It has been really gratifying to see NTCA members working so fast and furiously to build out broadband to communities still waiting for robust service, many of them outside of NTCA traditional service territories, given the work they have done to also connect their ILEC territory with future-proof technology. Yet, one constant in the broadband space is that the work is never done. Whether it is installs, upgrades, or maintenance, there is certainly more than enough work to go around. That has never been truer than it is today.
That is why it is fitting that NTCA stepped up to the White House Talent Pipeline Challenge that came along with the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the significant amount of broadband funding coming down the pike. This summer-long challenge was set to fill high quality jobs that will help rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and supply chains here at home while continuing our transition to growth in the years ahead. How could we not participate in any effort that looks to increase the number and skills of broadband employees of the future?
We submitted three partnership ideas to the White House as part of our ongoing efforts to ensure successful implementation of the BEAD portion of the IIJA to support broadband workforce development in rural communities. High-tech employee retention and recruitment in rural markets is even more challenging than urban markets, so we are committed to doing all we can to support the 850 community-based broadband providers who we represent across the country.
The brief version on what we have submitted includes:
- Working with Northwood Technical College-NTCA proposed a joint venture that will combine Northwood Tech’s online academic offerings with “in the field” work opportunities for students with NTCA member companies.
- Working the National Rural Education Association (NREA)- NTCA presented BOLD: Broadband Opportunities and Leadership Development, a platform aimed at increasing broadband career awareness at the K-12 levels.
- Working with Communications Workers of America (CWA) to develop Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) training for broadband workers with our CWA shops.
As my partner on this workforce effort, NTCA Vice President of Policy and Industry Innovation Josh Seidemann would say, the following is the “dance track”:
On Northwood Technical College: Northwood Tech offers an expansive range of online courses to build broadband industry knowledge for the post-secondary market, but students will also need an opportunity to ply their skills in the field. Just like medicine, there is only so much you can learn from a book. At some point, you need to see a real patient or splice a real length of fiber. So, the arrangement with Northwood Tech and their existing Broadband Academy envisions NTCA working with our members to identify core competencies and corresponding Northwood Tech learning paths. That’s the easy part. Then, we help our members develop apprenticeship-type programs where students can pursue both online academic offerings with Northwood Tech with actual, mentored work experience in our members’ companies. There are still some unpaved avenues here. For example, whether NTCA and Northwood Tech could create a “badging” approach whereby (i) NTCA would craft a template for an acceptable apprentice-type program that would be (ii) consistent with Northwood Tech and other industry standards and (iii) present that to members who would (iv) adopt it and then (v) matriculate apprentices in that program, who upon completion would (vi) earn a certificate of completion from Northwood Tech and/or NTCA.
On NREA: We are finding a perpetuating issue of students not being aware that there are “cool” careers in the broadband industry. Given both the anticipated needs not just in mid-term deployment but long-term operation and maintenance, we want to build awareness and get students on those tracks. “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it,” but the fact is that students “see” broadband every day in their devices. They just don’t always realize that it is broadband. So, the NTCA/NREA proposal envisions our members working with local school districts to identify existing and create new curricula that correlates to broadband industry needs. This coursework would be combined with internship opportunities, “ride-alongs,” job fairs, etc. The overall goal is for our industry to ID the needs and to then help schools build coursework around those needs and to support the schools by offering kids hands-on opportunities to learn more.
With CWA: NTCA and the CWA have agreed to work together to expand training and good job pipelines for broadband technicians. Beginning with broadband providers who are currently engaged with both NTCA and CWA, this commitment includes NTCA offering our member companies the opportunity to have employees participate in a subsidized OSHA 10 training course designed for telecommunications technicians and delivered by OSHA-authorized CWA trainers who are technicians themselves. These trainings will be offered online primarily and NTCA will create a recognition program for those who complete the training. Additionally, NTCA and CWA agree to explore avenues for making registered apprenticeship accessible to NTCA member companies. If there is one thing I have learned on this deeper dive into apprenticeships it is that it is an entire bureaucracy unto itself. Still, I do think there are avenues for NTCA to pursue additional apprenticeship support for broadband specifically if federal resources are available.
All that to say that NTCA is not slowing down on any fronts as we prepare for additional resources in this space. We are always noodling about what we can do to eliminate as many obstacles as possible for our members. Ensuring there is the 21st Century workforce of the future is one of those challenges we are meeting head on!