Qualify for high-paying ICT cabling jobs in a semester with LCCC’s new BICSI Telecom program
Laramie County residents have an accelerated pathway into the high-demand field of telecommunications: the Laramie County Community College (LCCC) Telecommunication Specialist program with BICSI certification. LCCC has partnered with the Microsoft Datacenter Academy and BICSI, a leading credentialing organization for ICT cabling installation, to develop a hands-on training program in telecommunications deployment, repair, and maintenance. In just one semester of college-level coursework, students can find employment in telecommunications network support or telecommunications equipment installation, maintenance, and repair.
Learn more and register here.
Elevating the Laramie County workforce with BICSI ICT Cabling certification
Wyoming is emerging as a hub for data and information technology and the state is investing in rural broadband programs to expand public access to critical services online and to promote economic development. These investments depend on a workforce trained in information and communications technology (ICT) specialties—but employers are finding that there are not enough skilled technicians available to hire.
Telecommunications is an area of particularly intense demand. “We find that companies trying to provide advanced fiber optic and broadband options can’t because there aren’t enough broadband technicians,” explains LCCC Information Technology program director Troy Amick. The LCCC BICSI certification path promises to remove this obstacle by upskilling locals to meet the demand. “We’re hoping that by launching these programs we’ll be able to start driving economic growth and allow more companies to come into the market, which then brings even more jobs,” says Amick. “It’s a self-sustaining cycle.”
Laramie County residents can answer the call to build their technical skills—and set themselves up for a secure, high-paying job in telecommunications installation, repair, and maintenance. Laramie County Community College offers a one-semester (17 credit hours) Telecommunications Specialist Credential Diploma in partnership with local datacenter employer Microsoft and credentialing agency BICSI. The new BICSI-certified program is expected to be available starting September 2023. Students will have access to a working lab established with funding from Microsoft according to BICSI’s requirements. Outfitted with industry-standard telecommunications networking equipment, including Ethernet, copper, and fiber-optic cabling, the lab gives students hands-on, real-world experience.
The new partnership with BICSI is elevating the Telecommunications Specialist program. “BICSI partnership is exciting,” says Amick. “BICSI offers the highest rate of certification and is very rigorous.” The LCCC partnership with BICSI offers an affordable pathway to this high-demand certification, bringing down the cost of certification from thousands to hundreds for the whole program.
The LCCC Telecommunications Specialist Credential Diploma with BICSI certification opens doors to a thriving job market. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Cheyenne region has among the highest concentration of jobs for telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, with 130 job openings and an annual mean wage of $65,510 recorded in 2021.
Creating a skilled digital workforce in Wyoming
The new BICSI-certified Telecommunications Specialist program is part of a broader effort by LCCC to build a local high-tech workforce in Laramie County. The Information Technology program has evolved under program director Troy Amick to cover high-demand specialties in cybersecurity, data analytics, datacenter administration, and more. Microsoft has partnered with LCCC, developing the Microsoft Datacenter Academy in 2018 and donating industry-standard equipment to help students gain hands-on experience in a mock datacenter.
Whether through BICSI Cabling certification or another IT pathway, Laramie County locals now have more opportunities than ever to attain the skills they need to participate in Wyoming’s growing ICT economy. Learn more about Laramie County Community College’s Telecommunications Specialist program.
