Apprentice Test:
Journeyman Test:
For the Employer, certification helps ensure that your technicians have the critical knowledge and skills to succeed in their jobs. Everyone will be comfortable knowing that your certified techs’ expertise has been confirmed by the industry organization through a program that was developed by a university. Encouraging and helping your technicians become certified signifies your commitment to the highest of standards. Plus, it lends an added level of credibility to your firm and can sharpen your competitive edge. Employing certified techs will promote customer satisfaction and you won’t have to be shy about offering assurance that your techs are qualified. Our Apprenticeship Certification can also help you select potential new hires. Our Journeyman level can assist an employer with analyzing job performance (current and future), evaluate employees and motivate technicians to enhance their skills and knowledge.
Think about the message that certification sends to those with whom you do business. Why would anyone want a technician who isn’t certified performing critical maintenance or repair tasks? Employing certified technicians gives you an added tool with which to market your business.
As our members have said, “We’ve seen too many backyard mechanics damage expensive equipment. This program will provide credibility for my company and will help build pride and a commitment from technicians to be the best .” Many of our Members have indicated that this program provides credibility for their business and their technicians. And technicians have stated that this certification builds their pride and provides an outward indication of their commitment to the profession.
EGSA certification can be used to streamline your applicant screening process and ease those difficult personnel decisions by immediately identifying which technicians have the knowledge and expertise to meet a rigorous exam requirement.
The first step is to fill out the test order form (click here) and mail or fax it with your payment to Ferris State University to schedule a test. After you register, the test will be scheduled at your convenience at a testing site near your home or workplace. The test will be supervised by a professional proctor for the duration of the test period. Techs may be asked to help identify appropriate proctors and testing sites.
The second step is to take the test. If you achieve an acceptable overall passing score, you will have earned your EGSA Certification (Apprentice or Journeyman).
The Apprentice level exam is for technical college students, recent graduates, military personnel and other 1st or 2nd-year technicians.
Technicians applying for the Journeyman exam MUST HAVE A MINIMUM OF 3 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE AS AN ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATOR EQUIPMENT TECHNICIAN. To be confident that they will pass the test, techs must have a comprehensive knowledge of basic electricity, the functions of a gen-set’s mechanical and electrical components, the interactions and relationships among components and an understanding of various elements of the installation, service, maintenance, and repair of gen-sets and On-Site Power generation systems.
APPLICANTS—and only applicants—are the only parties who can cancel their scheduled participation in the testing process, and must do so in writing , subject to the following timelines:
30+ Days - Applicants who cancel 30 days or more in advance of their scheduled test may do so without penalty. Applicants who cancel during this period will be offered the choice of a full refund of fees or having the fees applied to a future test.
29 days or less - Applicants who cancel 29 days or less in advance of their scheduled test will not receive a refund. The agency conducting the test will not cancel a scheduled exam unless an act of nature makes it impossible to conduct testing. Tests cancelled for this reason will be rescheduled. Applicants who were scheduled for that exam will be offered the choice of having their fees refunded in full or applied to another test.
When you pass the Certification test, you will receive a certificate noting your status as an EGSA Certified Electrical Generator Systems Technician. In addition, you will receive a wallet card and an insignia for your uniform sleeve or pocket.
Additional patches, hats and other logo items can be ordered from Ferris State University. See costs and download the order form at our Pricing page.
We encourage techs working outside the United States to take the EGSA Certification exam. Technicians working outside the U.S. might have legitimate concerns about their possible lack of awareness of standards used in the United States and that lack of knowledge might interfere with their ability to pass the test. After scrutiny and review of the Certification test, EGSA has determined that there is no reason that the test could not be fairly applied to any NAFTA technician.
The process of arranging a proctor may take a bit longer and Techs living outside the United States may be asked to help identify appropriate proctors and test sites. Shipping costs are included for those taking the test in the U.S. However, shipping charges for tests given outside the United States will be higher and will be added to the purchase price of various items. Contact Ferris State University before you order so that you know how much shipping charges will be.
