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Network Cable & Fiber Optic Installation Skills Training

Fiber Optic and Network Cable Installation Training

Every data center, hospital, school, warehouse, and stadium runs on structured cabling that somebody had to install by hand. Somebody has to pull it, splice it, terminate it, and test it. Indiana is in the middle of a building boom for this kind of infrastructure, and Google's $2 billion Fort Wayne data center is only the most visible piece. Contractors need people who have been trained properly and can prove it with a certification. This program is designed to train and certify you. 

Get eight weeks of hands-on fiber optic and network cable installation training at Ivy Tech Fort Wayne, Bloomington, and Valparaiso. Prepare for the OSHA 10, BICSI Installer 1, and ETA Fiber Optic Installer certifications. 

  • BICSI Installer 1 - The baseline credential for structured cabling installers, issued by the industry's global standards body. You'll sit for both parts of the exam: written and practical. Employers across commercial construction and telecom recognize it at a glance. 

  • ETA® Certified Fiber Optics Installer (FOI) - Proof you can install, splice, terminate, test, and document a fiber link to standard. Includes both the written exam and a hands-on skills examination, so it certifies what you can do, not just what you can recall. 

  • OSHA 10-Hour Construction Card - Issued by the U.S. Department of Labor. Many commercial job sites won't let you through the gate without it. You'll earn yours in Week 1, before you ever touch a cable. 

Everything You Need to Know About the Program

There are no prerequisites. You don't need a background in construction, IT, or electrical work, and you don't need a college degree. You just need the willingness to show up every day for eight weeks and work with your hands. 

This program tends to be a strong fit if you are: 

  • Looking for a career change and applied learning. 

  • Coming out of a job with a ceiling on it. 

  • Already in the trades and want to add fiber to what you can do. 

  • A recent high school graduate who wants to earn industry-recognized credentials. 

Google is funding this training as part of its investment in Indiana's skilled trades workforce, delivered in partnership with Ivy Tech Community College. That means tuition, materials, and certification exam fees are covered. You pay nothing. 

Graduates go to work as entry-level installers and technicians for the companies that build and maintain communications infrastructure. 

  • Cable Technician / Installer 

  • Broadband Technician 

  • Telecommunications Field Technician 

  • Field Service Technician 

  • Satellite Technician 

  • Data Center Technician 

Week 1: Student Success & Workplace Safety 

25 contact hours 

The on-ramp. You'll get set up on program systems, laptops, and the learning management system, then build the study habits, time-management strategies, and digital literacy the rest of the program depends on. You'll also complete OSHA 10-Hour Construction training and earn your Department of Labor card, covering the Focus Four hazards: falls, electrocution, struck-by, and caught-in or between. You'll finish the week with a personal success plan and a clear map of the seven weeks ahead. 

Weeks 2-3: Fiber Optic Installation 

50 contact hours 

Straight into fiber. You'll cover optical transmission theory, fiber types, cable construction, connector endface geometry, and the color-coding and performance standards that govern the work. Then you'll do it: mechanical and fusion splicing, field terminations, cleaning and inspection procedures, and cable routing across tray, duct, conduit, direct-buried, aerial, and blown-fiber pathways.  

Weeks 4-7: Network Cable Installation 

100 contact hours 

The longest phase and the most time in the lab. You'll build telecommunications spaces from the ground up. That means installing pathways and cable support systems, setting and preparing outlets, installing bonding and grounding infrastructure to the National Electrical Code, and applying firestop and smoke-barrier systems at rated penetrations.  

Week 8: Career Readiness 

20 Contact Hours 

The off-ramp. Certification testing, then the work of turning a credential into a job: resume and portfolio, interview practice, and direct connections to contractors and employers hiring in your region. Your Ivy+ Career Link career coach works with you one-on-one. 

Eight weeks is short, which is the point. It's short because it's concentrated. Here is exactly what you're signing up for, so you can plan around it before you commit instead of discovering it in Week 2. 

Phase 

Weeks 

On-site Hours 

Per Day 

Pre-reading Total Hours 

Student Success & Workplace Safety 

Week 1 

25 hours 

5 hours 

0 

Fiber Optic Installation 

Weeks 2-3 

50 hours 

5 hours 

0 

Network Cable Installation 

Weeks 4-7 

100 hours 

5 hours 

50 hours 

Career Readiness 

Week 8 

10 hours 

2 hours 

0 

This is not a hybrid or self-paced program. The lab equipment, fusion splicers, test gear, and instructor are on campus, and that's where you'll learn. This is physical work, in training and on the job. You'll be on your feet, on ladders, in ceilings, and in tight spaces. You'll need to lift, work at height, and use both hands for fine detail work. 

What we expect from you 

  • Attend every scheduled session. 

  • Arrive on time and ready to work. 

  • Wear required PPE and appropriate footwear on lab days. 

  • Tell us early when something comes up. 

  • Do the outside reading and exam prep. 

What you can expect from us 

  • An experienced instructor who has been trained in the field. 

  • A dedicated training lab at your campus. 

  • All equipment, materials, and consumables provided. 

  • Certification exam preparation and testing coordination. 

  • One-on-one career coaching through Ivy+ Career Link. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • No. There are no prerequisites. The program is built for people entering the trade for the first time, and Week 1 covers the computer and study skills you'll need before technical content starts. 

  • Nothing. Google covers tuition, materials, and certification exam fees through its funding of the program. 

  • No. This is short-term skills training that leads to industry certifications, not a degree. It's designed to get you employable in eight weeks. 

  • About 25 hours per week for eight consecutive weeks, all on campus. 

  • Because each week builds on the last, missed sessions are hard to make up. Tell your instructor or career coach as early as you can, and they'll work with you. 

