Broadband Breakfast on February 22, 2023 – Workforce Development Issues
Discuss the state of the broadband workforce, what is being done to develop it and what challenges still lie ahead.
Our Broadband Breakfast Live Online events take place on Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. Watch the event on Broadband Breakfast, or REGISTER HERE to join the conversation.
Wednesday, February 22, 2023, 12 Noon ET – Workforce Development Issues
Several states are using funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to implement new broadband curriculums and apprenticeship programs in order to grow the dwindling telecom workforce. These programs are key for ensuring a future workforce that is robust, resilient, and has the training and experience required to support the future of broadband. But will these measures be enough to fend off the approaching labor shortage that some experts have warned will risk states’ ability to maintain adequate internet coverage? Join industry leaders at this live online event to check in with the state of the broadband workforce, what is being done to develop it and what challenges still lie ahead.
Panelists
- Shane Matthews, Director of Training and Development, ElectriCom
- Drew Clark (moderator), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
Panelist resources:
- New Broadband Workers Can Be Enticed By High Wages, Career Advancement: Experts, Broadband Breakfast, November 3, 2022
- Creating & Expanding a Diverse Broadband Workforce with Good Jobs & Career Pathways, Report by America Achieves
- Telecom Interagency Working Group Report on Workforce Needs, Federal Communications Commission
- Telecommunications Workforce: Additional Workers Will Be Needed to Deploy Broadband, but Concerns Exist About Availability, Government Accountability Office Report
- How state and local leaders can harness new infrastructure funding to build a stronger, more inclusive workforce, Brookings Institution
- Seizing the U.S. infrastructure opportunity: Investing in current and future workers, Bookings Institution, December 2022
Shane Matthews is the Director of Training and Development at ElectriCom LLC. He brings with him a background in education and experience in both construction and lean manufacturing. At ElectriCom, he oversees the ongoing training of their current workforce, their NEO program, their apprenticeship programs, and the professional development of their leadership.
Drew Clark (moderator) is CEO of Breakfast Media LLC. He has led the Broadband Breakfast community since 2008. An early proponent of better broadband, better lives, he initially founded the Broadband Census crowdsourcing campaign for broadband data. As Editor and Publisher, Clark presides over the leading media company advocating for higher-capacity internet everywhere through topical, timely and intelligent coverage. Clark also served as head of the Partnership for a Connected Illinois, a state broadband initiative.
Photo courtesy of PxHere
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