The Other Fiber Optic Workforce(s)

Over the last couple of years, there have been lots of discussions about the fiber optic workforce. Government funding programs like BEAD, promising billions of dollars for building broadband, had many people worrying about whether a workforce existed that could build these networks. The expressed preference for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) would depend on a skilled workforce of fiber optic technicians. Many of the people discussing this were not really familiar with the fiber optic workforce and produced some highly inaccurate estimates of the personnel needed.

Here at FOA, since we started almost 30 years ago to develop a fiber optic workforce capable of building the internet and were familiar with the people doing the work, we were not worried. We had even been working with the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor statistics (BLS) to define a new job category, Telecommunications Technician, to encompass fiber and wireless techs. BLS had census statistics that helped define the current workforce and provide realistic estimates of what was needed.

What we did learn was that a big future problem was not just expanding the fiber optic technician workforce, it was replacing the techs retiring, the same problem faced by every other trade. What BEAD did do was create awareness at the state level, and FOA has seen a big increase in fiber optic training at community college levels. We think the new state programs coming online now will be highly effective in providing the technicians we need for the future.

But BEAD raised another new issue that also is a workforce education problem. The BEAD funding is to be channeled through state broadband agencies. Since few states had a broadband agency, many had to be created just for the BEAD programs. Early on, we found that many of the people being hired to work in these agencies were new to fiber optics, so I wrote a new FOA book just for them, The FOA Guide To Fiber Broadband. It became a best seller on Amazon, and we had people taking boxes of these books to meetings and giving them away.

All this discussion made us realize that the fiber optic “industry” depends on many other people than just the technicians building the networks.

Besides the technicians that design, build and operate the fiber optic networks the world uses for communications, there are many other professionals that are also essential for the success of the fiber optic and cabling industries. Some of these professionals are on the supply side; they are involved in the manufacturing, marketing, sales, and distribution of fiber optic products. Others are on the user side; they plan and manage the projects that include fiber optics or supervise the workers in the field.

What all these workers share is a need for understanding the technology and applications of fiber optics. That knowledge makes their jobs easier and enhances their ability to interact with others involved in their projects. That makes them and their projects more successful.

The need for knowledge at the state broadband agencies is obvious. These people will be making decisions about how billions of dollars are going to be spent and how successful the programs will be. On the supplier side, technical knowledge has always been a concern. Over the years, I’ve done many training sessions for manufacturers and distributors about new fiber optic technology. It’s different than training technicians; there is more focus on the products and applications and less focus on the hands-on skills.

For the technician workforce building networks, FOA had defined the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) a tech needed to be considered competent, and we created the CFOT® certification to provide a credential to those accomplished technicians. The fact that we are momentarily celebrating our 100,000th CFOT® validates that program.

But FOA has been asked many times about a credential for other professionals in fiber optics. Certification is not a solution when you realize that, unlike technicians, the job functions of all these other professionals covers such a broad range of responsibilities.

We think we do have a solution, however. A credential that recognizes an individual’s knowledge of fiber optics and their experience in the industry, no matter what the job: the “FOA Badge in Fiber Optics.”

What’s a “Badge?” Badges are a 21st century innovation of the high-tech industry, online digital credentials created to recognize achievements in technical fields, compatible with the online platforms users depend on for communication today, like LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. A badge may be achieved by demonstrating knowledge and experience and is evidence the badge holder may use to show their achievements.

Badges are the modern way professionals convey their verified knowledge, expertise and professionalism to their employers, colleagues, and others they work with. Employers, coworkers, customers, essentially everyone the badge holder interacts with in their work, can easily validate their credentials with a single click. Badges let them stand out from those who do not have similar verified knowledge, experience and achievements.

For all the professionals working in the fiber optic field, FOA now offers the FOA Badge in Fiber Optics. The FOA Badge in Fiber Optics recognizes the knowledge and experience they have and provides an online Digital Badge, a personal web page and certificate, shareable on social media like LinkedIn and Facebook. To earn the FOA Badge in Fiber Optics, you must have experience working in a job that involves fiber optics and pass an online test. There is a free online preparation course at Fiber U.

Here is the FOA way to recognize all the professionals who are essential to the success of our industry. Here is a way to recognize professionalism in fiber optics no matter what the individual’s job.

Learn more at the FOA Badge website: www.foa.org/Badge_FO.html.