ARLINGTON, Va. – The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) today announced it is partnering with four Ohio institutions by designating them as pre-apprenticeship providers to increase awareness of quality broadband career opportunities and connect more Ohioans with these opportunities. Through WIA’s Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP), the following institutions will now offer an on-ramp to broadband apprenticeships by providing credit hours that count toward TIRAP’s Telecom Tower Technician and Fiber Optic Technician apprenticeship programs:
- Tri-County Career Center
- Hocking College
- North Central State College
- Vanguard-Sentinel Career & Technology Centers
This announcement comes on the heels of WIA’s recently announced pre-apprenticeship program with Corning Optical Communications LLC and is part of a broader effort WIA leads to expand broadband workforce development programs as the designated industry intermediary for Ohio’s Broadband and 5G Sector Partnership.
Through Ohio’s Broadband and 5G Sector Partnership, WIA worked with the above institutions to map their curriculum to TIRAP’s Telecom Tower Technician and Fiber Optic Technician programs, allowing credit hours from these pre-apprenticeships to count toward program requirements for TIRAP apprenticeships at participating companies.
“Raising awareness and providing more on-ramps to quality careers in broadband is crucial for building a workforce capable of meeting the broadband deployment needs of today and tomorrow,” said WIA EVP Tim House. “We’re proud to be working with Lt. Governor Jon Husted and the Ohio Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation to lead Ohio’s Broadband and 5G Sector Partnership in creating innovative talent pipelines like this, which will help grow the broadband workforce of the future.”
“We are making great strides in Ohio to expand access to reliable and affordable broadband, but we need a trained workforce to build it,” said Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “I look forward to seeing the great impact of these pre-apprenticeship programs for students and our workforce.”
TIRAP is the leading Registered Apprenticeship program for the broadband industry, defining career paths in a growing number of occupations critical to broadband expansion. As the national sponsor of TIRAP, WIA is the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) designated industry intermediary tasked with expanding Registered Apprenticeship in the telecommunications industry. Through TIRAP, WIA currently partners with 84 employers to provide on-the-job training resources, support, and access to incentive funding. More than 3,800 people have participated in the program to date.
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) represents the businesses that build, develop, own, and operate the nation’s wireless infrastructure. WIA advocates for the widespread, responsible deployment of wireless infrastructure to enable mobile broadband for communities everywhere.
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 promoting consistency and uniformity in training across occupations to improve the safety and quality of the broadband workforce.
WIA Media Contact: Marshall Miller | 717-951-0795 | marshall.miller@wia.org
The post WIA to Partner with Four Pre-Apprenticeship Providers in Ohio for Broadband Occupational Training appeared first on Wireless Infrastructure Association.