OPINION
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Communications
Cabling
Get Qualified!
By Chris Atkin, MD of Total Comms Training
Chris Atkin explains
why technicians and
installers should be
qualified.
Introduction
Surely it goes without saying that
cabling installers and engineers should
be qualified? Well not according to
some. The idea of unqualified (and
potentially unsafe) installers working
onsite is nothing new. Many times we’ve
encountered someone who makes a
flippant comment to the idea of gaining
a qualification: “there’s nothing you can
teach me!” Indeed, some organisations
have turned a blind eye to those who are
unqualified as they can be less expensive
to employ or prepared to cut corners.
For some, all it takes to be an installer
is a limited amount of knowledge
to bluff their way through. Can you
imagine how easy it would be to install
and test a Cat6a system or a fibre optic
link if this was remotely true! Our job
is far more than that, which is why
gaining an accredited qualification is
so important. When I think back to my
apprenticeship many years ago, I can
see exactly what the rationale was – it
made me appreciate that qualifications
are massively important alongside
gaining work-based competency. I was
eager to be an installer, but I wouldn’t
have lasted five minutes without any
formal training. I believe that gaining
a qualification can prepare you for a
lifetime of learning.
Training
Nobody ever says that training is easy.
It can be hard going; the technical
aspects can be challenging at times and
we never stop learning. My training
consisted of listening, sitting alongside
some incredibly knowledgeable
people, some of whom ran their own
technical installation companies, even
some trainees with first-class degrees
– people who, on paper, would be far
better installers than me. The problem
was that some of them found it hard
to deal with changes in the technical
specifications and the demands placed
upon the installer to fully interpret test
results. Some struggled to understand
the required technical knowledge and
a couple dropped out. If an installation
company had employed them straight
away, who knows what might have
happened! You could argue that the
unqualified comms cabling installer
or technician is potentially a liability
without having proof that they can meet
a minimum standard.
We should not be experimenting with
this in our industry. If an installation
company sees potential in someone and
wants to employ them as an unqualified
installer, then that’s great, but the
organisation should be willing to train
that individual and get them qualified.
I think questions need to be asked if
that’s not the case. Could employing
unqualified installers be about saving
money? They are certainly cheaper. Will
unqualified installers be less likely to
ask questions about health and safety?
Maybe so. Is this an advantage for some
companies? Who knows!
Finally, how would the client or
customer feel about this? If you want
an installation to work first time, every
time, then surely, you want to have
the assurance that the installer has
been assessed to a required minimum
standard to do the job. Nobody would
argue that gas and electrical engineers
need to be qualified. Well, comms
cabling technicians are no different.
It doesn’t matter where you are; be
it an office, a commercial building
or a data centre - if you are involved
in the installation and testing of
communications cabling, you will need
to have a breadth of knowledge to deal
with all sorts of installation challenges –
no two installations are the same!
Conclusion
I absolutely understand that those
without a qualification have much
to offer. My advice is to get your
training, get a qualification or work
for a company that invests in training
that leads up to gaining a nationally
recognised qualification. Installing
communications cabling is so much
more than simply pulling in cable. It’s
about being able to fully understand
communications cabling.
Gaining a qualification can prepare you for a lifetime of learning.
32 NETCOMMS europe Volume V Issue 6 2015
www.netcommseurope.com