Technicians who pass the Certification test are given a Certificate and a wallet card that clearly indicates the type of certification achieved (Apprentice or Journeyman), the date that their certification is effective and the date their certification expires.
They may also wear the official EGSA Certified Electrical Generator Systems Technician uniform patch or have other official certification logo items (baseball cap, logo on their tool case or service vehicle, etc).
Individuals may also verify a tech’s certification status by contacting Ferris State University at the following points of contact:
Toll Free: 866-880-7674 231-591-5822 Fax: 231-591-5821 E-mail
Contact Nathan Harris at (561) 750-5575 ext. 1 or email n.harris@egsa.org.
The Apprentice Certification remains a 3-year certification from the day the test was passed.
No, Ferris State will continue grading any versions of the test that are still turned in. Proctors can continue to use the versions of the test they have until they run out.
Recertification for the Apprentice test remains the same. Retaking and passing the test will add another 3-years to the technician’s certification. However, we do encourage Apprentice technicians to work towards their Journeyman Certification.
Having technicians take a 4-hour test created stress on the individual, occupied a proctor for half a day, and put stress on companies who struggled to pull a technician off a job for that long. By switching to four 1-hour sessions this will allow all parties involved to work within a schedule that better fits their needs.
Also, Ferris State will be able to isolate sections of the test and allow technicians to retake individual sections if they do not pass. We understand that not all technicians are gaining the same experiences in the field. Now technicians will be able to pinpoint any areas they need to brush up on before taking the entire test.
If a technician fails one or more modules during the 120-day testing period, they will have unlimitted attempts to pass all 4 modules during the same testing period.
If a technician fails to pass all 4 modules after multiple attempts within the 120-day testing period, they will have to begin a new 120-day testing cycle and retake/pass all 4 modules again (regardless if modules were passed in the previous testing cycle). There is no waiting period to begin another testing cycle.
Yes, proctors will just need to order all 4 modules at once and turn in all 4 modules together after testing.
Module 1: Principles of Electricity; Generators/Alternators; Voltage Regulators
Module 2: Prime Movers; Engine Instrumentation and Controls; Governors
Module 3: Automatic Transfer Switches; Multiple Generator Switchgear & Controls; System Communications
Module 4: Troubleshooting System Problems; Start Up Commissioning; Alternative Energy Sources
The Apprentice Certification will remain a 3-year certification from the day the test was passed.
Recertification for the Apprentice test will remain the same. Retaking and passing the test will add another 3-years to the technician’s certification. However, we do encourage Apprentice technicians to work towards their Journeyman Certification.
No, RCs are only to recertify Journeyman technicians. Apprentice must retake test to recertify.
15 Recertification Credit hours will extend your certification for one year. You may also submit 30 Recertification Credit hours to be extended 2 years. You can not extend your recertification longer than 2 years.
1 credit hour must exceed 45 minutes of training.
If extending for one year, RCs will be good within the 12 months of your Certification expiration date.
If extending for two years, RCs will be good within the 24 months of your Certification expiration date.
15 RCs will add one year to your current Certification date. You may also submit 30 RCs to extend your certification by 2 years.
If completing the 30 RCs, you have two years prior to your expiration date to earn the RCs. For example, if your certification expires Dec 31, 2024 you can turn in 24 RCs completed in 2023 and 6 RCs completed in 2024. As long as the total RCs earned in the final 2 years prior to expiration is 30 total.
No, only technicians who are currently certified can submit RCs to extend their certification. If your certification has expired, you must retake the test.
Technicians will have up to 30 days past their current certification expiration date to turn in their RCs to EGSA for review.
All Recertification documents will be submitted by EGSA to Ferris State at the end of each month. You should receive your new card with the new expiration date by the 15th of the next month.
Example: Submitting 14 RCs will result in needing to recertify by taken the retaking the new modules.
Example: Missing the deadline for submitting RCs will result in needing to recertify by taken the retaking the new modules.
Example: Submitting RCs that were earned outside of the designated time frame will result in needing to recertify by taken the retaking the new modules.