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Cell tower technicians are skilled professionals who are responsible for installing, repairing, and maintaining telecommunication towers across Pennsylvania.
These towers are essential for providing reliable communication connections like television broadcasts, radio signals, and wireless networks.
From Philadelphia to Pittsburgh to Scranton and everywhere in between, cell tower technicians are in high demand since the job requires a specific skill set and comes with additional dangers when working at heights of over 200 feet.
If you’re interested in becoming a cell tower technician in Pennsylvania, then keep reading to learn more about the profession!
Article Table of Contents
Steps to Become a Cell Tower Technician in Pennsylvania
The path to becoming a cell tower technician is rather straightforward but requires some upfront work to be successful.
These steps include:
One: Secure a High School Diploma
Employers of cell tower technicians require a high school diploma at a minimum in Pennsylvania.
If you are in high school and want to pursue this career, focus your coursework on more technical topics, such as math, electronics, and mechanical electives.
These courses will provide you with a strong technical background that the position requires.
Two: Research and Enroll in a Tower Climbing Program
Once you have a high school diploma, you should find a tower climbing program that provides a solid foundation for your career path.
Find a local vocational or trade school, or community college with a tower training program.
A mix of online conceptual classes with hands-on training gives the best mix of flexibility and learning.
There are countless training programs available that will cover topics like safety, OSHA regulations, proper climbing techniques, CPR, and equipment repair.
Three: Create a Resume and Find a Job
Once you graduate from the program, you must create a resume and search for a job with the town, state, or a telecommunications company.
Research positions in the areas you want to work in and target those postings.
Always remember that tower training technicians travel extensively, so it’s likely you will spend a significant amount of time in other areas of the state or region.
Also, ask your school if they work with local employers as part of a post-graduate job placement program.
Furthermore, it’s always beneficial to join professional organizations like the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE), which can help you find a job.
Four: Earn Professional Certifications
Although most training programs will award you certificates in RF Safety, CPR/First Aid, and OSHA 10 or 30, it’s important to work towards earning them if you have not.
Employers seek candidates with these certifications, so it’s important to stand out in a pool of graduates.
The Authorized Climber Cell Tower Training and Rescue Certification of Completion provided by Tower Safety is also a great general cell tower technician certificate to hold when seeking a job.
Five: Advance Your Career
After you get a few years under your belt, you can start looking at how to move to the next level, which could be a safety trainer, crew lead, foreman, or into some other type of management role.
Some transition into wireless network engineering or fiber optics for a change of scenery.
To advance your career, you will likely need to complete a few management or business classes, which teach you how to lead a team of cell tower technicians.
Licensing Requirements to Become
Pennsylvania doesn’t require cell tower technicians to hold a license.
Instead, you must obtain relevant certifications and complete the employer safety training program.
Required certifications include:
- CPR and First Aid – Knowing CPR and first aid can save the lives of your fellow teammates, so most employers require this certification.
- Fall protection and Rescue – critical for those working at heights and covers the process of responding to emergencies.
- OSHA 10/30 – required training that reviews proper workplace safety.
- Additional industry-specific certifications that aren’t required but helpful to have to advance your career include:
- Climber Rescue – more specialized training for rescuing a fellow climber.
- Competent Climber – reviews the fundamentals of working safely at high altitudes on towers.
- National Wireless Tower Safety Association – this is the most preferred industry qualification for jobs, as it certifies the candidate knows the basics of the profession.
- RF Safety and Awareness – educates tower technicians about radio frequency risks.
Cell Tower Technician Programs in Pennsylvania
Gismondi Job Training Program
Gismondi has a three-month hands-on telecommunications infrastructure training program that covers three media: low-voltage electricity, light transmission, and radio frequency waves.
Students will gain five industry-required certifications, and the hands-on aspect of the program prepares graduates for entry-level cell tower technician jobs.
Miller Fall Protection
This school has a single focus – fall protection and prevention.
Miller Fall Protection has a 16-hour course in Franklin, Pennsylvania, with a flat fee for the course.
