FORT SILL, OKLA. (March 16, 2017) -- The Warriors4Wireless (W4W) Career Skills Program Universal Technician Course is the newest offering at the Fort Sill Soldier for Life Transition Complex.
The four-week course prepares transitioning Soldiers and veterans as entry level broadband, i.e., cable TV, and cell tower technicians in the telecommunications industry.
The telecommunications field is wide open because the technology network is expanding, and because of the retirement of baby boomers, said Izzy Abbass, W4W national director.
"There are about 30,000 towers around the country right now, and we need about 150,000 by 2030," Abbass said. The starting pay is between $50,000 and $60,000.
Abbass was at Fort Sill March 8-9, speaking at the "Telecommunications Boot Camp" at the SFL complex. He talked about the opportunities, the growth in the field, and about the traits that veterans possess that make them successful as they seek employment. He met with about nine Soldiers and civilians.
The broadband training consists of many modules of theory and hands-on applications. Topics include radio frequency (RF) technology, and electromagnetic spectrum, as it applies to TV, cell phones, internet and more.
In addition to the technical curriculum, Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards, and safety are stressed throughout the training, Abbass said.
The two-week tower course begins with classroom training before going to outdoor towers. It covers rigging, RF concerns and safety. The tower training is conducted off Fort Sill, said Abbass.
He advises everyone to get the tower technician certification in addition to the broadband because with it there are three times as many jobs open to them.
The classes here are kept small -- between 10 and 20 students, Abbass said, and any Soldier who has completed Advanced Individual Training can pass the Universal Technician Course. "We don't dumb it down, we try and explain it in terms that everyone will understand."
Abbass, a former infantry Soldier who fought in the first Gulf War, encouraged transitioning Soldiers of all military occupational specialties, and genders to consider the field as they seek training and subsequent employment.
"Veterans are looking for an opportunity, we at Warriors4Wireless are giving them an opportunity to excel," he said.
Staff Sgt. Aaron Bowers, 428th Field Artillery Brigade operations, attended the boot camp. He is retiring and will begin the Universal Technician Course here.
"It's a little easier transition for me because I already know how to do broadband, but I really want to get into it and work on cell phone towers," he said.
Some of the hiring companies include Samsung, T-Mobile, American Tower and MasTec Network Solutions.
For more information visit www.warriors4wireless.org. Soldiers who are interested in the training can contact Thomas Miller, SFL TC program manager, at: thomas.miller11.civ@mail.
mil or call 580-442-4824.
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