North America’s International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA), a trade and certification association representing thousands of transportation and public safety professionals, has announced the creation of a new and more advanced fiber optic design certification for the traffic and ITS industries.
The new certification, Certified Fiber Optic Specialist/Design, will ensure that recipients have improved skill sets and are qualified to design fiber optic communications systems. IMSA noted that it fills a huge workforce need as data hungry ITS and traffic technologies require more fiber optic systems to handle the growing connected vehicle revolution.
“This certification is a significant step forward in helping create the transportation and public safety workforce of the future,” said Toby Cummings, IMSA executive director. “It represents the next step in our modernization and certification expansion efforts focused on advanced technologies that are critical to ensuring a safe, efficient and functioning traffic infrastructure.”
The certification is a collaboration with the Fiber Optic Association and is designed to take participants through the entire process of planning, designing and managing the installation of fiber networks. The course is intended for network owners, IT personnel, facility managers, network designers, estimators or technicians who are involved in ITS and traffic management, or related fiber optic fields.
“Every aspect of today’s communications networks, even wireless, depends on fiber optic networks for connectivity. Properly designed networks are vital to create networks that meet the communications needs of today and tomorrow,” said Jim Hayes, president of the Fiber Optic Association (FOA). “The FOA is proud to partner with IMSA to add this important certification to the IMSA/FOA CFOT Certified Fiber Optic Technician now offered by IMSA which will improve a critical workforce development component that is key to building smart cities and transportation agencies.”
The new course goes beyond the current Certified Fiber Optic Technician certification, which covers the basic installation of ITS, Traffic, Fire Alarm and Communications systems. It is part of IMSA’s current ambitious overhaul of the organization, designed to embrace evolving technology by creating new updatable certifications that reflect what agencies, contractors and public sector companies see in the field every day. The entire process is a direct result of a membership, peer, vendor, and industry partner research study.