Ericsson USA Centers of Excellence train the 5G installation workforce

Ericsson's training Center of Excellence

The U.S. needs an additional 20,000 tower technicians to build out 5G at scale. Ericsson’s four regional Center of Excellence training facilities help create this workforce to accelerate 5G buildouts while meeting customer needs, creating jobs and keeping tower climbers safe. Across the country, Ericsson trainees learn to support, roll-out and maintain the systems that will bring 5G to the U.S. and Canada. Ericsson has been training professional to roll-out and maintain mobile networks in our training facilities since 2015 and recently celebrated our 100th training class graduation!

5G growth relies on the availability of 5G field technicians. Without the workforce, there is no network. The addition of 5G tower climbers means higher build volume and accelerated 5G deployments across the U.S.

Building a 5G installation workforce requires training skilled workers, which opens opportunities for people outside the industry to begin new career paths. Existing workers are upskilling to meet new requirements and acquiring expertise that makes them highly marketable well into the future.

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At Ericsson’s Center of Excellence facilities, trainees participate in operator-specific courses taught by industry experts. Courses range from site installation to integration, radio base station installation, tower and rooftop installation, microwave alignment, deployment and network integration for 3G, 4G and 5G technologies, as well as virtual site support.

Customized training is created for each operator’s equipment and configuration along with a comprehensive certification program focused on end-to-end delivery quality. This provides measurable, verifiable results. Ericsson's regional approach provides maximum customer flexibility and better management of travel costs.

Ericsson partners with industry associations, U.S. operators and the Department of Labor to build a resource funnel for new tower workers. Ericsson will continue investing in training and certifying resources to ensure the 5G deployment worker shortage is addressed and deployment is done by a well-trained and educated workforce.

4.00

Center of Excellence training facilities

19000.00

Ericsson and authorized services provider students trained since 2010

98000.00

sq. ft. total dedicated training space

Not everyone meets the requirements to be a tower technician. Technicians scale hundreds of feet, carrying 50 – 60 lbs. of equipment, in gusts of 15 – 20 Mph winds. It’s a difficult profession and these factors naturally limit the selection pool of candidates. As a result, the U.S. has 27,000 tower technicians but needs an additional 20,000 to build out 5G at scale. Workers need to ramp up quickly on 5G service requirements as well as the extensive regulations they must adhere to or risk financial or legal penalties (e.g. traffic, safety, construction notices).

Watch the three short videos below to hear from two recent grads and an instructor from the Ericsson Center of Excellence in Lewisville, TX. These new grads were part of the 100th graduating class in February 2022!

Kriek Jones

Instructor in Lewisville, TX

Kriek’s first experience at the Ericsson COE was ‘mind blowing’. The state-of-the-art tools and equipment provided, treatment of employees and focus on safety lead the industry. Learn more from the instructor’s perspective about how Ericsson is investing in training in US.

Ivan Radziak

Ericsson COE 100th class graduate

Ivan is excited to have learned the “DNA of climbing” during his class and specifically liked the rescue training. He is looking toward the future to continually roll-out and maintain the 5G and future 6G networks in the US.

Ranger Putnam

Ericsson Foreman

Ranger graduated with the 100th training class in February 2022. The in-depth instruction and focus on safety really sets this training apart according to Ranger. He is looking forward to the view from the top of towers and future career opportunities in the industry.

Ericsson wants every worker to go home the same way they arrived. Safety instruction exists in all course curricula. Safety briefings occur during the interactive portion of the training and cover field-specific safety topics ranging from the importance of non-conductive measuring tapes to correct tie-off procedures and air quality monitoring. The overarching message is to stay alert and prepare for the unexpected.

Solution provider competence center

External, dedicated training structures provide students training in simulated work environments, including working in the natural elements carrying full gear.