Gene Scott Education Award presented at Fiber Connect 2024 to recognize excellence in fiber broadband workforce development

Today at Fiber Connect 2024, the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) announced the Learning Alliance Corporation received the 2024 Gene Scott Education Award. The annual award is given to a person, community, or institution that has significantly impacted the advancement of FBA’s fiber education initiatives. The Learning Alliance is a strong supporter of FBA’s Optical Telecom Installer Certification (OpTIC Path™) program, in addition to its own workforce development efforts across multiple trades.

The Learning Alliance is dedicated to building stronger workforce development, with most coursework focused on fiber optic and wireless tower technician fundamentals. The organization works with hundreds of employer partners and connects them with trained candidates to fill the telecom workforce gap across all 50 states. It began offering the OpTIC Path program in 2022, and today has graduated 78% of all OpTIC Path graduates—most of which are veterans. Additionally, the organization has a nearly 80% placement rate with employers.

“An urgent need for well-trained fiber broadband technicians still remains across North America. However, with partners like the Learning Alliance, we’re getting closer to filling the pipeline with certified talent,” said Deborah Kish, Vice President of Research and Workforce Development at the Fiber Broadband Association. “The Learning Alliance has been a dedicated OpTIC Path advocate, helping to advance the program and promote it to more audiences. We’re honored to work with them and we congratulate them on winning this award.”

The Learning Alliance promotes the OpTIC Path program and its graduates throughout the year. It provides marketing materials to promote OpTIC Path, including student testimonial videos, and it features OpTIC Path graduates on its Talent Link applicant tracking system. Most recently, the Learning Alliance created and hosted a workshop at Fiber Connect 2024 highlighting OpTIC Path with the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA), sponsor of the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP).

The Gene Scott Education Award was created in memory of an individual that was dedicated to fiber broadband workforce development. Before his passing in 2022, Gene Scott served as Chairman of FBA’s Education Subcommittee and was instrumental in the development of FBA’s OpTIC Path fiber optic technician program. FBA is currently engaged with 40 of its targeted 56 states and territories to roll out the OpTIC Path program, with 44 service providers and 70 community colleges and training institutions. To learn more about the program, visit https://fiberbroadband.org/education-and-certification/fba-optic-path/. Those interested in teaching the next generation of fiber technicians can volunteer their knowledge by contacting the FBA here: https://fiberbroadband.org/education-and-certification/teaching-opportunities/.

The 2024 Gene Scott Education Award was presented at Fiber Connect 2024 on Monday, July 29. To learn more about the event, visit the conference website here or subscribe to FBA’s Fiber Forward Weekly newsletter here to stay updated on conference news and more.

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 policymakers 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.

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