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The Fiber Optic Association (FOA) is an international professional society of
Fiber Optic Technicians Manual
was published in 1997. The FOA advisory group developed the KSAs for the basic certification and tests which covered the knowledge part of the KSAs. By late 1997, the firs
FOA certifications
were granted. Since FOA was founded to be a professional society to set standards for training, not to do training itself, it next set standards t
approve schools
an
Schools already teaching fiber optics around the world were invited to join. Since then ove
300 schools
have participated in the FOA program and certified 57,000 techs in more than 40 countries. In 2009, FOA expanded its technical web site which now encompasses almost 1000 pages an
added free online training at its Fiber U website
At the same time, FOA began t
in order to provide faster updates and lower costs than were possible with a commercial publisher. In 2012, FOA recognized the dedication and inspiration of its dedicated core of instructors, many of whom had been founders of the FOA and helped its development by awarding them the designation of
Master Instructor
" These 27 Master Instructors had more than 500 years of experience in fiber optics and several had been teaching for more than 30 years.
ANSI/ISO/IEC STANDARD 17024
— General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons. FOA certifications are recognized by the
The Fiber Optic Association
Fiber U Online Training
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiber Optic Association, The Organizations based in California Professional associations based in the United States Fiber optics Information technology organizations
The Fiber Optic Association (FOA) is an international professional society of fiber optics
An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means t ...
. The FOA was founded in 1995 by a group of trainers from industry, government and education who wanted to create industry standards for training and certifying fiber optic technicians. The FOA is a not-for-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
501(c)6 organization based in California, USA, that has over 200 affiliated training organizations in over 40 countries. FOA approves fiber optic training organizations and certifies their instructors who train designers, installers and operators of all types of fiber optic networks. FOA programs are used by many organizations, companies and trade unions to train and certify their workers.
History
At the 1994 Fiber U Conference in Boston, the instructors decided that it was time to create a professional society for fiber optics. The instructors represented a number of fiber optic manufacturers including 3M, Siecor/Corning, Panduit and Fotec, two universities which had started fiber optic courses ( Wentworth andLincoln Trail College
Lincoln Trail College is a public community college in Robinson, Illinois. The college was founded in 1969 and is a member of the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges organization.
Academics
The college offers career preparation programs as well ...
), two US military services and several independent trainers and consultants.
The FOA was incorporated in July 1995 as a non-profit education organization (501(C)6). The founders and some other recruits began meeting to create a certification program
Professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation, often called simply ''certification'' or ''qualification'', is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task. Not all certifications ...
. Since the focus of the FOA was technicians not engineers or scientists and there were no good textbooks at the proper level, the first project was to develop a textbook that incorporated the FOA’s desired technical curriculum. That textbook, ThFiber Optic Technicians Manual
was published in 1997. The FOA advisory group developed the KSAs for the basic certification and tests which covered the knowledge part of the KSAs. By late 1997, the firs
FOA certifications
were granted. Since FOA was founded to be a professional society to set standards for training, not to do training itself, it next set standards t
approve schools
an
Schools already teaching fiber optics around the world were invited to join. Since then ove
300 schools
have participated in the FOA program and certified 57,000 techs in more than 40 countries. In 2009, FOA expanded its technical web site which now encompasses almost 1000 pages an
added free online training at its Fiber U website
At the same time, FOA began t
in order to provide faster updates and lower costs than were possible with a commercial publisher. In 2012, FOA recognized the dedication and inspiration of its dedicated core of instructors, many of whom had been founders of the FOA and helped its development by awarding them the designation of
Master Instructor
" These 27 Master Instructors had more than 500 years of experience in fiber optics and several had been teaching for more than 30 years.
Certifications
FOA offers certifications for basic fiber optics and premises cabling, installation skills, and specific applications. All certifications are based on KSAs - the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities - important to the topics. FOA certifications and KSAs are developed by a worldwide panel of experienced trainers and technicians. All FOA certifications folloANSI/ISO/IEC STANDARD 17024
— General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons. FOA certifications are recognized by the
US Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemploy ...
.
Basic
* CFOT - Certified Fiber Optic Technician covers basic fiber optics for all applications * CPCT - Certified Premises Cabling Technician covers fiber, copper and wireless for premises installationSkills
* CFOS/S - Certified Fiber Optic Specialist in Splicing * CFOS/C - Certified Fiber Optic Specialist in Connectors * CFOS/T - Certified Fiber Optic Specialist in Testing * CFOS/O - Certified Fiber Optic Specialist in Outside Plant Installation * CFOS/D - Certified Fiber Optic Specialist in Network DesignApplication
* CFOS/A - Certified Fiber Optic Specialist in Fiber To The Antenna (Cell Towers) * CFOS/DAS - Certified Fiber Optic Specialist in Distributed Antenna Systems (Wireless) * CFOS/DC - Certified Fiber Optic Specialist in Data Centers * CFOS/H - Certified Fiber Optic Specialist in Fiber To The Home * CFOS/L - Certified Fiber Optic Specialist in Optical LANsTraining
The Fiber Optic Association offers certification of skills and knowledge in various fiber optic related areas and specialties. FOA does not offer training courses directly. Training courses for FOA certification is only offered by FOA-Approved schools, educational institutions, private training programs, and community development training centers. All schools teaching FOA certifications have been approved through the FOA's School Approval Program. Each instructor teaching FOA certifications has been certified through the FOA's Train-The-Trainer Program.Membership
Members of the FOA have demonstrated their knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) in training courses and have successfully passed the FOA certification exam. Experienced industry professionals have applied to FOA directly through the FOA’s “Work To Cert” Program for certification based upon their knowledge and skills developed working the field. FOA Corporate Members are organizations and companies involved in the fiber optic industry such as manufacturers, contractors, installers, consultants, etc.Resources
The FOA publishes textbooks on fiber optics, premises cabling, outside plant and outside plant construction, and network design. FOA maintains a large online library of technical information and has created over 100 online videos, and free online self-study programs.References
External links
The Fiber Optic Association
Fiber U Online Training
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiber Optic Association, The Organizations based in California Professional associations based in the United States Fiber optics Information technology organizations