SBA Communications CEO Jeff Stoops (left) and NWSA Executive Director Duane MacEntee lauded the ANSI accreditation, certification that will now be recognized both inside and outside of the industry
The National Wireless Safety Alliance (NWSA) announced it has been awarded accreditation by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), a wholly owned subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), for its Telecommunications Tower Technician 1 and Telecommunications Tower Technician 2 programs.
ANAB’s decision to accredit these programs came after thorough analysis of test data and rigorous audits of NWSA’s management systems and psychometric procedures, as well as detailed scrutiny of its test development and management processes.
“NWSA is very excited these two programs, which launched in late 2016, are now nationally accredited by ANAB to the ISO/IEC 17024 International Standard for organizations that certify professional trade workers,” said NWSA Executive Director, Duane MacEntee. “It is important to remember these certification programs were conceived, developed and are governed by broad and diverse industry consensus and will now be recognized both inside and outside of our industry as the trade certifications for professional tower technicians. Many thanks go out to the hundreds of volunteers and staff who devoted countless hours to reach this capstone achievement for the industry.”
As the communications industry continues to deploy network infrastructure to meet the tremendous demand for connectivity in America, the need for qualified workers is greater than ever. Workforce development has never been more important and accredited NWSA trade certifications provide the independent method for assuring consistent worker proficiency while recognizing certified tower technicians as trade professionals.
“To continue American leadership in 5G, we must have the skilled workforce necessary to build next-generation networks,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “The tower technician certifications developed by NWSA are critical to deploying wireless networks safely and efficiently while ensuring that tower companies can draw from a robust pipeline of talent both now and in the future. I’m pleased that ANAB has accredited these American certification programs, which will help cement the American wireless industry as the international gold standard.”
“Tower techs build America’s Internet infrastructure with their hands and ensuring that these skilled workers can complete their jobs safely is a top priority for everyone,” said FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. “So, I want to thank NWSA for the work they put in to developing certifications for tower climbers and congratulate them on the ANAB accreditation they have received for those programs.”
Jeff Stoops, President and Chief Executive Officer of SBA Communications also congratulated NWSA by stating “SBA commends NWSA on achieving ANAB accreditation for the TTT-1 and TTT-2 certification programs.” Stoops continued, “The industry now has its own independent trade certifications which advance the objective of enhancing safety and improving quality on towers; a mission that SBA fully supports.”
Going forward ANAB’s audit of NWSA will occur annually as a requirement of its accreditation, with an on-site inspection by ANAB auditors every other year. ANAB requires specific data be submitted on an annual basis and it only grants continued accreditation if all requirements are met.
“Earning ANAB accreditation is a major undertaking,” said ANAB Senior Director, Personnel Credentialing Accreditation Programs, Dr. Vijay Krishna, “and NWSA can be very proud of this accomplishment. No other accreditation process demands the degree of psychometric and management disclosure that is required for accreditation under ISO/IEC 17024.”
“ANAB provides the most demanding accreditations available for testing and certification organizations,” said NWSA President, Don Doty. “Workers and employers alike can now be assured that, with ANAB’s independent verification processes, both TTT-1 and TTT-2 trade certifications meet the highest professional standards of examination development and administration.”
Industry workers, companies and stakeholders are encouraged to visit the NWSA website at www.nws-a.org to learn more about the organization and how to begin the process of obtaining certification.