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Best outside plant technician certifications
The best certifications for an outside plant technician are Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma), BICSI Technician, and Fiber Optics Technician (FOTC).
Outside plant technician certifications demonstrate your competency as an outside plant technician to employers. However, not all outside plant technician certifications provide the same value.
Below is a list of the best outside plant technician certifications. Obtaining an outside plant technician certification will give you a leg up when you apply for jobs and increase your potential salary.
4 best certifications for outside plant technicians
| Rank | Outside plant technician certification | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma) | ETA |
| 2 | BICSI Technician | BICSI |
| 3 | Fiber Optics Technician (FOTC) | ETA |
| 4 | Cisco Optical Specialist 1 | Global Knowle... |
4 best outside plant technician certifications
1. Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma)
A technician with six or more years combined work and electronics training may be eligible for the ETA Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma) certification. The Master certification was created to showcase those technicians who are able to demonstrate proficiency in the many fields of electronics. In addition to the Associate level certification, one must successfully obtain six other certifications, with no more than two originating from the same specialized category, in order to qualify.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 1 year(s)
2. BICSI Technician
BICSI ITS Technician candidates are tested on their ability to understand and apply a comprehensive collection of installation-specific information.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? Yes
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
3. Fiber Optics Technician (FOTC)
A Fiber Optic Technician has a full understanding of inside plant optical fiber, connector, and splice performance characteristics as described in TIA-568C and can use these performance characteristics to create a worst case power budget for a fiber optic cable plant. An FOT can proficiently perform optical loss testing as described in TIA/EIA-526-14A and perform connector endface evaluation as described in TIA-455-57B. Using an OTDR an FOT can effectively locate faults in a fiber optic cable, mated connector pair, or splice as well as evaluate optical fiber performance, mated connector pair performance, or splice performance for compliance with TIA-568C.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? Every 4 year(s)
4. Cisco Optical Specialist 1
The Cisco Optical Specialist 1 focused certification validates skills and knowledge in designing, installing, operating, and maintaining optical networking systems. A Cisco Optical Specialist 1 understands the protocols and underlying technology of optical systems, such as SONET/SDH, DWDM, DPT/RPR, POS, optical cross-connects, Ethernet services, and element management. In addition, a Cisco Optical Specialist 1 is able to design, configure, build, operate, and troubleshoot Cisco optical networking products in Metro/Regional and Core environments. Because a certified Specialist understands optical networks and the relevant factors involved in high-availability solutions, the individual is uniquely positioned to address all aspects of building an optimized optical infrastructure. Cisco Optical Specialist 1 candidates require competency across multiple technology areas. They may work in organizations considering or implementing optical networks or in companies that sell, service, or support such networks.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required? No
What is the best certification for an outside plant technician?
The best outside plant technician certification is Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma). The Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma) is awarded by the ETA International. The advanced certification is for more experienced employees as it often requires some work experience to acquire.
Here's a bit more background on how to obtain this outside plant technician certification:
- To become a certified Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma), you need to pass the exam.
- This certificate requires more than two years of work experience.
- Renew certification every 1 year.
What are some of the most in-demand certifications for outside plant technicians?
The most in-demand outside plant technician certification is Fiber Optics Technician based on all active job postings. Having this outside plant technician certification will give you access to more outside plant technician jobs with higher salaries.
The most common combination of outside plant technician certifications include: Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma), BICSI Technician, and Fiber Optics Technician (FOTC).
Online courses for outside plant technicians to earn certifications
1. Plant Bioinformatic Methods
The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse or tap of a finger.The Plant Bioinformatics Specialization on Coursera introduces core...
2. Plant Bioinformatics
The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse. For instance, knowing where and when a gene is expressed can help us narrow down the...
3. SAP Plant Maintenance(PM) Module Online Classes
Functional Module SAP Plant Maintenance(PM) with Configuration...
4. Herbalism:: Growing Top Medicinal Plants Certificate
Growing your own herbal medicine is easy and allows you to have quick access to medicinal plants when you need them...
5. Plant Bioinformatics Capstone
The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse or tap of a finger. In Plant Bioinformatics on Coursera.org, we covered 33 plant-specific...
6. Understanding Plants - Part I: What a Plant Knows
For centuries we have collectively marveled at plant diversity and form—from Charles Darwin’s early fascination with stems and flowers to Seymour Krelborn’s distorted doting in Little Shop of Horrors. This course intends to present an intriguing and scientifically valid look at how plants themselves experience the world—from the colors they see to the sensations they feel. Highlighting the latest research in genetics and more, we will delve into the inner lives of plants and draw parallels with...
7. Real World SAP - Plant Maintenance Orders and Notifications
Learn SAP PM / EAM with a focus on real world scenarios...
8. How to Read P & ID, PFD & BFD used in Process Plant like Pro
Learn How to Read Piping and Instrument Diagram-P & ID, Process Flow Diagram and Block Flow Diagram used in Process Plant...
9. Curanderismo: Traditional Healing Using Plants
COURSE DESCRIPTION As one of four courses on Curanderismo, the art of Hispanic/Latino traditional medicine, this course focuses specifically on the use of plants in traditional healing. As an educational and cultural platform, this course will share the history, influences, and contributions of traditional medicine. Trained traditional healers will share their knowledge of the healing properties of plants commonly found in the Southwestern United States and Mexico through practical applications...
10. Herbalism:: Identify & Harvest Medicinal Plants Certificate
Identify, harvest and use easy to find herbs from the wild that are commonly used in herbal, holistic, natural medicine...
11. Cook Real Food: How to Make Simple Plant-Based Meals
Learn how to cook whole plant foods to make quick, easy, and healthy vegan meals for practical everyday eating...
12. Herbalism:: Wild Edible Plants for High Nutrition
Identify and forage common wild foods for exceptional nutrition. This is essential for holistic and natural medicine...
13. How To Read Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams Made Easy
All you'll ever need to easily Read P & IDs in one Clear and Concise Course for Plant Operators, Maintenance & Engineers...
14. Telephone Confidence: Be Super Confident on the Telephone!
Learn how to be more confident on the telephone, learn telephone skills, gain leverage over phone conversations and more...
15. Winning Communication Skills for Telephone, Conference Calls
Improve Communication Skills - Use the Telephone Effectively! Avoid Phone Etiquette Blunders that Annoy...
16. IT/Desktop Computer Support- Troubleshooting for Technicians
Learn how to troubleshoot desktop computer issues as an IT Support Technician on real-world organisational networks...
17. Introduction To Fiber Optic Cabling
Welcome! This course is designed to give you a good understand of fiber optics and fiber data transmission...
18. Eat Real Food: How to Eat a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet
Learn how to be a healthy vegan or vegetarian in a holistic way for best health, weight, and wellbeing...
19. Vegan Nutrition: Build Your Plant Based Diet & Meal Plan
Learn How To Set Up A Vegan Diet For Weight Loss, Building Muscle, Healthy Eating, Meal Planning & Vegan Bodybuilding...
20. Know Read Understand Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams P & IDs
Learn how Process Control, Safety Instrumented Systems, Interlock & Alarms are represented in engineering P & ID drawings...