ComNet Communications (www.comnetcomm.com), a design and intallation contracting firm, recently opened a training facility in Carrollton, TX, a suburb of Dallas. According to ComNet, the facility is patterned after the BICSI (www.bicsi.org) training facility in Tampa, FL. "Our location offers more than 1,300 square feet of technical training space, geared to both intra-company and general-public students," ComNet says.
Primarily providing certified training under the auspices of the BICSI Installation Program for Installer Level 1, Installer Level 2, and Technician candidates, ComNet also ofers specialty classes in residential cabling, codes and standards updates, project management, and preparation for BICSI's Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD) designation. The BICSI Installation Program courses are available now; the first resdiential, codes/standards, and project-management courses are scheduled for the first quarter of 2002.
The two-day residential cabling course outlines the basic requirements of structured cabling in residential single- and multiple-family dwellings. It looks at the TIA/EIA-570A standard and BICSI's Residential Cabling Manual. The course includes hands-on labs using residential-specific products.
Codes and Standards Update is a one-day course covering the TIA/EIA wiring standards, as well as codes that are relevant to cabling installers. It is designed to focus on premises cabling, including installation practices, product selection, labeling and administration, and grounding and bonding. The course includes a review of the NFPA-70 National Electrical Code and the National Electrical Safety Code. It also includes several hands-on labs.
Project Management is also a one-day course, providing installation personnel with an introduction to project management. The course emphasizes steps to control both labor and materials for on-time, on-budget project completion. It also focuses on the relationship between the estimator and the poject manager, analysis of contract documents, a review of various graphs available for project tracking, and project quality-control measures. Change-order processing and costing, as well as final project inspection and documentation are also covered.
The company currently is negotiating with cabling-product manufacturers for factory-certification courses as well.
