New tricks for teaching: Software, Web-based solutions help growing pool of technicians get up to speed

While the recent changes in the telecommunications industry have created new opportunities for trained telecom technicians, they may be creating a headache for their bosses.

Carriers are forced to staff their operations from a shrinking pool of skilled personnel and must fill in the blanks with newcomers whose skills aren't yet up to par. In an era in which customer satisfaction and network availability translate directly into dollars, this is unsettling, especially for established carriers.

"People on the service provider side are struggling to retain people," said Phil Lorch, wireless education services manager for Hewlett-Packard's solution services division. "In a lot of cases, manufacturers are hiring the best of the best, and the service providers are being left holding the short end of the stick."

Fortunately, new educational tools that take advantage of software advances and the Internet are helping students out.

One company specializing in electronic education, Rochester, N.H.-based Teletutor, has collaborated with Cabletron Systems on the Computer Assisted Instruction Program, which teaches students the basics of network management. Students "attend" Teletutor-designed interactive technology courses through Cabletron's Web site, where they acquire the prerequisite knowledge for later product-specific training.

Teletutor uses tools such as Web-based instruction and self-teaching courses on CD-ROM to provide cost-effective training, often without pulling personnel out of their current jobs. The on-line courses aim to teach technology fundamentals, enabling time spent in laboratory instruction to focus on "theory-to-practice" applications, said Teletutor President Jim Cooper.

"By implementing our courseware as an alternative means of meeting prerequisites for its courses, Cabletron is able to provide customers with the maximum value from classroom training to make better use of Cabletron products," Cooper said.

A similar approach to educating busy employees is used by DataBeam Corp., another software firm specializing in collaborative computing and conferencing tools.

Last year, the Lexington, Ky.-based company released the Learning Server, a software-only tool that allows carriers or vendors to deliver live, interactive training over the Internet or corporate intranets.

The Learning Server, which does not require the student's computer to be reconfigured, allows instructors to hold "live" courses with students throughout a wide geographical area, saving carriers money in travel time and expenses.

"In industries like telecommunications, where product life cycles are getting shorter, training is the aspect that suffers the most," said Debbie Black, manager of market development for DataBeam. "Systems like this allow the necessary training to take place without taking people away from the jobs they're needed to perform."

Training also provides carriers with opportunities to enhance their bottom lines. Last month, BellSouth announced the BellSouth World Class Campus, a training site accessed through BellSouth's Web site. It provides the gateway for program subscribers to learn or improve their desktop computer skills at their own pace.

"World Class Campus is primarily targeted at people who work at home, people who need to upgrade their computer skills to enhance career opportunities, and the general Internet user," said Kim Cunningham, BellSouth's innovative products manager.

More conventionally, HP and Bellcore are holding a series of classroom courses across the country designed specifically for RF technicians to help wireless carriers' newer personnel to get up to speed with the technologies they use.

"How we deal with this issue now will impact the future growth of the industry," said HP's Lorch.

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