Broadband Digital Workforce Academy
Industry-certified broadband technician training for Alabama’s Black Belt Region. Short-term training designed to create long-term career pathways in telecommunications, fiber, wireless, and broadband infrastructure.
Why This Opportunity Stands Out
About the Academy
The GetWired Alabama Broadband Digital Workforce Academy is a partnership between the South Central Alabama Broadband Cooperative District, Tuskegee University Cooperative Extension, and C-Tech Associates. The academy is designed to deliver nationally recognized, hands-on broadband technician training to underserved communities across SCABCD’s seventeen-county Alabama Black Belt region.
- Creates a local talent pipeline for broadband infrastructure jobs.
- Connects participants to installation and maintenance career opportunities.
- Supports growing workforce demand tied to Alabama broadband buildout.
Why This Program Matters
Thousands of new broadband technicians are needed as Alabama deploys fiber and other broadband infrastructure across rural communities. Nationally portable certifications help open doors to employers across the country, while the academy’s integration with GetWiredAlabama helps keep opportunity local.
Priority enrollment is focused on justice-impacted individuals, veterans, and underserved youth. The program is aligned with the Delta Regional Authority’s workforce initiative.
Six Stackable Certifications + Employment Preparation
Students complete 160 hours of hands-on lab training across the academy modules and earn portable, industry-recognized credentials upon successful completion.
Introduction to Telecommunications
Covers copper, fiber optic, and wireless mediums, along with smart home, Industry 4.0, and customer service fundamentals.
Introduction to Copper Systems
Focuses on installation, troubleshooting, PoE, 568A/B standards, and residential and commercial topologies.
Introduction to Fiber Optic Systems
Covers light principles, termination, FTTP/PON systems, testing, troubleshooting, and OTDR concepts.
Grounding & Bonding Safety
Covers NEC compliance, NID connectivity, lightning protection, and residential and commercial grounding systems.
Wireless 5G / DAS Systems
Introduces RF principles, distributed antenna systems, installation methods, coverage concepts, and analysis.
Fusion Splicing
Covers fiber preparation, core-aligned fusion splicing, splice protection, and configuration practices.
How It Works — Your Path to a Broadband Career
The academy is structured to move participants from interest to training to certification to employment support.
Enroll
Applicants are screened with priority for justice-impacted individuals, veterans, and underserved community members across the seventeen-county service area.
Train Hands-On
Students complete lab-based instruction using authentic C-Tech workstations that replicate real-world broadband environments.
Get Certified
Upon passing module tests, graduates earn stackable, portable certifications recognized by employers nationwide.
Launch Career
Job placement support connects graduates to broadband, ISP, and telecom employers, including opportunities within GetWiredAlabama deployment projects.
Program Partners — A Proven Alliance
The academy is built through a partnership combining broadband deployment leadership, trusted community access, and nationally recognized curriculum and certification delivery.
SCABCD — South Central Alabama Broadband Cooperative District
A special purpose capital improvement district managing the GetWiredAlabama broadband initiative across Alabama’s Black Belt.
Tuskegee University Cooperative Extension
Provides educational infrastructure and trusted community reach across rural Black Belt counties through the Cooperative Extension framework.
C-Tech Associates, Inc.
Delivers industry-certified, turnkey broadband workforce training and portable credentials tied to employer demand.
Start Your Broadband Career
The Broadband Digital Workforce Academy is accepting pre-enrollment applications. Training is offered at no cost to eligible participants in the seventeen-county Black Belt service area. Take the first step toward a high-demand career in broadband telecommunications.
Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Dallas, Escambia, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, and Wilcox Counties.