  • Yes. You'll test during the program, and we'll cover exam fees. Network cabling written exams are delivered through Pearson VUE, with hands-on practical examinations administered on-site. 

  • Yes. Week 8 is dedicated to career readiness, and you work one-on-one with an Ivy+ Career Link career coach on your resume, interview preparation, and introductions to employers hiring in your area. 

  • A career coach from your campus contacts you to answer questions and confirm the program is a fit. If it is, they walk you through enrollment and send you your start date, schedule, and what to bring on Day 1. The interest form itself doesn't commit you to anything

Find Local Career Coach Contact Info

Don't see a nearby Career Coach location? Call 1-888-489-5463 and we'll get you started.

Please contact Career Coach at our full-service campus located in Lawrenceburg.

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Schedule an Appointment: https://link.ivytech.edu/CareerCoachAppts 

 

Matthew Childers | mchilders9@ivytech.edu 

Career Coach for Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering, and Applied Sciences

Leanne Hughes | lhughes57@ivytech.edu 

Career Coach for Arts, Sciences & Education, Public Affairs & Social Services, Business, Logistics & Supply Chain

Holly Barnes | hbarnes42@ivytech.edu

Career Coach for Nursing, Health Sciences, Information Technology (IT)

Kayla Dusseau | kdusseau@ivytech.edu 

Director of Career Coaching & Career Coach for Garatoni School of Entrepreneurship & Innovation

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Christiane Torres
ctorresfb@ivytech.edu

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317-907-8713
lakecounty-careerlink@ivytech.edu

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317-907-8713
lakecounty-careerlink@ivytech.edu

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Carrie Feltis | 812-429-9810
cfeltis@ivytech.edu 
Director of Career Coaching

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Joyce Baker
jbaker86@ivytech.edu

Director of Career Coaching, Career Coach for programs in:

  • School of Health Sciences
  • School of Nursing

Carrie Black
cscheiber1@ivytech.edu 

Career Coach for programs in:

  • School of Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering & Applied Science
  • School of Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management
  • School of Public Affairs & Social Services

Meghan Stevens
mstevens142@ivytech.edu 

Career Coach for programs in:

  • School of Arts, Sciences, & Education
  • School of Business, Logistics, & Supply Chain
  • Garatoni School of Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • School of Information Technology

Schedule an appointment

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Please contact Career Coach at our full-service campus located in Columbus.

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LeGunia Rogers
Entrepreneurship | Arts, Sciences & Education | Business, Logistics & Supply Chain
lrogers79@ivytech.edu

219-339-3642

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Please contact Career Coach at our full-service campus located in Terre Haute.

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hamco-careerlink@ivytech.edu

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Indianapolis-CareerCoaching@ivytech.edu

To request an appointment, contact us at Indianapolis-CareerCoaching@ivytech.edu 

Career Coaches:

Daron Babcock, M.A.
dbabcock15@ivytech.edu 
School of Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering & Applied Science and School of Public Affairs and Social Services

Drew Carey, BCC
dcarey23@ivytech.edu 
School of Information Technology, School of Business, Logistics & Supply Chain, and Garatoni School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Marie Evans
jwarren78@ivytech.edu 
Undecided students and students in the School of Arts, Sciences & Education

Taranae Madani, M.S.
tmadani@ivytech.edu 
School of Nursing and the School of Health Sciences

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Please contact Career Coach at our full-service campus located in Fort Wayne.

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Please contact Career Coach at our full-service campus located in Valparaiso.

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Jessica Farrell | jfarrell29@ivytech.edu

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Lake County has 3 full-service locations. Select a location below to see contact information for their Career Coach department.

Shelby Cole | selliott13@ivytech.edu

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Jessica Bradley
Career Coach
jbradley163@ivytech.edu
463-209-6911

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Blessing Awuyeh | bawuyeh@ivytech.edu 

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Please contact Career Coach at our full-service campus located in Valparaiso.

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Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

463-333-3507
adunn146@ivytech.edu

John & Janice Fisher Building
345 S High Street
MUNCIE, IN 47305

 



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Please contact Career Coach at our full-service campus located in Muncie.

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Please contact Career Coach at our full-service campus located in Sellersburg.

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Please contact Career Coach at our full-service campus located in Indianapolis.

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Bailey Owens
Career Coach
bowens87@ivytech.edu 

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Please contact Career Coach at our full-service campus located in Richmond.

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Please contact Career Coach at our full-service campus located in Sellersburg.

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Sandy Hammond | shammond25@ivytech.edu 
Troy Clampitt | tclampit@ivytech.edu

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Please contact Career Coach at our full-service campus located in Columbus.

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Krista Hunt

21st Century Scholars, School of Arts, Sciences, & Education, School of Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering, & Applied Sciences, and Undecided/Exploratory

khunt107@ivytech.edu

Liana Legus

Schools of Public Affairs & Social Services and Business/IT

llegus@ivytech.edu 

Patty Willaert

Schools of Health Sciences and Nursing

pwillaert@ivytech.edu

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Please contact Career Coach at our full-service campus located in Evansville.

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Cary King
Director, Career Coaching
463-298-3542  |  cking412@ivytech.edu

Virtual On-Demand Service:
Video | Voice | Chat
Monday–Friday | 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. ET
Enter Zoom Room →

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Cindi Czapla
Career Coach for School of Nursing, Healthcare, Arts, Sciences and Education. and Exploratory /Non-Declared students last name N-Z
cczapla@ivytech.edu

Darnieshia Morris
Career Coach for School of Business, IT, Public and Social Services, AMEAS and Exploratory/Non-Declared students last name A-M
dmorris152@ivytech.edu

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