SEPTEMBER 8, 2015
ACTC Offers Fiber Optics Classes
Reliable, high-speed Internet is coming, and Ashland Community and Technical College is offering classes to help prepare for jobs in the industry.
The “KentuckyWired I-Way” broadband network project will begin in eastern Kentucky sometime this fall and over the next three years will cover about 3,400 miles across the state. The push for reliable, accessible and affordable high-speed broadband emerged from the SOAR (Shaping Our Appalachian Region) initiative to enhance business growth and job opportunities in Eastern Kentucky.
“The dark fiber backbone network will need technicians” said Karen Coburn, ACTC Director of Workforce Solutions. “We have three certification classes in October to help people prepare for jobs in fiber optics testing, maintenance and repair. These certifications are part of the requirement for employment.”
According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of telecommunications equipment installers is expected to grow 15% from 2010 to 2020. In Kentucky, the demand for fiber optic technician training will be met by ACTC and KCTCS colleges in Somerset and Prestonsburg.
Each of the three ACTC classes is recognized by the US Department of Labor and sanctioned by the Fiber Optic Association (FOA).
Classes are held at the Roberts Drive Campus, located at 4700 Roberts Drive in Ashland. Each class will include background information on theory and processes, with most of the class time spent on hands-on training activities. Certification tests will be given and graded on the last day of class.
For more information or to register, email as_workforce@kctcs.edu or call 606-326-2130. To register online, go to ashland.kctcs.edu/Workforce_Solutions.
Technician Course
This three-day Certified Fiber Optics Technician Course (CFOT) introduces industry standards governing FTTD (Fiber To The Desk), FTTH (Fiber To The Home), and Distribution Cabling.
Students learn to identify fiber types, recognize various connectors used in fiber installation, and install, terminate, splice, and properly test installed fiber cables to existing standards. Other topics include industry standards governing FTTD (Fiber ToThe Desk), FTTH (Fiber To The Home), and Distribution Cabling.
The class meets Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 12 to 14, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The $700 fee includes study materials, exam fees, textbook, CD and a one-year membership in the FOA. The FOA memberships include access to job listing website.
Specialist in Testing & Maintenance Course
The Certified Fiber Optics Specialist in Testing & Maintenance Course (CFOS / T) offers advanced training to those involved with the testing and maintenance of fiber optics networks. Students learn a variety of testing standards, equipment and technological approaches in fiber network testing and splicing.
Topics includes a detailed study of ANSI/TIA/EIA-526-(7)A, OTDR fundamentals and uses, OTDR vs. Insertion Loss Testing, Return Loss Testing, and Attenuation Testing using the power source and light meter.
The class meets Thursday and Friday, Oct. 15 and 16, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The $675 fee includes materials.
Splicing Specialist Course
The Certified Fiber Optics Splicing Specialist Course (CFOS / S) provides training in both fusion and mechanical splicing for either single or multimode fiber optic cables. Particular attention will be given to optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) functions in measuring and testing optical fibers.
Class exercises will include making and testing different types of splices and then correctly and efficiently installing the spliced fibers into splice trays and enclosures.
The class meets Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17 and 18, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The $675 fee includes materials.
Constitution Day Events at ACTC
The community is invited to join ACTC students, staff and faculty in events celebrating Constitution Day on September 17.
VOTER REGISTRATION: Student Services will hold voter registration drives at all three campus, with free copies of the Constitution and cookies at the voter registration tables. The event at the College Drive Campus, held in partnership with Morehead State University-Ashland, will be from 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The event is from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Technical Drive Campus and in the afternoon at the Roberts Drive Campus. For more information, contact Student Activities Coordinator Oreatha Murray, omurray0002@kctcs.edu.
WELCOMING ACTC: The Adult Education Program at ACTC will hold a “Welcoming ACTC” program at 12:15 p.m. in the Teleconference Room at College Drive. The program celebrating this country’s promise is held in conjunction with National Welcoming Week.
Students from English as a Second Language (ESL), Adult Education, Accelerating Opportunity and ACTC college classes will speak about their experiences at ACTC and the USA, and visitors can talk with college representatives about programs and activities.
National Welcoming Week highlights the contributions of immigrants to American communities in order to build unity in achieving the American dream. For details, contact Adult Education Coordinator Penny Qualls, penny qualls@kctcs.edu.
PEO Awards Fall Scholarship
A scholarship from the local Chapter AJ of PEO (Philanthropic Educational Organization) will help a nontraditional ACTC student reach her educational goals.
On August 13, the chapter recognized Melissa K. Music with a $500 scholarship to help with her college expenses. An Ashland resident now in her fourth semester at ACTC, Music is working on both Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees.
PEO is an internationally organized group well known for awarding millions of dollars in scholarships. Most of these scholarships are awarded as Fellowships to post graduate women. At the suggestion of member Vicky Barouxis, the local chapter decided several years ago to give a scholarship to an ACTC student. “When you educate mothers, you educate a family and thus educate a nation,” Barouxis said.
The Vicky Barouxis /PEO Scholarship is awarded to a non-traditional female student demonstrating the potential for academic success and requiring financial assistance.
“This scholarship really helped because I needed several hundred dollars in books that were not covered by my Pell grant,” Music said. “No matter how hard you plan and save, sometimes you need a little extra. Thanks to this scholarship, I didn’t have to try to borrow more.”
“A scholarship is valuable in more ways than money,” said Music. “I did not think of myself as someone who could get a scholarship even though I have been working hard to get good grades. To have them pick me as a person who has the potential for success was really an honor and made me feel good about what I’m trying to do with my life.”
She plans to graduate from ACTC and transfer into the Dental Hygienist Program at Shawnee State University.
For information on the PEO Chapter AJ, email Bennie Shields at: benniejs@windstream.net. For information on establishing scholarships at ACTC, email Dean Willie McCullough at: willie.mccullough@kctcs.edu.
