Workforce development milestone demonstrates success across telecom industry

The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) today celebrates the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) and its Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) as it signed an agreement with its 100^th employer partner. FBA supports TIRAP and its accomplishments in improving the quality of training and safety of the broadband workforce.

FBA and other telecommunications companies and industry organizations work together with WIA to develop apprenticeship programs that are accredited by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), including training for a broad range of career paths, including wireless, tower, fiber, utility, and small cell technicians. When employers partner with TIRAP, they access a continuous pipeline of newly trained talent and can leverage the program to advance existing employees. Employers also receive incentives for each apprentice they register with the program.

TIRAP is one of the many ways that FBA is addressing workforce development throughout the telecom industry. FBA’s highly successful Optical Telecom Installer Certification (OpTIC Path™) program trains fiber technicians with the skills needed to safely and efficiently build high-quality fiber broadband networks and Fiber-to-the-Home installations. FBA is currently engaged with 40 states to roll out the OpTIC Path program, with 44 service providers and 70 community colleges and training institutions. Electric cooperatives in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Tennessee, and Oklahoma have either adopted or are interested in the program.

“This is an important milestone and FBA is proud of WIA and TIRAP’s accomplishments this year,” said Deborah Kish, Vice President of Research and Workforce Development at the Fiber Broadband Association and TIRAP Advisory Committee Member. “FBA is committed to promoting the apprenticeship model and increasing adoption from internet service providers. By building and maintaining a pipeline of well-trained employees, we can ensure fiber networks are built and delivered to every home in the nation.”

About the Fiber Broadband Association

The Fiber Broadband Association is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts, and deployment specialists dedicated to the advancement of fiber broadband deployment and the pursuit of a world where communications are limitless, advancing quality of life and digital equity anywhere and everywhere. The Fiber Broadband Association helps providers, communities, and policy makers make informed decisions about how, where, and why to build better fiber broadband networks. Since 2001, these companies, organizations, and members have worked with communities and consumers in mind to build the critical infrastructure that provides the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver. The Fiber Broadband Association is part of the Fibre Council Global Alliance, which is a platform of six global FTTH Councils in North America, LATAM, Europe, MEA, APAC, and South Africa. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org.

About TIRAP

The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) is the National Sponsor of the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP), a DoL-registered apprenticeship program. Since 2017, WIA has administered National Standards of Apprenticeship for DoL-approved occupations established under the program. Graduates receive national, industry-recognized credentials that certify occupation proficiency and expand opportunities for career advancement. WIA supports participating employers in promotion consistency and uniformity across occupations to improve the safety and quality of the broadband workforce.

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