SCTE/ISBE has struck a partnership with Millicom that includes a commitment to provide advanced training, at scale, for the operator’s cable workforce in Latin America.

Under the agreement, SCTE/ISBE will provide 700 of Millicom’s employees and business partners with access to Spanish-language training in on-premises installation, cable distribution, and wireless technologies.

Millicom is also the first operator in the region to secure an enterprise license for SCTE/ISBE training, with access to the organization’s Corporate Alliance Partner (CAP) program, which was launched in 2014.

RELATED: SCTE/ISBE Expands ‘Corporate Alliance Partner’ Ranks

Millicom operates under the brand Tigo in Latin America.

“As we continue to expand our cable footprint through high-speed broadband technology, having access to SCTE•ISBE training will sharpen the skills of our engineering professionals in response to all aspects of our Tigo operations, from legacy technologies to newer advances in mobility and cybersecurity,” Xavier Rocoplan, EVP and chief technology and information officer at Millicom, said in a statement.

SCTE•ISBE said its “Corporate Alliance Partner” program has hit a milestone, as its ranks has risen to 30 members.

The organization introduced the CAP program in 2014 as part of an effort to bring new training tools and education programs to its partners and to broaden its membership base. Comcast, Time Warner Cable (now part of Charter Communications) and Suddenlink (now part of Altice USA) were CAP’s charter members.

RELATED: SCTE Launches ‘Corporate Alliance Program’

Benefits include discounts on individual employee memberships, downloads and regigrations for online courses, and seats at SCTE•ISBE Leadership Institute programs.

Other operator members of include Access Communications, Cablevisión, Charter, Cox Communications, GCI, Liberty Global, Midco, NBN, Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications, Shentel, Unity Media, and VTR. Vendor members include Adtran, Alpha Technologies, Amphenol Broadband Solutions, Arris, ATX, Cisco Systems, CommScope, Communication Associates, Corning, Decisive Communications, Exfo, Kaon, Kentik, Technetix, VeEX, and Viavi.

“The continued growth of all categories of our Corporate Alliance Program underscores SCTE•ISBE’s critical role in driving continued success for our industry,” Matt Aden, vice president, sales and operations for SCTE•ISBE, said in a statement. “As the technology hubs for the entire industry, SCTE•ISBE and its CAP program are able to directly impact bottom lines by accelerating technology implementation that enables revenue-generating services.”

NCTI, the Colorado-based provider of cable and broadband technology training services, has forged strategic alliances with two organizations focused on military veterans and reservists, Warriors4Wireless and The Learning Alliance, as part of a plan to help NCTI’s cable operator partners bolster their frontline workforce and to help improve the turnover rate for that important part of the MSO workforce.

W4W is a non-profit founded by military veteran leaders that originally focused on the wireless industry that works to help its partners meet demand for trained communication infrastructure technicians. The unit, focused on helping veterans with their careers in the telecom field, also provides training, advanced certification and transitional support, and is working with NCTI to expand into cable and broadband.

W4W will use NCTI’s online curriculum and complement that with instructor-led courses that focus on skill refinement. The plan is to start the first training later this summer, according to Stacey Slaughter, NCTI CEO, said.

The Learning Alliance (LAC) also trains and places individuals, including military vets and reservists, for jobs in the cable and broadband industry. Slaughter said the LAC program has been live for about six months, and that about 50 students per month are being on-boarded to the program.

Slaughter said the partnerships target a key demo as they aim to bring a new wave of skilled employees with strong leadership qualities to the cable industry, while also helping operators improve the churn rate for the frontline workforce.

The rate of churn for that portion of the cable workforce varies by MSO, but on an anecdotal level the average is about 40% per year, Slaughter said.

“By collaborating with NCTI, we have created a learning mechanism that provides the rigor and hands-on practical application skills needed to reduce the learning curve associated with career path within the cable and broadband industry,” said Cesar Ruiz, president and CEO of LAC. “Because of these efforts, we have been able to support an increased retention rate of 89%.”

“Our partnership with NCTI will allow us to expand the opportunity for separating service members and Veterans to not just find a job but to embark on a career path,” Kelley Dunne, chairman and founder of W4W, said in a statement. “A career path that continues their service to our country by building out critical communication infrastructure following successful military careers.”

Slaughter finalized a deal to acquire NCTI in December 2015 (then known as Jones/NCTI) from Jones International, the conglomerate founded by the late cable industry cable pioneer Glenn R. Jones. NCTI followed with a rebranding of the company about six months after the acquisition was finalized. NCTI moved into its new Littleton, Colo.-based headquarters about a year ago. 

RELATED: NCTI Rebrands as It Launches New Training Platform

Slaughter said NCTI has north of 500,000 students, works with the top 50 operators, and issues about 12,000 college credits per year. NCTI has been adding more than 1,000 course registrations and enrollments per month.

