In collaboration with Fiber Broadband Association and S&N Communications, the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives is excited to open enrollment into its first Fiber OpTIC certification class, which is scheduled to begin Feb. 21. An email was recently sent to all training coordinators regarding the curriculum, details, cost and schedule.
Instruction is designed for fiber technicians actively working and seeking to develop their skills and obtain industry certification. Training duration will be five weeks with 48 classroom hours and 72 lab/on-site hours. Classes meet Tues-Thurs. from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Training Center in Palmyra, Va. The fee for VMDAEC members is $3,450, and nonmember investment is $4,050, which includes cost of curriculum and exam.
FTAP Schedule
Week 1: Feb. 21-23
Week 2: March 7-9
Week 3: March 21-23
Week 4: April 4-6
Week 5: April 18-20
The Fiber Broadband Association OpTIC certification was developed by the major stakeholders who created and grew the fiber industry. They saw a need for a qualified workforce to enable the unprecedented broadband funding and implementation to be successful. To help create a well-trained workforce to properly install and maintaining the networks, a highly trusted and respected certification program was developed. The FBA OpTIC Path program has garnered nationwide and industry-wide acceptance. Several factors make this certification able to be trusted by network operators and employers. Instruction is designed around the needs of technicians already working daily on a network. The same content and certification is available in a pre-service format, as well, offered separately. Classes have been designed to maximize on-the-job training delivery, combined with periodic delivery of classroom instruction.
Please contact VMDAEC Safety & Training Coordinator Rachael Freeman with any questions.
–Report by Jim Robertson, Director, Marketing & Brand Management, VMDAEC.