FibreCo has embarked on a skills development programme in the Eastern Cape as part of its rollout of a long-distance fibre optic network. It aims to train 25 industry technicians to come on board once its expanding network is lit up in the area.
The Fibre Optic Training Programme will take on candidates in the Nelson Mandela Bay region, and the company says it conducted interviews this week.
"The intensive month-long training programme, in partnership with the Seda Nelson Mandela Bay ICT Incubator, will offer trainees globally accepted ICT accreditation and equip them to be able to maintain and repair complex fibre optic networks locally or abroad," says the company in a statement.
Sharon Van Loenen, marketing manager at FibreCo, says the course will focus on providing "a comprehensive coverage of the best practices for the deployment of optical communication networks, including optical fibre installation, fusion and mechanical splicing, acceptance testing and troubleshooting" and will adopt a hands-on, practical approach.
She says technicians would be able to take advantage of job opportunities arising in the operation and maintenance of FibreCo's and other fibre networks across SA.
Van Loenen notes the candidates eligible for the programme need to have passed Matric or could have had relevant field experience. Tertiary graduates in the electronics, technology and engineering fields are also eligible, she says.
According to FibreCo, successful technicians will be certified under the internationally recognised Fibre Optic Association, which is involved in the construction and maintenance of the completed network.
Making progress
FibreCo's CSI head Tito Ndibongo says the training programme is the company's response to an increased preference for fibre optic technology, adding that local skills are scarce. "We are looking to address that problem through this training."
The company aims to roll out its network linking Cape Town and Durban via the Nelson Mandela Bay and East London later this year.
It has already completed half of the first phase of the project, lighting up more than 2 400km of fibre optic cabling linking Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein and East London.
"Once phase one is completed by 2016, and Cape Town and Durban have been linked via the Bay and East London, about 5 000km of state-of-the-art fibre optic cabling will have been laid across the country," says the company in a statement.
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