March 2012
SCTE AND BECIL COLLABORATE ON FIRST FORMAL TRAINING CERTIFICATION FOR INDIA’S CABLE/WIRELINE ENGINEERS
New training centres across India to deliver world-class professional courses and qualifications
SCTE (Society for Broadband Professionals) has announced details of the first formal training and certification programme for India’s wireline/cable technicians and engineers at Convergence India this week. Last year, SCTE and BECIL (Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd) signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding, enabling BECIL to teach SCTE cable training to India’s cable engineers and technicians. The agreement will see new training centres set up throughout India and will pave the way for world-class qualifications for engineers and technicians in the Indian broadband industry.
“This is a historic moment for the provision of structured cable/wireline training in India,” said Dr Roger Blakeway, President of SCTE. “It sets a firm foundation for the professional development and accreditation for India’s cable/wireline technicians and engineers as well as the expansion of SCTE membership in India. The structured and rigorous training of engineers and technicians means reduced service calls, lower network maintenance costs and, ultimately, a more satisfied cable/wireline customer. Experience has taught us that ‘get it right first time’ should be the ultimate goal for any network operator or service provider.”
SCTE and BECIL will offer three core skills training courses to the Indian market – Installation Technicians, Service Technicians and Network Technicians, each with internationally-recognised certification. BECIL will set up training centres across India to teach these courses to cable technicians and engineers. The first new training centre has already been built and opened in New Delhi and initial successful candidates have already received certification.
BECIL is a Government of India enterprise, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and provides a range of services in broadcasting and ICT as well as providing technical updates to the Ministry. Its clients include the Indian Government, Indian security agencies and educational institutions, media houses and TV channel/private FM operators.
BECIL successfully conducted the first SCTE Training Programme for Installation Technicians from 19 -23 December 2011. Shri Uday Kumar Varma, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, along with his senior colleagues from the Ministry were present at the Valedictory function held on 23 December 2011 at BECIL’s newly constructed office “BECIL Bhawan.” Senior managers at BECIL commented: “With eventual training facilities in four major cities in India, BECIL would have the capacity to train around 2000 CATV personnel annually. Later on, it is proposed to expand these facilities to other locations in each of the states of the country (say around 25 cities) to meet the huge requirement for this training.”
To support the increasing numbers of trained and accredited engineers in India, SCTE is envisaging the creation of an ‘SCTE India’, which will eventually become an independent self-supporting organisation providing opportunities for local and regional seminars, lectures and networking events. SCTE training courses have achieved wide acceptance as the standard for young technicians wishing to enter the field of cable telecommunications and for those wishing to advance their knowledge and career prospects. They are used in-house by a number of operating companies and SCTE engineers can be found working in a variety of international organisations.
Founded in 1945, the SCTE is a Learned Society and non-profit making organisation whose aim is to raise the standard of global broadband engineering in the telecommunications industry. The Society particularly concerns itself with the training and career advancement of technical professionals worldwide. As a Learned Society, SCTE is able to provide accreditation and certification for its members, giving them professional standing within the industry. Full Members and Fellows are allowed to use the designations MSCTE and FSCTE after their names. Technician members may use the designation TMSCTE and a further student category enables students to use the designation SSCTE after their name.
The SCTE stages technical lecture meetings several times per year at the IET in London, in the Balkans and through its Benelux Group at selected European venues including the IBC Conference. The SCTE also runs an annual Broadband conference and exhibition in the Balkans, supported by high level sponsors.
A series of industry achievement awards for the broadband industry are also a regular feature of the SCTE calendar. These celebrate individual and company success in the broadband arena.The Technological Innovation awards for companies in the broadband industry, open to the entire broadband industry, are for technological innovation in the broadband arena and are for a product, system or concept.
The SCTE regularly awards bursaries to those who might benefit from attending specific trade shows or conferences in the broadband industry. The SCTE and ANGA recently announced a new bursary for ANGA 2012 (12 to 14 June 2012, Cologne, Germany) – a major European cable exhibition – which includes technical congress/exhibition tickets, economy flights from anywhere in Europe and three nights’ hotel accommodation in Cologne for 20 successful applicants. The SCTE also provides four bursaries for the IBC conference and trade fair in Amsterdam, The Netherlands (6-11 September 2012). Each bursary package includes full conference registration, economy flights from anywhere in Europe and four nights’ hotel accommodation in Amsterdam.
The Society chairs the British Standards Committee for cable systems and represents the UK at European (CENELEC) and world (IEC) levels.
Website: www.theSCTE.eu