The hands-on training is at an indoor facility that replicates an on-the-job experience.
Although the program is geared toward those seeking a supervisory role, it can be taken by any student who wants to learn the details of the position.
PCI Training
PCI Training offers a Tower Technician program where students will earn tower climbing certification training, OSHA-10, CPR and First Aid, and a Telecommunication Tower Technician 1 certificate.
The curriculum is entirely online except for the 10-day hands-on training in Kansas City, which is built into the tuition cost.
The program’s focus is to provide the basic equipment and skills necessary to work in the wireless communications industry on different types of towers.
PCI’s Tower Technician training program gives students the foundational knowledge and climbing skills to hit the ground running in an entry-level position.
Technical Rescue Systems
Technical Rescue Systems offers a Tower Climber Safety and Rescue program that’s 80 percent hands-on.
The classes are designed to be small for specialized attention, and the school offers three learning options: a One Day Refresher Course, a Two Day Tower Climber Rescuer Course, and a Three Day Tower Climber and Rescuer Course.
Students will learn the required skills to rescue and work at heights on communications towers.
| School Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Gismondi Job Training Program | 1133 W. 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017 |
| Miller Fall Protection | 1345 15th Street, Franklin, PA 16323. |
| PCI Training | 11500 N Ambassador Dr Suite 221, Kansas City, MO 64153 |
| Technical Rescue Systems | 4857 Quail Valley Rd.,Tallahassee, FL. 32309 |
Salary
The median annual salary of a cell tower technician in the U.S. is $73,707.
Pennsylvania-based cell tower technicians can expect to earn a median salary of $77,038.
Annual Salary Range:| Location | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia | $64,626 |
| Pittsburgh | $69,954 |
| Allentown | $45,912 |
| Erie | $54,088 |
| Bethlehem | $57,293 |
| Scranton | $56,101 |
| Lancaster | $56,159 |
| Harrisburg | $54,098 |
| York | $56,904 |
| Reading | $39,578 |
Salary by Metro Area in Pennsylvania
| Metro Area | Employed | Avg. Annual | Avg. Hourly | Top 10% | Bottom 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 250 | $75,090 | $36.10 | $107,860 | $45,820 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 70 | $90,490 | $43.51 | $102,270 | $61,360 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the primary responsibilities of a cell tower technician in Pennsylvania?
Whether you’re in a city, on a mountain, or in the countryside, tower technicians have the same duties, which include:
- Climbing towers of over 200 feet to install, maintain, and repair cables, antennas, and other telecommunications equipment.
- Conduct regular inspections to troubleshoot current or future risks and issues.
- Following safety regulations and protocols to minimize accidents.
- Properly document all work progress, like upgrades, maintenance, and repairs.
- Test equipment for optimal performance.
- Work with engineering teams to implement tower designs.
What is the typical work environment of a Pennsylvania cell tower technician?
Since cell tower technicians are needed across the state in all environments, you could work in a city, a small town, on a mountain, or in the countryside.
It is important to note that weather and other dangers can vary greatly between these locations.
Regardless of where you decide to work, all cell tower technicians will be working at great heights, so those with a fear of heights should not consider this career.
Also, in all work environments, technicians must be physically fit to lift heavy equipment, climb, and work in difficult weather conditions.
What are the best skills a Pennsylvania cell tower technician can have to be successful?
The best skills for a cell tower technician include:
- Communication and the ability to work in a team.
- Crisis response management techniques.
- Critical thinking and troubleshooting.
- Detailed knowledge of OSHA requirements and regulations.
- Fall protection knowledge.
- Knowledge of the local weather patterns in different parts of Pennsylvania.
- Physical stamina and endurance.
- Repair work for different types of telecommunications hardware.
- Tower climbing and extensive knowledge of safety protocols.
- Tower mapping and orientation.
Many of these concepts are learned in a tower training program and applied through on-the-job training.
Read the full guide: How to Become a Cell Tower Technician
Cell Tower Technician by State