On Fiber Optic
Communications
Eight
Questions for Choosing Fiber Installation Training
-A Guide to Maximum Return From Your Training
Investment
Eric R. Pearson, CFOS/T/C/S/I
President
Pearson Technologies
Introduction
Fiber optic communication products are
complex and subtle. Because of these characteristics, training is essential for
successful installation and use. In addition, installation training is a
cost-effective investment, since the properly-chosen training program will more
than pay for itself in three aspects: reduced material and labor costs and in
improved reliability.
Three frequent comments from trainees
support this view of cost effectiveness: ”we wish had attended a training
program before we used fiber”; they were certain that “all the important
questions were not asked prior to installing fiber”; and “we could have saved money by
attending a training program prior to using fiber”.
In one case, a client stated: “this training cost was lower than that of hiring
an outside installation firm.”
To maximize your return from a training
investment, we present eight questions (Table 1) and answers.
Table 1: Eight Questions
1.
What
Specific Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Do I Need?
2.
What
Depth of Training Do I Need?
3.
How
Much Hands-On Training Do I Need and How Long Will the Training Be?
4.
Does
the Trainer Have Significant Experience?
5.
Do
I Receive Detailed Notes/Documentation of the Program?
6.
What
is the Equipment to Student Ratio?
7.
What
are the Options for Choosing a Training Organization?
8.
What
is the Structure of the Program?
Question 1: what specific knowledge, skills,
abilities do I need?
This
answer is relatively simple: your activities after training determine the
specific training you choose. After all, those activities are the reason for
training. Fiber installation includes the activities in Table 2.
Table 2: Fiber
Installation Activities
Cable
installation
Cable
end preparation
Splicing
Connector
installation
Connector
inspection And evaluation
Insertion
loss testing
OTDR
testing
Determination
of acceptance values
I
suggest one addition: if you are to install connectors, include splicing in the
training. Requiring splicing may not be obvious. However, splice training is
necessary, as ‘splice on’ connectors (SOCs) are preferred over connectors that require
field polishing. Three factors result in this preference: reduced optical power
loss; increased yield (or percent good); and reduced total installed cost.
Each
of these activities in Table 1 requires different knowledge, skills, abilities,
equipment, operating procedures, and sensitivities. By matching your intended
activities to those in programs under consideration, you maximize your benefit
from training.
Question
2: What level of knowledge, skills, and abilities do I need?
To
answer this question, consider the cost of technicians having insufficient
knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs). In my experience, technicians with insufficient
KSAs have consistently significantly increased in total installed cost. Avoidance
of increased cost due to insufficient KSAs leads you to choose one of three
levels of training: introductory, advanced, and certification. I present a
brief description of the benefits of each level.
In
introductory programs, technicians begin to develop knowledge, skills, and
abilities (KSAs) in various activities (Table 2) required to successfully install
a fiber system. ‘Successfully’ means achieving the three goals of installation:
low optical power loss, low installation cost, and high reliability.
In
advanced training programs, technicians spend one to three days focused on a developing
advanced KSAs in a reduced number of activities. Advanced KSAs enable technicians
to perform installation with minimal supervision, the first of two advantages.
A
second advantage is reduced installation cost. The purpose of advanced training
is ‘moving the technician up the learning curve’ through repetitions. ‘Climbing
the learning curve’ under the guidance of an experienced trainer is less
expensive, and less frustrating, than doing so during field installation,
otherwise known as on-the-job (OJT) training.
Repetitions
have four benefits: development of automatic installation actions, known as
‘muscle memory’ in the military; improved consistency of completing the
installation steps; increased reliability of installed fiber; and rapid
recognition and correction of causes of deficient results. During advanced
connector, testing, and splicing training, I have observed trainees achieving
yields of 95-100%, the level at which professional installers operate.
When
advanced training includes certification, technicians spend two to five days
per set of activities developing advanced KSAs, the first of six benefits. Five
additional benefits are: KSAs that include subtleties; mastery of the KSAs
included in certification examinations; ability to perform installation with
minimal or no supervision; reduction in installation times; and capability to
train other installers.
