You know how you tie jobs to broadband easily? You train folks to build broadband. That’s what Minnesota West Community and Technical College in Granite Falls is doing. Here’s the scoop from the Advocate Tribune…

New this year to the Granite Falls campus is the Telecommunications Technology Program developed by faculty member and Computer Support Technical Advisor Pam Jensen. According to the program’s outline, the program is a collaborative effort by the Minnesota Telecom Alliance (MTA)—a consortium of telephone companies that serve the state—and Minnesota West. The program addresses a growing need for professionals trained on new technology that has been sweeping the industry in recent years. The need for qualified technicians is also being pushed by the federal government’s National Broadband Stimulus project, an initiative that advances broadband services to rural communities across Minnesota and the nation.

Funny enough I took a telecommunications class when I was studying for my MLIS (Master’s in Library and Info Science). At the time I worked for MRNet, a regional Internet service provider. My complaint with the class was that it was out-of-date. I was a little worried about the timeliness this class until I read that the professor (Pam Jensen) who developed the class had been working with folks in the field (Minnesota Telecom Alliance)…

“A lot of the telecommunications programs that have been out there have a lot of old stuff in them, like climbing telephone poles,” said Jensen. “Those are being replaced now, it’s almost all underground cables. So, teaching someone to climb a pole is now not deemed part of a program. But, having someone go out to one of those boxes that sits along the road and having them figure out what wires go where, or to work with fiberoptics and learn how to connect fiberoptic cables that’s what has changed.”

Finally I was also delighted to read that there are hopes to make this available to more students through distance learning.