In the presence of Jean-Gérard Paumier, President of the Indre-et-Loire Departmental Council, Isabelle Gaudron, Vice-President of the Centre-Val de Loire Regional Council, Bernard Pillefer, President of the Syndicat mixte ouvert Val de Loire Numérique, Sylvie Giner, Vice-President of the Syndicat mixte ouvert Val de Loire Numérique, Benoît Mérel, Deputy Managing Director of the TDF Group and President of Val de Loire Fibre, and Marion Nicolay Cabanne, First Deputy Mayor of Tours, as well as a number of local personalities and elected representatives, the TDF Group is inaugurating the second mobile technical training platform dedicated to fiber optics in the Val de Loire region, in Tours, on Wednesday June 5.
An innovative training solution offered for the first time in France by a fiber optic infrastructure operator.
With this agile and innovative training method, the TDF group intends to make fiber-dedicated training courses accessible throughout the Val de Loire region, and to meet the need for skilled labor required for the rollout of fiber optics in the Val de Loire.
Through its subsidiary Val de Loire Fibre, TDF is developing employment at the heart of the regions and is involved in professional integration and training in Loir-et-Cher and Indre-et-Loire.
Deploying fiber optics in the Loire Valley is an ambitious digital development project that requires a specialized, trained workforce. More than 150 jobs are currently being created locally. To support the companies selected by TDF who need qualified personnel to deploy the infrastructure, TDF is setting up two mobile training platforms in Loir-et-Cher and Indre-et-Loire.
Close to the population, these mobile structures are designed to encourage local employment and support the career paths of people in professional integration, who can thus benefit from job opportunities.
The two mobile technical platforms are being financed by Val de Loire Fibre, a subsidiary of TDF and Banque des Territoires.
A flexible, innovative training method close at hand
Val de Loire Fibre is making the mobile training platforms available free of charge to training organizations, enabling them to create modular training programs based on the fiber optics professions. The training provided will help people return to work and enable them to learn, under real-life conditions, the professional skills required in the fiber optic trades: fitter-connector, cable puller, network technician, subscriber-connector, etc.
AFPA, a partner of Val de Loire Fibre, will organize access to the mobile training platforms for training organizations and ensure that they are used properly.
In addition to the training courses offered individually to trainees, local companies will also be able to take advantage of these mobile platforms to offer their employees refresher courses. For industry professionals, it's also an opportunity to recruit locally.
State-of-the-art equipment and fittings
The mobile training facility takes the form of a trailer truck. Inside, the thirty-square-meter space has been optimally designed for both theoretical and practical training. Thanks to the equipment selected, the site offers a wide range of teaching and connectivity options. Up to twelve trainees can be trained at the same time.
The trailers are also equipped with an outdoor technical surface for training technicians in concrete, practical cases.
Fibre optic cable, a structuring project for the Loire Valley
Between now and 2022, the project will see the installation of more than 300,000 connections, providing residents and businesses in 513 communes with a very high-speed Internet connection. Deployment of the fiber will deliver a faster, more reliable Internet connection, with speeds of up to one Gigabit per second. The Val de Loire Fibre project company is responsible for deploying and operating the fiber optic network in low-density areas of Loir-et-Cher and Indre-et-Loire. TDF aims to be a key player in digital development, serving local authorities, businesses and residents alike.
The arrival of fiber to the home in rural areas is designed to enhance the region's economic attractiveness and contribute to the development of new activities in the fields of health, education, the environment and more.
Benoît Mérel, Chief Operating Officer of the TDF Group and Chairman of Val de Loire Fibre, said:
"Participating in the deployment of fiber infrastructure is a unique human and professional experience. We need professionals to build this major project together. To achieve this, TDF is mobilizing the region's resources and making integration and training a priority.