Clair Global Road Staff Training Program

SoundGirls.Org spoke with Dave Lester at Clair Global about the Clair training program.  Here’s what Dave had to tell us about the program.

The program’s inception goes back to the early-mid 1990’s and started at ShowCo.

The goal of the program is still true to its roots, to recruit individuals that desire to be exceptional in all aspects. From soft skills to hard skills to safety, and being committed to being an integral part of something bigger.

It’s not easy to land a position with Clair, there is a lot of competition from many qualified individuals. We test our staff with written and practical exams that all must pass to our set standard. Hopefully, this is not a deterrent but rather incentive to develop the aptitude to ready oneself to take on the challenges in today’s live event and entertainment industry with a company such as Clair. The clients are more technically inclined than ever before and expect their crew to understand the technology used today to give the audience more than a spectacular show but to become immersed in it and to do it safely.

The program not only assures competency in our proprietary systems but also disseminates pertinent technical information to the road staff. This has been gained from the engineering department’s research and development of new systems, and the testing and implementation of other manufacturers equipment. Much of this information cannot be found anywhere else and can help our staff exceed expectations.

When it comes to safety, we want to help forge the way. The company is proud to be one of the founding members of The Event Safety Alliance or ESA, which was founded a couple of years ago in response to recent stage collapse tragedies. Audience, artists and crew all expect to walk away from a show without being witness to or apart of such tragedies. At Clair we are raising the awareness of the attitudes that have contributed to such accidents; it becomes a study of psychology.

How long does the program last and when is it offered?
The program is offered once/year, starting in late fall and runs 26 weeks.

What kind of background or experience must you have before applying?
I look for graduates from colleges and universities that have a degree in an associated field.  Also, look for some real world experience.

What are some of the subjects covered?
The education we provide is based on the principle that candidates already know audio to a certain degree (e.g. What an XLR is, what pin is ground, the basic working principles of audio gear, signal flow, etc.). We take the topics deeper and explain how they will affect any given tour. For example, what is characteristic impedance and what happens if it is not maintained, applicable sections of the NEC and how they apply to our industry, line array theory to console field service and mixing. Other topics focus in safety, company protocols and proprietary equipment and knowledge.

If applicants complete the program, are they guaranteed a position at Clair or do they go through an internship first?
The candidates we bring on are hired but are in the evaluation period until they finish and pass the class, on occasion some don’t pass. Then the real world tests begin, they get their first assignment; at some point in time.

For a first-hand account of the Clair Road Staff in Training Program, read Katie Hughes Blog.