GSM Academy, the successful Project of the GRUNDIG ACADEMY GROUP

Eleven young Africans from Kenya, Zimbabwe, Sambia and Nigeria proudly presented their GSM Certificates, after 3 months of intensive training on mobile network infrastructure management.  Looking forward to upgrading their career they came to Nuremberg / Germany where the "GSM Academy" provided a boot camp for GSM Operation & Maintenance Specialists.

Since our successful start in 2007, all parties have become acquainted to the procedures. This includes acquiring students, solving their financial problems, overcoming visa problems and get well prepared for their stay in Germany. “For most of our students it is the first stay for a longer time in Europe”, says Dr. Harald Urban the new Vice President of Telecommunication Networks Training & Consulting of TOP Business AG/ Member of the GRUNDIG ACADEMY GROUP, the hosting training organization.

Mobile communication networks using the GSM standard (Global System for Mobile Communication) continue to boom in Africa. Therefore a need for skilled technicians to operate and maintain the networks becomes obvious. If a telecoms engineer or technician would prepare himself for this kind of sophisticated job he or she would definitely have better chances in the professional career. Our professional training provides career enabling instead of sole technical support. More than 15 years of sound experience in GSM network infrastructure training including outsourcing contracts with various suppliers, like Nokia Siemens Networks and Nortel ensure appropriate course contents and an effective knowledge transfer with a lot of hands-on training possibilities on the provided training equipment.

The GSM Academy concept is divided in 3 steps: Step 1 grants access to preparing Web-based trainings which ensure an equal level of entrance knowledge prior to the training at TOP. Step 2 offers 8 weeks of training to provide 15 days of theoretical background on GSM / GPRS / UMTS and their evolution and 25 days of instructor-led hands-on labs on Nortel's GSM training equipment. With step 3, the students complete the training with a 4 weeks' apprenticeship at GSM network operators like Vodafone, T-mobile and E-Plus throughout the country. The trainees are integrated into the teams for equipment installation, commissioning, local and remote fault management to convert the acquired knowledge into practical experience.
 
Since the beginning of 2009 the GSM Academy has reached formal certification status by the German Chamber of Commerce in Nuremberg. Knowledge and hands-on skills are no longer evaluated by a TOP-internal test but by a written and practical test under the control of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK). Upon successful test completion, this body issues the certificate that is officially recognised and approves the level of knowledge gained during the learning and apprenticeship phase.

In all runs, the students were more than pleased with the adaptive and flexible course delivery and the hosting environment including a confidential and heartily personal contact between TOP and the students. "Sponsoring is a key issue for this project. Besides individual sponsorships by the students, the Kenyan Government offers for example the possibility to sponsor employees via the Kenyan DIT Board. The student has to be in a working relationship and can be sent on behalf of his company.” admitted TOP’s Natalie Frisch, Head of International Marketing & Sales.

Furthermore, a good personal relationship is granted to clarify all the numerous questions that arise while students are gathering the money, applying for a visa and preparing the travel to Germany.
 
More information can be obtained from

Mr. Dr. Harald Urban,
Vice President Telecommunication Networks Training & Consulting
TOP Business AG
Klingenhofstrasse 58
D-90411 Nuremberg (Germany),

Tel.: +49 911 95117 300,
Fax: +49 911 95117 309
E-mail: harald.urban@topbusinessag.com