How to Become a Cell Tower Technician in Rhode Island

Also called wireless communication technicians, cell tower technicians work to install, repair, and maintain wireless networks and other communications equipment on high structures.

This career mainly occurs outdoors on top of skyscrapers, communications towers, and other tall structures.

As a result, the ideal candidate must have physical endurance mixed with a high level of technical skill.

To become a cell tower technician in Rhode Island, it’s important to enter a training program that teaches the basics of the profession and earn the required certifications.

If you’re interested in this career path, keep reading to learn more!

Steps to Become a Cell Tower Technician in Rhode Island

There are a few simple steps to becoming a cell tower technician in Rhode Island, which include:

Step One: Earn a High School Diploma

Rhode Island communications tower employers, including the state, require technicians to hold a high school diploma as the bare minimum education.

For those currently in high school who want to enter this profession, technical electives and math courses are beneficial to take.

A GED equivalent is also acceptable to become a technician.

Step Two: Gain Tower Climbing Training

Once you have graduated from high school, it’s favorable to enter a tower training program.

The best tower climbing training programs emphasize safety, technical skills, and have an in-person climbing component that teaches students how to climb towers properly and safely.

This type of training helps students hit the ground running when entering the workforce.

Employers will provide additional on-the-job training for new employees.

Step Three: Find Open Positions and Apply

Once you have completed tower climbing training, it’s time to search for open positions in a convenient location.

Despite having a home based in the Rhode Island countryside or Providence, expect to travel extensively.

Also, remember that each job has specific requirements, so compare them with your credentials as you are developing a resume and cover letter.

Other aspects of the resume and cover letter should include important phrases and words from each job listing, and try to tailor these documents to each position.

If your resume has passed the initial screening, prepare for an interview.

The Internet has a range of common interview questions to help you prepare.

Also, highlight your training and knowledge of tower climbing and telecommunications throughout the interview.

Step Four: Earn Certifications

Although some employers allow new employees to work without specific certifications, you can become more marketable by seeking them before being hired.

Many training programs prepare students to earn different certifications that employers seek.

Also, join different professional groups, like the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE), to help you find open positions and attend seminars and conferences.

Licensing Requirements to Become

Like most other states, Rhode Island doesn’t have any licensing requirements.

However, employers typically require the following certifications either before hiring or within a specified time period after the hiring detail. These include:

First Aid and CPR

In the event of an emergency with a colleague, cell tower technicians need to know what to do to save a life.

Therefore, all cell tower technicians must be certified in First Aid and CPR.

Many training programs include this certification opportunity at the end of the curriculum.

Cell tower technicians are required to be recertified every few years.

Fall Protection and Rescue

Fall Protection and Rescue is a certification specifically for those working on high structures, like communications towers.

Similar to the First Aid and CPR certification, this designation ensures technicians know what to do in case of a fall emergency, and it also teaches prevention.

OSHA 10/30

OSHA 10/30 is a third certification that teaches proper workplace safety, outside of First Aid and CPR, and Fall Protection and Rescue situations.

Cell Tower Technician Programs in Rhode Island

BTS Training

Located in East Providence, BTS has a variety of tower training options, including Outside Plant Training, where students learn how to design, understand, troubleshoot, install, configure, test, and repair outside plant structures on top of buildings.

The school also has Fiber Optics Training, where students learn how to install fiber optics cables, and Safety / Energy / Power training focused on power and energy line installation, maintenance, and repair, as well as related safety topics.

NATE Tower Technician Certification Program

NATE’s Tower Technician Certification Program is a 10-day course administered by the National Association of Tower Erectors.

The curriculum covers safety topics like Heat Illness Prevention, Hazard Communication, CPR and First Aid, and Fire Extinguisher Usage, and climbing topics like Competent Tower Climber and Rescue, Qualified Rigger, OSHA 30-Hour Construction, and Scaffold User.

Pinnacle Career Institute (PCI)

PCI is well-known in the industry, offering a hybrid program of an online conceptual curriculum with a 10-day boot camp in Kansas City.

The curriculum covers basic technical and safety topics that students will need to apply throughout their careers.

The bootcamp focuses on providing hands-on experience in equipment installation, rigging, and tower climbing.

The entire program, including room, board, and food during the bootcamp, costs just under $5,000.

Salary

The median annual U.S. salary for a cell tower technician is $73,716, with pay ranging from $59,364 to $89,876.

Rhode Island cell tower technicians can expect median compensation of $76,391 with pay ranging from $61,519 to $93,139.

Cell Tower Technician by State