NCTI, the Colorado-based provider of cable and broadband technology training services, has launched eBooks, a new component of its digital learning platform for frontline techs.

NCTI said its new eBooks offering is available in conjunction with its course curriculum, and that it follows the June release of Amp 2.0, its integrated learning system.

RELATED: NCTI Rebrands as It Launches New Training Platform

“Our customers asked for learning solutions that are readily accessible, cost-effective, support current adult learning trends and reduce our collective impact on the environment,” Stacey Slaughter, CEO of NCTI, said in a statement. “ Delivering our course curriculum with eBooks allows us to update content bi-weekly via rapid release methodology, and also supports how MSOs want content delivered to their teams—and the way teams prefer to learn.” 

RELATED: Stacey Slaughter Acquires Jones/NCTI

NCTI also expanded its DOCSIS 3.1 program with Advanced DOCSIS 3.1 Operations, targeted to engineers and headend technicians responsible for configuring and maintaining DOCSIS systems. It follows on last year’s release of DOCSIS 3.1: Customer Premises.

“The Advanced DOCSIS 3.1 Operations course will become the standard by which our courses are designed and delivered,” Paul Eisbrener, NCTI director of learning and development said.

NCTI (booth 661) will demo eBooks and Amp 2.0 at this week’s show in Philadelphia. 

NCTI, the Colorado-based provider of cable and broadband technology training services, launched a newly-integrated learning platform alongside a new website and brand.

Those additions and changes come about six months after CEO Stacey Slaughter finalized a deal to acquire the company, known then as Jones/NCTI, from Jones International, the conglomerate founded by Glenn R. Jones, the cable and distance education pioneer who died last July.

On the product front, NCTI introduced AMP 2.0, an integrated, multi-device training platform for human resource professionals and frontline employees that ties in analytics, tracking tools, and training content. NCTI said the new platform is available to all its customers.

The new website features a new NCTI blog, called Converge,  and applies a focus on product areas spanning Connected Home, Connected Business, Advanced Network, Technician Development, Customer Experience and Leadership Pathways, said the company, which recently opened its new corporate headquarters in Littleton.

“Industry consolidation, rapid technology advancements and fast-changing residential and business customer needs mean our MSO customers need to think about learning and development in new ways,” Slaughter said. “NCTI is supporting our fast-changing industry with a comprehensive approach that includes an emphasis on data-driven learning management and digital learning.”

“The new Amp experience unifies learning management, team and course administration, and learning activities into one intuitive, responsive and easy-to-use platform,” added David Hoyt, NCTI’s VP for client and student support. “ Leaders, training coordinators and human resource professionals gain a comprehensive view of learning and career progress across the enterprise. “

NCTI, founded in 1968, said it has trained nearly 500,000 frontline employees. It also offers an accredited college certificate and degree program through its partnership with Arapahoe Community College.

Two Colorado–based companies -- NCTI (formerly Jones/NCTI) and opXL LLC -- have come together to launch nine courses for frontline cable and broadband industry techs.

The courses, a three-part series focused on the HFC Outside Plant, and a six-part Safety Series, are being offered online and address two of the top training requests from cable operators in educating frontline teams, they said.

The online courses, which feature video clips and animation to illustrate concepts, are optimized for iPads and Android tablets, they added. NCTI will market and sell the opXL-developed courses and offer them at www.ncti.com

The HFC Outside Plant Technician Basics Series provides an overview of cable math, AC power and RF theory. The Safety Series delivers safety refreshers in the following areas: Bucket Truck Safety; Ladder Safety; Electrical Safety-Outside Plant; Electrical Safety-Customer Premises; Slips, Trips and Falls; and Driving Safety

"Our customers told us they want basic training for HFC Outside Plant Technicians and need safety refresher courses to keep technician teams safe, and support corporate risk management goals,” said Stacey Slaughter, NCTI’s CEO, who acquired Jones/NCTI late last year. “We are pleased to collaborate with opXL to offer these important and relevant new courses in a learner-friendly format. Our superior delivery system and this high quality content creates a win-win for operators."

"NCTI provides opXL with a fantastic avenue to deliver our interactive HFC Technician and Safety courseware to the service provider market,” added Tom Gorman, president of opXL. “The HFC Tech Series gives advanced techs the knowledge and skills they need to be more effective in their job - which is invaluable as technology changes. The skill level of service techs must evolve as well.  And safety - among both field employees and contracted technicians - is of critical, and often overlooked, importance. In addition to the personal health benefits, the amount of savings an operator can realize by reducing reportable accidents is significant."

"opXL Learning Systems' HFC Tech Series and Safety Series programs are a great addition to NCTI's robust curriculum,” opXL principal Neil Sullivan said. “The HFC Tech Series is ground-breaking, online, interactive content that can be delivered via any web format and is available 24/7. Our Safety courses have been developed with employee welfare in mind. One of our MSO clients has reported a reduction in accidents of 50% since they started using the programs."