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- FOA
certifications
More
On FOA Certifications
-
- First Level
- CFOT®
- CPCT
- Specialist
Certifications
- CFOS
Specialist Certifications
KSAs
for CFOT and all Fiber Optics
FOA
Approved Training Programs
Online
Training
Free
online self-study programs on many fiber optics and cabling topics
are available free at Fiber
U, FOA's online web-based training website.
- Renewals
FOA
Renewal Policy
- Renewal
Application(pdf)
- Renewal
Online
FOA
Reference Books (Available
Printed or eBooks)
The
fiber book is also available in Spanish and French.
 
Printed
copies of Lennie
Lightwave's Guide at Amazon.com
Lennie's
and Uncle
Ted's Guides are also not available as free iBooks on
iTunes.
Click on any of the books to
learn more.
It's CFOT® The FOA CFOT® (Certified Fiber Optic
Technician) is now a registered trademark.
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FOA’s
Recommended OJT Program
On-The-Job
Training For Fiber Optic and
Premises Cabling Technician Trainees
OJT
is the well-known term for "on-the-job training." Workers
learn on
the job under the supervision of experienced co-workers.
FOA has
been asked many times how its resources like Fiber U can
be used
to help employers and their employee trainees involved in
OJT. The
interest in OJT has been so high, that FOA has worked with
employers and recommend an OJT program and created training aids to help
employers develop qualified techs using OJT.
The FOA recommended OJT program includes both fiber
optics and premises cabling (copper, fiber & wireless), so it
covers techs working in both outside plant and premises jobs.
The
FOA Fiber U OJT program combines online study at Fiber U
with OJT to help new employees
develop into experienced, knowledgeable technicians.
Program
Description
To explain
How OJT works and FOA's OJT-To-Cert program, FOA created a short
10 minute YouTube video that explains what OJT is, who uses it
and how to use Fiber U to organize and enhance OJT for new
employees and experienced workers too.
On
The Job Training For Fiber Optics Using Fiber U (video)
The FOA Fiber
U OJT program is designed for individuals or companies who want to
provide an training opportunity for employees, even those who have
limited or no experience in fiber optics or premises cabling
installation. Also, through the OJT program, participants
can achieve FOA Certified
Fiber Optic Technician (CFOT) certification. or FOA
Certified Premises Cabling Technician (CPCT) certification.
The OJT trainee should be paired with an
experienced tech or techs in your company acting as the OJT
Supervisor.
The program
combines online lessons on the FOA’s free web-based training site
Fiber U (https://fiberu.org/)
covering the basic knowledge of fiber optics or premises cabling
installation with a 1 year structured “on-the-job” program to acquire the
necessary skills for performing the tasks involved in installation
focusing on the scope of tasks your company specializes in .
Requirements
To Be An FOA OJT Trainee
Trainees
should have an education level of approximately 10th grade, with
basic math and adequate reading level. They should have the
ability to work independently, follow directions and be punctual.
They must be willing to commit to the program which requires an
extra level of time commitment on the job, mostly for outside
online study.
Trainee will
need Internet access through a PC, tablet or smartphone. The labs
will require use of the company’s equipment or purchase of
inexpensive equipment online.
Trainee
must complete the Fiber
U “Basic Fiber Optics” online course or the Fiber U
"Premises Cabling" online course depending on their job's focus
and achieve their Fiber U Certificate of Completion, then
the complete the relevant basic skills labs on Fiber U.
Appoint
the OJT supervisor
The
OJT
supervisor must be sufficiently experienced in the type of
work
the trainee will be performing to judge the trainee's
progress and
be willing to commit working with the trainee for the
program. It is highly recommended that the supervisors have a FOA CFOT
or CPCT certification themselves.
Duties of
the OJT Supervisor
Based on the
Fiber U OJT to Cert program, the OJT supervisor should set the
timetable for achieving specific learning goals and ongoing
evaluation targets. The
Supervisor provides supervision to the trainee in a safe
environment with the necessary tools to perform the Fiber U Basic
Skills Lab “hands-on” assignments outlined in the OJT to Cert
program
Online
Courses At Fiber U
While
working on the job, the candidate must complete tthe Fiber U
online course for their job specialty, fiber optics or premises
cabling. Each course consists of two parts, one covering the
knowledge expected of a certified technician and the other
covering the hands-on skills necessary for their job.
Fiber
U Fiber Optic OJT - On The Job Training Course
Fiber
U Premises Cabling OJT - On The Job Training Course
Part 1 - Fiber
U “Online Classroom” Lessons
The trainee
will use the Fiber U “Basic Fiber Optics” online course or
the Fiber U "Premises Cabling" online course depending on their
job's focus. These courses have lessons aligned
with the FOA reference materials. The learning objectives are
outlined by the FOA’s list of
KSA’s (knowledge, skills and abilities) that must be
mastered to pass the FOA CFOT or CPCT certification exam.
The trainee
must complete the Fiber U online course and achieve their Fiber U
Certificate of Completion.
The OJT
supervisor should monitor the trainee's progress. It is important
to make sure the trainee is reviewing and mastering the material
on the agreed upon schedule so he/she will be ready for the OJT
portion of the course. We suggest you have the trainee save
each completed lesson quizzes (print to PDF or paper) and submit
each one to you as they are completed. The instructor can
assign additional review material to individual students as
needed.
Part 2 –
Fiber U Basics Skills Lab - Hands-On Training While Working On
Jobs
While the
trainee is working on company projects, they will be exposed to
basic practices of fiber optics and/or premises cabling and begin
developing the skills they need with the supervision of an
experienced installer. To help guide the training in skills, Fiber
U has programs aimed at skills development, the
Fiber U "Basics Skills Labs." online courses for fiber optics and premises cabling.
The Fiber U
Basics Skills Labs are online guides to learning the basic
hands-on skills used by fiber optic or premises cabling techs, The
appropriate lessons can be chosen by the supervisor as
appropriate. There is no schedule on this part of the lessons
wither; topics can be scheduled to fit the work being done by the
trainee.
In these
hands-on lessons, there are FOA YouTube Videos and “Virtual
Hands-On” tutorials to give the trainee step by step
instructions on how to use tools and components - prepare cables,
splice, terminate and test them. For each lesson, the trainee
should use company equipment and components to complete the
hands-on exercises. If preferred, the Basic Skills Lab has a DIY
program based on inexpensive equipment available online that
provide the basic skills before beginning to use more professional
equipment.
OJT trainees
should keep track of their work using the FOA OJT Log
spreadsheet which can be downloaded from the Fiber U lesson plans.
Part 3:
Certification
After
completion of the two basic Fiber U courses, while the trainee is
working on the job, they may take additional Fiber U courses
relating to their work. All Fiber U courses are free and cover
topics related to skills and applications for techs doing fiber
optic installation work.
Once they have completed 2 years of OJT, they may apply for the FOA Direct Certification program.
Get started - go to the Fiber U programs linked above.
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FOA Recommended OJT Program
