Surely, #fibertechs and anyone wanting to learn basic #knowledge in #fiberoptics can get tons of free information from YouTube or from a plethora of vendor websites that offer mostly product-centric content, some (not all) which happens to be excellent but frequently biased.
However, without a structured knowledge and #skills #development approach combined with effective #coaching and #mentoring from "experienced and effective" instructors, the learning curve for new techs will be steep š
For other than large companies with in-house training programs, some alternatives to this are to slow down productive fiber techs or more senior personnel to help bring new ones up to speed; that, or to load the new techs with very expensive equipment and let them learn by failure, risking #safety violations or accidents, damage to expensive hardware, cables, and #network elements in the field šŖ
Some problems with relying on peer learning are that š technical experts are not always good teachers š nor are always motivated to pass on the knowledgeš”
Perhaps some learners might never need the training to do quality work, no doubt, but most will at some point require training to gain the knowledge they need for gauging the effectiveness of their work and to develop problem-solving skills that make them reliable and #highperforming š„
A question is whether to train before or after. Usually, it is the former that leads to faster #quality installations, systems effectively turned up, and happy clients inside and outside the organizationš”
I like how a recent client of mine said it... "let's get you here quickly to train our new guys before they learn all the wrong ways of doing it.." šYep š
The vendor-agnostic certification part is easy š It offers assurance that techs have demonstrated a level of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) according to industry standardsš„ that is appropriate to perform adequately at the level of difficulty related to the scope of the certification; and that these KSAs have been validated through assessment by a qualified instructor ššØš»āš«
If you are reading this on LinkedIn, you are probably middle-aged and beyond the days of needing tech training. If that is the case, and you now lead or manage new or younger fiber professionals, consider providing them with positive development experiences to help build a better #telecom #workforce for today and tomorrow ā¤ļø
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