The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) and the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) are partnering to expand WIA’s Telecommunications Education Center curriculum to include FBA’s Optical Telecom Installer Certification program (OpTIC Path™).
FBA’s program consists of up to 144 hours of classroom instruction and hands-on skills training. Upon completing the industry-developed and -validated courses, trainees can be tested and certified as an Optical Telecom Installer. FBA’s OpTIC Path program joins WIA’s 5G Readiness Program as the second credentialed program to be offered by WIA.
“We are pleased to partner with FBA to expand the education and training offerings of WIA’s Telecommunications Education Center,” said WIA President/CEO Patrick Halley. “Adding FBA’s OpTIC Path program within TEC is one more way that WIA and FBA are working together to support employers with the critical training courses they need to prepare for the future, while enabling individuals to turn a job into a career within the broadband industry.”
“Expanding the workforce with highly skilled and trained technicians is currently one of the most critical requirements impacting the success of the fiber broadband industry,” said FBA VP Research and Workforce Development Deborah Kish. “We know that nearly 180,000 workers are needed over the next decade to fulfill planned federal and state broadband funding. Our expanding partnership with WIA is a great example of valuable collaboration across the industry, bringing us closer to the connectivity finish line where we will close the digital divide for all Americans.”
WIA says its TEC is a “world-class” training resource for employers, institutions of higher education, and individual learners of all backgrounds and experience. TEC offers more than 30 courses, from on-demand virtual courses on the fundamentals of wireless networks to live instructor-taught technical courses and a credentialed program on 5G Readiness.
This partnership builds on WIA and FBA’s collaboration on Registered Apprenticeship. Since 2017, WIA has served as the Telecommunications Industry Intermediary and National Sponsor of the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP), a U.S. Department of Labor-registered apprenticeship program. More than 100 employers participate in TIRAP nationwide, with nearly 6,000 apprentices trained to date via 16 DoL-certified occupations. FBA’s Optic Path™ course is incorporated into TIRAP’s apprenticeship framework and supports training for several TIRAP occupations.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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