FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr lauded the announcement that the South Dakota Board of Technical Education has approved the creation of a new Wireless Infrastructure Technician Certification program at Southeast Technical Institute in South Dakota in partnership with VIKOR Teleconstruction.
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr practiced climbing on an indoor monopole at VIKOR’s training facility
“Earlier this year, I announced a jobs initiative to expand America’s 5G workforce. Industry estimates that it needs to fill another 20,000 job openings for tower climbers and telecom techs to complete this country’s 5G build, which would nearly double the size of this group of skilled workers. My plan looks to community colleges and technical schools as pipelines to these 5G jobs. In just a matter of months, these programs can take someone with virtually no training, teach them the mix of classroom and physical skills necessary to build and install new cell sites, and enable them to land a good-paying job in the tower industry. I have been working with stakeholders to expand the number of programs available in this country,” Carr said in a statement.
“This new tower tech program at Southeast Tech in South Dakota notches another solid win in our effort to expand America’s 5G workforce. I am grateful that I had the chance to visit Southeast Tech earlier this year and speak in support of a tower tech program. Their partnership with VIKOR Teleconstruction will help ensure that America continues to lead the world in wireless. There is no doubt that this program will provide opportunities for the next generation of tower techs and for entire communities who will be brought into the 5G future.”