LOUISVILLE, Colo., April 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SCTE®, the broadband industry's standards and workforce credentialing authority, today announced the launch of its first microcredential, certifying fiber blowing skills, and a new Proactive Network Maintenance (PNM) course series. Guided by SCTE's new Education Advisory Council (EAC), an industry-led council of operator and contractor leaders, these offerings are shaped by the industry, for the industry.
Together, the Fiber-Optic Cable Blowing Microcredential and PNM course series address two of the industry's most pressing workforce challenges: the need for a trusted way to validate fiber installation skills, and the need for practical standards-based training in proactive network troubleshooting. Both offerings are shaped by the operators and contractors who depend on them, informed by the vendors and industry experts who helped develop the standards behind them. SCTE microcredentials are industry-recognized credentials, not basic certificates of completion.
The global broadband market is projected to surpass $1 trillion by 2034 according to Fortune Business Insights, generating significant new job and advancement opportunities. The Fiber-Optic Cable Blowing Microcredential is the first in a series of focused SCTE microcredentials designed to validate essential broadband workforce skills. Together with thoughtfully developed standards-based training, these offerings give operators a consistent, industry-validated benchmark for workforce readiness.
The Education Advisory Council
As a nonprofit professional association, SCTE’s primary obligation is to the industry it serves. That independence gives its credentials and training credibility no commercial provider can match. The Education Advisory Council reflects that mission directly, bringing experienced operator and contractor leaders into the center of SCTE's credentialing strategy to ensure what is developed reflects what the industry needs.
"SCTE has always been where the industry comes together to define what good performance looks like," said Cory Pavicich, head of product for professional learning at SCTE. "That is as true for our credentials and training as it is for our standards. The Education Advisory Council deepens that commitment by keeping the people closest to the work at the center of what we build."
Inaugural participants come from operators and contractors including Comcast, Conway Corporation, Cox Communications, MasTec Network Solutions, Mediacom, Spectrum and Vyve.
Modular PNM Series
SCTE's PNM course series focuses on practical outside plant troubleshooting. Built on SCTE 280 and SCTE 294 standards and developed in collaboration with the SCTE PNM Working Group, the series equips technicians with the skills to identify and resolve network issues before they impact customers. Delivered as five modular, approximately one-hour courses, the series helps operators improve network reliability, reduce outages and minimize truck rolls. Courses include:
- PNM Course 1: Introduction to Proactive Network Maintenance
- PNM Course 2: Reflection, Impedance, and Distortion Impairment
- PNM Course 3: Frequency and Response Filtering Impairments
- PNM Course 4: Signal Level and Balance Impairments
- PNM Course 5: Noise and Distortion Impairments
"I am very impressed with this format. It covers exactly what our techs are doing in the field, and the video explanations and section-level check questions make it much easier to get through and actually retain," said Jason Schaal, Telecom Training Coordinator, Conway Corporation.
Fiber-Optic Cable Blowing Microcredential
Fiber blowing is a widely used method for underground fiber installation, and the global cable blowing equipment market is projected to grow roughly 5-7% annually through the end of the decade according to Cognitive Market Research. As deployment accelerates, operators need a consistent, trusted way to verify that crews are prepared to build safely and correctly. The Fiber-Optic Cable Blowing Microcredential is SCTE's first microcredential and the industry's first credential for fiber blowing, validating knowledge and hands-on field performance through a two-step assessment process. The result is a credential operators can trust as a signal of job-ready competency, and technicians can earn as a recognized mark of professional credibility.
Advancing Workforce Readiness
Together, the Fiber-Optic Cable Blowing Microcredential, the PNM course series and the Education Advisory Council reflect SCTE's commitment to building workforce credentials the broadband industry can trust, developed in consensus, grounded in standards and designed around the skills that matter most.
SCTE’s training and standards ecosystem spans more than 300 courses, 12 industry certifications and over 400 published standards—including 336 ANSI standards—supported by collaboration across more than 1,800 companies and more than 50 chapters connecting tens of thousands of practitioners across broadband, mobile and video. To learn more, visit www.scte.org.
About SCTE®
The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE®), a subsidiary of CableLabs® is a global leader in broadband training, certification, and standards. With more than 60 chapters worldwide (including chapters operated by international licensees), SCTE provides technical leadership for the broadband industry, ensuring innovation and workforce readiness in an ever-changing communications landscape.
For more information, contact:
Ann Finnie
CableLabs
(669) 777-9036
a.finnie@cablelabs.com
Robert Brownlie
Bob Gold & Associates
(310) 320-2010
scte@bobgoldpr.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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Videos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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