriculum, or for additional information, click here.
