Ala. Broadcasters Creating Engineering Academy

The Alabama Broadcasters Association announced this week that it is establishing a Broadcast Engineering Academy at the ABA office in Hoover, Ala.  This effort is in response to the growing need for engineers across Alabama and the entire country, ABA said.

The association is working with the Society of Broadcast Engineers to ensure that the ABA’s academy will be an eligible SBE certified training institute. In addition, the ABA is partnering with a local career college to establish a pilot program with its network and electrical engineering students.

Alabama member radio and TV stations will be encouraged to send employees to the academy for additional training. Other state broadcast associations will also be invited to send students to the academy.

“This exciting opportunity is a perfect example of the ABA listening to the needs of its members and the industry as a whole and then creating solutions for those needs,” said Sharon Tinsley, ABA president.

The ABA Broadcast Engineering Academy will create apprenticeship and internship programs to place students at Alabama stations to gain more practical experience. The training facility will be completed and curriculum established in time to conduct the first classes in late May 2012.

“This idea was created out of pure necessity,” said Bill Ballard, ABA chairman and president and general manager of WIAT Birmingham. “There is such a shortage of broadcast engineers that something had to be done. I’m very thankful that when Sharon and I approached the ABA Board members with this idea, they were willing to make it happen.”