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FIA Qualification Scheme - Certified Trainers

The FIA believes that the expertise of the trainer is a key element of the quality of a training course and resulting qualification.

It is not the aim of the FIA to produce a ‘closed shop’ for new training providers coming into the industry, but rather to ensure they enter the industry to provide a quality service in a way that will not be to the detriment of the FIA Qualification Scheme or other training provider’s reputations.

Only trainers meeting FIA requirements for knowledge, training qualifications and experience will receive FIA Certified Trainer status, thereby being authorised to deliver and assess certain training courses for the purposes of the FIA Qualification Scheme.

Although it is recognised that these requirements may place a small additional burden on individuals and/or their organisation, it is felt that the benefits to the industry and the reputation of organisations delivering the FIA Qualification Scheme, will be substantial.

The FIA requirements will increase the value of Certified Trainers to their organisations, and will help to protect FIA Approved Training Providers from short-term opportunists seeing training as an easy option.

All trainers wishing to become FIA Certified Trainers must complete the Application Form detailing all relevant qualifications and experience and also submit the relevant fee. The FIA may request evidence of any details given on the Application Form.

The FIA require that Certified Trainers have some practical experience of fibre optics and/or cabling in field, factory or development laboratories. The FIA will not accept applications from trainers with less than one years’ experience in the fibre optics, cabling or a closely related industry.

The FIA requires that Certified Trainers are:

  • Knowledgeable in all aspects of fibre optics to a level beyond that required to pass the City and Guilds 3666 scheme
  • Qualified, trained or experienced as trainers
  • Practically experienced in the field of fibre optics.

Requirements

The fee payable to the FIA for each Certified Trainer application is £75 + VAT. This covers the cost of administration and the FIA Certified Trainer Examination (CTE).

Alternatively, any person who has gained the FIA Award Level V status can be accredited as an FIA Certified Trainer for a reduced fee of £35 + VAT, without the need to sit the CTE.

The FIA is concerned that Certified Trainers shall have the full and rounded knowledge of fibre optics that is not necessarily gained from experience alone. For example, some engineers work in just one section of the industry and so are not so well versed with other sections of the fibre optics and cabling industry, despite many years of experience.

Certified Trainers are required to pass a written FIA examination (CTE). The CTE syllabus is based on the use of optical fibres and cables in common telecommunications (including data) applications. The “pass” mark is set at a high level to reflect the fact that trainers should have a good knowledge of optical fibre cabling in such standard applications.

We expect candidates to have basic knowledge as required by anyone delivering training in the underpinning knowledge aspects associated with C&G 3666.

However, more detailed information is also required. Required reading comprises of FIA source documents including:

Technical Support Documents

White Papers

The FIA also expect candidates to be fully familiar with the requirements of the standards for design and installation of optical fibre cabling (i.e. BS EN 50173 and BS EN 50174 series) which reflect industry norms and are the foundation of many installation contracts. Unfortunately, the FIA cannot supply copies of these standards but they can be purchased via the FIA web-site.

The FIA is keen to ensure that persons delivering FIA Qualification Scheme units have themselves had some training in how to structure and deliver training.

To this end the FIA have decided that all FIA Certified Trainers shall have a qualification to show that they have achieved a suitable level of expertise as a trainer. There are a number of trainer qualifications and certification schemes that will satisfy the FIA requirements.

The FIA has elected to recognise the following common trainer qualifications but this list is not exhaustive and it is the aim of the FIA to be flexible in relation to this requirement:

  • QCA: Certificate of Education
  • CIPD: CITP
  • City &Guilds: Programme 4445 – level V

 

The main criteria for trainer qualifications or certification, is that the course assessment is, or was, by an organisation independent from the trainer’s own organisation.

It is recommended that organisations or individuals enrolling on trainer training and certification courses check first that the FIA recognises the award as fulfilling FIA requirements if not listed above.

The FIA is prepared to extend a significant period of grace to experienced trainers in order to allow them to enroll for and gain a suitable qualification. For “new” trainers the FIA is keen that suitable training in delivering training is sought as soon as possible. The FIA has decided, however, not to insist on immediate enrollment since this might be disadvantageous to the individual or their organisation, and prevent them from taking options such as night school courses.

The period of grace begins from the date of the Certified Trainer application. Trainers may apply for extensions where a programme is a high-level training award that would normally take longer than 12 months to complete, and this will be at the discretion of the FIA QSD.

  • Those with up to 6 years training experience must gain a suitable qualification with 24 months.
  • Those with more than 6 years training experiment are not required to gain a teaching qualification.

Trainers must provide evidence of their training experience either in the fibre optics or other industries. Suitable evidence will be, for example, job title of ‘trainer’ with evidence of years of employment, or a job description detailing the delivery of training courses as a significant part of that job role. It will be at the discretion of the QSD whether the evidence provided is deemed to be sufficient for a particular period of grace.

List of Certified trainers

The personnel listed below are certified trainers for the FIA Qualification Scheme.

David Gallivan

Lucid Optical Services Limited

Trainer Number: FIACT 05005

John Colton

Lucid Optical Services Limited

Trainer Number: FIACT 05006

Steve Dobson

Lucid Optical Services Limited

Trainer Number: FIACT 05007

Mike Harrop

EXFO Limited

Trainer Number: FIACT 05013

Matt Davies

Total Communications Training Limited

Trainer Number: FIACT 05015

Martin Warne

EXFO Limited

Trainer Number: FIACT 05016

Craig Buckingham

Royal School of Signals

Trainer Number: FIACT 05017

Alistair McAllister

Lucid Optical Services Limited

Trainer Number: FIACT 05018

Peter Moore

RAF Digby

Trainer Number: FIACT 05020

Andrew Jackson

RAF Digby

Trainer Number: FIACT 05022

Edwin Walsh

RAF Digby

Trainer Number: FIACT 05023

Paul Richmond

RAF Digby

Trainer Number: FIACT 05024

Richard Ainsely

RAF Digby

Trainer Number: FIACT 05025

Christopher Riley

RAF Digby

Trainer Number: FIACT 05026

Graeme Walker

RAF Digby

Trainer Number: FIACT 05027

Martin Cann

RAF Digby

Trainer Number: FIACT 05028

Richard Ednay

OTT

Trainer Number: FIACT 05029

Chris Atkin

TotalComms Training

Trainer Number: FIACT 05030

Geoff Crossley

Crossconnect Training

Trainer Number: FIACT 05031

Paul Forster

Total Network Solutions (Europe)

Trainer Number: FIACT 05032

Thomas Andrews

RAF Digby

Aaron Summerhayes

RAF Digby

Clive Keen

RAF Digby

John Cole

RAF Digby

Stephen Clifton

RAF Digby

Scott Mclean

RAF Digby

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