On October 28, 1997, the first class of four technicians successfully completed the Master Technician 2000 course. These four individuals, Mike Hines of Mercury Communications, Brian Hollingsworth of Interwest Communications, Brad Pitcock of Evans Communications, and Brian Vileen of NEC BCS (East) comprised the inaugural class. During graduation ceremonies, they were awarded their Master Technician plaques and Gold Tech ID Cards with unique Tech ID's identifying them as Master Technicians.
Brad Pitcock of Evans Communications said, "I would recommend this course to other techs…..really enjoyed it." Another participant said, "The small class size was perfect for the detailed information that we received. I think the multiple instructors and multiple locations were very helpful." Brian Vileen stated, "I think the course has been going very well. The instructors are very knowledgeable in the areas that they taught. The pace of the course has been good." After the first week of class, Mike Hines of Mercury Communications said, "So far, everything we've done has been exactly what I expected out of the class including lots of hands on." Finally, Brian Hollingsworth stated, "I am very pleased to be a part of this 'next step' in NEC's outstanding training program."
These Master Technicians also provided NEC with suggestions for improving and streamlining future classes. These suggestions will be incorporated in the next class beginning January 19, 1998. As each class concludes, NEC will take suggestions and recommendations into consideration for upcoming classes. This way, each set of Master Technicians will set new standards for the classes which follow.
The initial class of four Master Technicians will now be afforded senior level NTAC and Systems Engineering support on the rare occasions they need to call for assistance. By NEC's estimate, the Master Technician graduate should be able to handle at least 95 percent of all questions on the NEAX 2000 IVS that other technicians in the company may encounter.
Following completion of the Master Technician course, three of the graduates remained for additional training and certification as NEAX 2000 IVS Basic course instructors through NEC's Train-the-Trainer program. The fourth Master Technician had previously completed this training. These four Master Technicians are now authorized to provide the NEAX2000 IVS Basic course to other employees of their company and have NECAM recognize this training as the same given by NEC instructors.
Overall, both NEC America, Inc./CNG and the initial cadre of new Master Technician 2000 graduates were pleased with the format and content of the course. Future classes will continue to provide dedicated, senior level instruction to the best technicians from the associate pool. For more information, see the NEC CNG Web page at www.ilibrary.com or contact the Product Education and Training Department at 888-872-4632.