- The quality of training at
FOA Approved schools depends on the quality of their instructors. To
ensure the quality of FOA Certification courses, FOA has a certification program
required of all instructors teaching at FOA Approved schools.
FOA Certified Instructors are expected to
be both technically competent and good teachers. FOA has used the knowledge and experiences of many
experienced instructors to set standards for instructor certification.
- The first step is for the
instructor to be nominated by the school. The FOA reviews the
qualifications of all instructors wishing to become FOA Certified by
first reviewing their resume/CV for relevant technical and
teaching experience. The next step for candidates is to complete online
course covering technical and teaching subjects. Then the candidate must
pass an online examinations covering the
technical subject they plan to teach and the methods FOA
instructors recommend
for teaching the materials.
Passing these exams does not automatically confer FOA Instructor Certification. This is one part of the overall Approved School
evaluation. The FOA Instructor Certification is only conferred if the
organization sponsoring the instructor achieves Approved School status.
Being an FOA
Certified Instructor is a lifelong learning experience. Every instructor
is required to take the appropriate FOA Fiber U online course and
FOA Certification exams for all the courses they will be
teaching.
- Who
May Become An FOA Certified Instructor?
- Instructor certification is
only available to those teaching at an FOA Approved school. The school
must sponsor the applicant for certification. Instructors must
have relevant experience and meet the Instructor
KSAs, then pass a certification exam.
- Qualifications
- Applicants must meet FOA
qualifications
- Applicants must be an
experienced fiber optic technician or experienced instructor in a
technical discipline or both.
- Applicants to be an
instructor must be sponsored by an FOA-Approved school.
- Applicants
must meet the requirements of the FOA KSAs for Instructors: (The
knowledge, skills and abilities instructors must have.)
- Applicants are expected to cooperate
within the FOA instructor community, helping to develop and update FOA technical references and certifications.
FOA evaluates all these
factors before certifying an instructor. Becoming
an FOA certified instructor is not as simple as passing a written
exam.
Depending on the applicant's experience, the applicant may be
required to study and submit additional information including a
classroom video before
they are approved to teach at an FOA-Approved school. Instructors
who have
limited knowledge or hands-on experience in fiber optics may be
required
to take a class from a FOA designated instructor.
This comprehensive qualification and certification program is why
training at FOA Approved Schools is so highly regarded and why the FOA
certifications have been chosen by so many fiber techs worldwide.
Fiber optic technicians certified by FOA.
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