Bell Atlantic and Warren County Technical School to Launch Telecommunications Training Program

NEWARK, N.J. -- A new technology training center, sponsored by Bell Atlantic and Sprint, opens its doors today to Warren County residents, providing them the opportunity to prepare for jobs in New Jersey's booming telecommunications industry.

The center, located at the Warren County Technical School in Washington, N.J. is the twelfth site in the state to be selected for the Telecommunications Technology Program, known as TEC 2000. TEC 2000 is a nationally recognized Bell Atlantic- sponsored training program that serves students, adults re-entering the job market and non-traditional students.

"TEC 2000 represents the first time training at the school has been earmarked for specific employers" said Frank P. Mancuso, Warren County Technical School superintendent. "This is a good example of educational institutions, students and employers working together to help train the workforce of the future. In fact, students presently in the program have already taken Bell Atlantic's employment aptitude tests which will make them eligible for summer employment."

"With the rapid expansion of the information industry in New Jersey and around the world, the development of a workforce capable of supporting the industry benefits everyone" said William M. Freeman, president and CEO of Bell Atlantic-New Jersey. "TEC 2000 is more than an investment in workforce readiness and job creation, it's an investment in diversity as well."

The telecommunications technology program is designed to provide students with basic knowledge and understanding of communications network design, telephone equipment and computer networks, and satellite and wireless communications services. It offers theory and practice in all phases of the industry with career paths leading toward jobs in telecommunications, electronics, data communications, systems test engineering and computer network engineering. Students in the program work in a hands-on learning lab, developed in partnership with Bell Atlantic and Sprint.

TEC 2000 started in 1994 with 12 students at the Ocean County Vocational Technical School in Toms River, N.J. TEC 2000 now has12 centers including the one opened today in Warren County. Other sites are in Union, Salem, Burlington, Ocean, Morris, Somerset, Mercer, Hudson, Essex, Cumberland and Passaic Counties. Since its inception, the TEC 2000 Program has enrolled 420 students. Graduates have been hired by Bell Atlantic, Sprint, AT&T and Suburban Cable, as well as several smaller networking companies.

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and information industry. With more than 43 million telephone access lines and more than 10 million wireless customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are premier providers of advanced wireline voice and data services, market leaders in wireless services and the world's largest publishers of directory information. Bell Atlantic companies are also among the world's largest investors in high-growth global communications markets, with operations and investments in 23 countries.