Managers
and supervisors receive a sixth benefit: increased confidence in the
technician’s KSAs. Certification, such as that from the Fiber Optic Association
(FOA), represents independent confirmation that the technician has achieved the
KSAs deemed essential by the Association’s examination developers, who have several
hundred man-years of experience. The Fiber Optic Association states:
“The FOA is an international non-profit
educational association that is chartered to promote professionalism in fiber
optics through education, certification and standards…FOA certifications are recognized by the US
Department of Labor and in most countries around the world…The
goal of the FOA is to assure employers that an FOA-certified technician is
highly qualified for working in the field of fiber optics; someone you can hire
with confidence.”
Developing
KSAs always has a cost, which can be significant. Question 2 translates to: how
do you choose to incur the cost of KSA development? From highest to lowest installation
cost, the answer is within this spectrum: no training in advance, OJT basic
training, basic certification, advanced training, advanced certification. Your
answer to this question “how do you choose” determines the level of KSAs you select.
Question
3: How much hands-on training do I need and how long will the training be?
The
answer to amount of hands-on training depends upon four factors: existing
skills of the technician; amount of supervision after training; future training
to be performed by the technician; and amount of hands-on time during training.
I present the benefits of increased hands-on training.
A
technician who has reasonable dexterity and ability to learn will benefit from the
hands-on activities in basic training. From the hands-on activities in advanced
training, the technician increases the depth of his KSAs, ‘climbs the learning
curve’, avoids errors, and reduces total installation cost through such avoidance.
If
there will be minimal supervision after training, or if the supervisor of the
technician has limited KSAs in fiber installation, advanced hands-on training will
increase the supervisor’s confidence in the technician.
If
the technician is to train other technicians, advanced training with advanced
certification develops the KSAs to provide the comprehensive training essential
to successful installation by other technicians.
As
is obvious, increased program length increases development of KSAs. While it
might be desirable to include increased lecture and hands-on activities in
reduced time, there is a limit to how much trainees can absorb and retain. Above
this limit, which I call “saturation,” retention reduces. In addition,
increased KSA development requires repetition, which both takes time and
increases retention.
Observations/Recommendations
Based
on the considerations in this question, 31 years of training and more than 500
deliveries, we have learned that development of KSAs is achievable with the
following hands-on percentages and program durations (Table 3). This table
contains our recommended answers to Question 3.
Table 3: Fiber Installation Program Durations
and Hands-On Percentages
|
Program |
FiberPro™ 1 |
FiberPro™ 2 |
FiberPro™ 3 |
FiberPro™ 4 |
FiberPro™ 8 |
|
Focus
= |
Introduction |
Connectors |
Testing |
Field Splicing |
PON design & Installation |
|
Develop
Basic KSAs |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Develop
Advanced KSAs |
|
|
|
|
Splicing & Testing |
|
% hands-on |
50-70 |
80 |
80 |
85 |
70 |
|
Duration |
28 hours |
14 hours |
21 hours |
28 hours |
40 |
|
With
Certification |
35 hours |
21 hours |
28 hours |
35 hours |
48-56 |
|
Certification(s) |
CFOT |
CFOS/C |
CFOS/T |
CFOS/S |
CFOT, CFOS/H, CFOS/S,
CFOS/T |
Question
4: does the instructor have significant experience?
The
short version of the answer is: trainees will not learn professional KSAs from
a trainer who is a dilettante or novice in either installation or training: trainees
benefit most from an instructor who has significant experience in both. The
first type of experience is in the activities in which he is training (i.e.
connector installation, splicing, testing). His extensive experience in
hands-on activities develops an understanding of how and at what steps errors
occur. With this understanding, he presents instructions to include both
precise instructions and explanation of the consequences of failing to follow
the instructions.
The
second type of experience is in training. From significant training experience,
a trainer develops the ability to present material concisely and clearly so
that almost everyone understands. In addition, such a trainer knows how to
include in his presentation, the answers to the most-common questions. Such
inclusion results in logical flow of information and instructions.
The
answer to Question 4 is not fixed. Your choice of training results from a
comparison of the answers to this question from the training organizations
being considered.
Question
5: Do I receive detailed notes?
