VDV Academy (www.vdvacademy.com), the voice-data-video training arm of VDV Works LLC, recently introduced a series of training products including self-study programs and complete turnkey instructor's kits for teaching both VDV wiring and fiber optics.
VDV Works self-study programs build on two free online tutorials, "Lennie Lightwave's Guide to Fiber Optics" and "Uncle Ted's Guide to VDV Cabling," which are widely used by novices to get started in VDV cabling. The self-study program takes the student through hands-on exercises that teach basic installation practices they must know to get started. VDV Works says the self-study program is particularly useful for those needing to learn VDV installation techniques but lack the time for formal training.
Instructors wishing to teach a VDV course face the difficulty of developing their own courses, which is a time-consuming and expensive process. VDV Works offers complete turnkey instructor kits including presentation slides, student manuals, and hands-on laboratory manuals for both VDV wiring and fiber optics. Instructions for the instructor are included, along with all the details such as laboratory tools and parts lists.
The VDV Academy programs were developed by Jim and Karen Hayes, who developed the Fiber U and Cable U Web sites and training programs. Jim is the author of two cabling textbooks and is a contributor to several cabling-industry magazines.