The Broadband Industry faces a unique challenge in filling open technician. The ultimate goal is to achieve greater overall fiber-based internet coverage in more communities nationwide. A competent and abundant workforce is required to achieve this goal and support the building of this needed connectivity infrastructure.
The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) found that labor contributed to 73% of build costs on average.
Independent telecom companies and large providers alike are facing issues with obtaining a skilled workforce to build their FTTH (Fiber to the Home) network. The industry is trying to elevate its internet training structures to reduce employee turnover while educating on older, foundational telecom knowledge, as well as new technologies.
The timing of The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Act (BEAD) amplifies the necessity for a more robust broadband workforce. The BEAD program aims to fund the build-out of more reliable telecom workforce structures. With the program, subsequent training effort, and build-out, 13.1 million new locations nationwide will have Fiber Broadband Access.
The U.S. government estimates that the multi-year BEAD program will create 150,000 new telecom jobs, but the FBA estimates the industry will need over 205,000 new jobs in the next five years.
The FBA cites a profound skills gap in the telecommunications industry workforce, “Many job roles are needed to construct, operate, and maintain the new networks built through BEAD funding – and these will be required in every state,” said the FBA, “However, the telecom workforce has been shrinking for years, and the industry lacks an efficient pipeline to bring in new workers. Considering the above, there is a serious risk that there will not be enough feet on the ground to deliver the new networks. For the states, insufficient availability of high-skilled labor will result in workforce bottlenecks, leading ultimately to delayed or failed projects.”
C-Tech’s programs are uniquely designed to meet the telecom industry’s needs.
Our programs provide students with not only foundational knowledge but also educate on new technologies in fiber-optic connectivity. Students are trained with all the essential practices needed to fill these much-needed open job positions at both local and large telecom companies.
Our new Fusion Splicing program is especially designed to help meet workforce and labor needs in the industry.