Trainees
benefit from detailed program notes In three ways: retention of the training
concepts and procedures; use of notes by others in the organization, when they are
unable to attend training prior to field activities; improved comprehension
during training. With extensive notes technicians experience improved
comprehension by sitting back, relaxing, and focusing on understanding instead
of taking notes to capture the information. In fiber, this a significant
benefit, since much of the information will be completely new to most technicians.
The answer to Question 5 is not fixed. Your choice of training results from a
comparison of the answers to this question from the training organizations
being considered.
Question
6: What is the equipment to student ratio?
For
installation training, the percentage of time spent in hands-on activities is
important. More important is the actual time trainees spend in training. Maximizing
time spent in hands-on training requires minimizing time waiting for shared
equipment.
31
years of training and over 500 deliveries has taught us that the following
equipment description achieves the goal of KSA development. Each trainee has
the individual tools he needs. Pairs of trainees share tools that can be shared
without waiting more than a minute or two. When the team approach improves the
learning activity, teams of 2 to 4 use the same tools without waiting. Figures
1 and 2 present two examples of training tools supplied. The answer to Question
6 is not fixed. Your choice of training results from a comparison of the
answers to this question from the training organizations being considered.
|
|
|
|
No-Polish Connector Tools Supplied |
Polish Connector Tools Supplied |
Question
7: What Type of Training Organization Should I Choose?
Training organizations
can be organized into one of three types:
·
Manufacturers
and distributors of fiber products
·
Fiber
optic consulting, training, and installation organizations
·
Marketers
of training programs for various technologies
Each of these types has advantages.
Type 1: Manufacturer & Distributor
Training
The
primary motivation of manufacturers and distributors is to promote their
products. This motivation may mean that the training cost can be less than that
from other organization types. Manufacturers and distributors create training
programs around their products. This is to be expected and is advantageous, if
you intend to standardize on these products. A second advantage is that the
instructions for use of such products will be well developed and will work when
followed. If you expect to use products from various manufacturers, training
provided by manufacturers or distributors may be too narrowly focused to be of
long-term value.
Type 2: Consulting, Installation, and
Training Organizations
Training
from such organizations has four advantages: generic training applicable to a
range of products; comparisons of products; increased depth of field and
training experience; training that includes improvements to the procedures
developed manufacturers and/or tools recommended by manufacturers.
Type 3: Training Marketing Organizations
Training
offered by organizations that market training, such as University of Maryland,
and Global Knowledge Networks, can be as valuable as the previous two types.
The most important factor is the experience of the trainer. In order to obtain
the most for your training investment, carefully review the experience of the
trainer. The greater the depth and breadth of the trainer’s experience, the
more successful and effective the training will be.
Depending
on the answers to the eight questions in this article, any one of these three
types of organizations can provide training appropriate to your requirements. The
answer to Question 7 is not fixed. Your choice of training results from a
comparison of the answers to this question from the training organizations
being considered.
Question
8: How is the Program Designed?
In
addition to the previous seven questions, you can ask a set of questions about
the program design. These questions are designed to reveal how the program
design supports the goal of developing KSAs and certification, if certification
is one of the goals.
Table 4: Questions on Program Design
How
much of time is hands-on training?
What
is the structure of the program?
What
is the strategy of program design?
How
does design maximize development of KSAs?
How
do the notes maximize development of KSAs?
Who
will benefit from training?
What
are the prerequisites?
Can
the program be customized?
The
answer to Question 8 is not fixed. Your choice of training results from a
comparison of the answers to this question from the training organizations
being considered.
In Conclusion
Choosing
a fiber optic training program is not extremely complicated. Neither is it as
simple as choosing fresh
fruit. By listening carefully to the answers to these eight questions and
comparing those answers from the organizations being considered, you identify a
training organization and program that best-suits your needs and provides the highest
return for your investment!
This
is a shortened version of a detailed article on this subject. The full article
will be available at: www.ptnowire.com/free_resources.html.
Pearson
Technologies Inc. incorporates the benefits described herein in its training
programs. Mr. Eric R. Pearson is President of Pearson Technologies
(www.ptnowire.com), a fiber optic specialist with 41 years of providing practical,
hands-on, training, consulting, and technical support to attorneys and
insurance companies. The Fiber Optic Association has approved Pearson
Technologies to provide both basic and advanced certification.
Respectfully submitted for your
consideration,
