Work force development funding opportunities

The following funds can be used for training and workforce development:

•Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT)/SkillsCommons Access to Telecommunications Curricula program

https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/resources/federal/federal-funding/department-labor-trade-adjustment-assistance-community-college

•Investments in Apprenticeship to Support the Telecommunications Workforce    

  Program Website: www.apprenticeship.gov (Department of Labor’s website) The Wireless Infrastructure Association represents the companies that make up the wireless infrastructure ecosystem in the United States. Its members are the businesses that develop, build, own and operate that nation’s wireless infrastructure. WIA member companies include wireless carriers, infrastructure providers, and professional services firms that collectively own and operate more than 135,000 telecommunications facilities around the globe. https://wia.org/ Built by and for telecommunications employers, TIRAP is a competency-based apprenticeship aimed at growing the productivity of the workforce as directly as possible. TIRAP defines career paths in a growing number of critical occupations, including tower technicians, wireless technicians, and utilities workers, along with leads and foremen. By establishing on-the-job training as well as classroom learning, these apprenticeships help you onboard and upskill your workers. This leads to better efficiency and safety —plus higher employee engagement and retention.https://www.tirap.org/

•Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) 

Program Website: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/wioa Federal Funding Site: Department of Labor - Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) 

•Investments in Apprenticeship to Support the Telecommunications Workforce 

Program Website: www.apprenticeship.gov(Department of Labor’s website) The Wireless Infrastructure Association represents the companies that make up the wireless infrastructure ecosystem in the United States. Its members are the businesses that develop, build, own and operate that nation’s wireless infrastructure. WIA member companies include wireless carriers, infrastructure providers, and professional services firms that collectively own and operate more than 135,000 telecommunications facilities around the globe. https://wia.org/ Built by and for telecommunications employers, TIRAP is a competency-based apprenticeship aimed at growing the productivity of the workforce as directly as possible. TIRAP defines career paths in a growing number of critical occupations, including tower technicians, wireless technicians, and utilities workers, along with leads and foremen. By establishing on-the-job training as well as classroom learning, these apprenticeships help you onboard and upskill your workers. This leads to better efficiency and safety —plus higher employee engagement and retention. https://www.tirap.org/ 

WIA and Corning to Launch Pre-apprenticeship Program for Fiber Optic Careers Development  

This program offers broadband certification for more information please see:

Tribal Broadband Bootcamp

The Tribal Broadband Bootcamps, which have worked with 20 Tribes and more than 100 participants over the past 2 years, offering hands-on training in wireless and fiber-optic networks, will continue in 2023 with an expanded schedule and expanded curriculum:

https://muninetworks.org/content/tribal-broadband-bootcamps-announced-2023

How to get certified to be a tower climber

Here is an example of one way to obtain tower climbing certification.

2022 Tribal Broadband Bootcamp: Workforce training (Session 5)

This session discusses lessons from NYC Mesh, a volunteer org that had to tackle running a network on a budget and training a volunteer workforce efficiently.

Broadband bootcamp at Yurok


Save the date! Official dates and more information will be announced soon.

Tribal Broadband Bootcamp

IT Staffing and Training

Connectivity projects can provide employment opportunities. Whether it be instillation, IT, support, or maintenance jobs information and resources can be found here:

Video on how to make an ethernet cable

SAN’YAS anti-racism indigenous cultural safety training program can be found by clicking here.

Telecommunications Training 101 by the Internet Society can be found here.