Telecommunications for FairPoint

Overview

NEXT STEP is a ground-breaking workforce educational partnership between FairPoint and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). The NEXT STEP Program offers qualified FairPoint employees an opportunity to earn an Associate Degree in Applied Science (A.A.S.) with a concentration in Telecommunications Technology. The program was initiated by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and FairPoint in collaboration with selected community colleges within the New England and New York geographical area.

This partnership is designed to provide an innovative, state of the art, competency-based educational program that will allow employees to keep pace with advancing technology, to understand changing marketplace realities, and to enhance customer service skills.

One third of the curriculum is devoted to general studies, one third to electricity and electronics, and one-third to telecommunications. The NEXT STEP curriculum includes such topics as switching technologies, network management, quality, labor studies, customer satisfaction, problem solving, and teamwork. This curriculum will introduce employees to the latest technology in the telecommunications industry, and will give employees the skills and knowledge they need to make an even greater contribution to the highly competitive telecommunications industry of the future.

Note: This program is available only to full-time, craft-rated FairPoint employees who have successfully completed the FairPoint screening process.

Prerequisites

• Full-time employee of FairPoint.
• A Member in Good Standing of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
• High School Diploma or GED with 2 years of mathematics.

Curriculum