Those interested in a career as a technician in broadband communications can get a jump on their education through a broadband technician pre-apprenticeship training program being co-sponsored by Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) in partnership with North Country Career Center.
The program will offer comprehensive training for an entry level broadband network technician. The first three-week course, available free of charge, will be offered in Montpelier starting March 26. The second training course will start April 30 in Newport.
Each session will run for three weeks, Wednesdays through Saturdays 8:30-4:30. They will include OSHA 10, flagging, first aid, CPR, and will cover the safety aspects of working outside in remote areas. They will also cover communication, teamwork, and leadership skills to help advance the participants’ careers.
Other essential skills to be covered in the pre-apprenticeship training program include broadband skills, including splicing testing, repairing fiber optic cables, and the basic physics of how broadband works. Bucket truck operations and how to operate this essential tool in a safe manner will also be covered. The final piece of this training will be pole climbing.
The impetus for the program is an anticipated need for more technicians in the state. Once an additional $229 million in federal funding from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program hits the state, construction will scale up and more workers will be needed, VCBB noted.
“This is not just an opportunity for Vermont to find the workers it needs; it’s a great way for Vermonters to start on a lucrative career path,” Christine Hallquist, VCBB executive director, said in the announcement. “Participants can get high paying jobs at the same rate as people that come out with a four-year degree, but you don’t have college debt.”
Vermont’s Fiber Optic Apprenticeship Program, a broadband training program that connects students with broadband-industry companies, is part of the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP). The program puts participants to work immediately, which both extends participants’ skillsets and gives them an immediate paycheck.
