The partnership between Chisholm Trail Technology Center and Pioneer Telephone Cooperative continues to be rock-solid…and beneficial for both.

The latest example is a 19-week training program that began recently at CTTC in which hundreds of Pioneer employees will take part.

The program is aimed at helping Pioneer expand its broadband services throughout western Oklahoma and will provide specialized training that focuses on skills necessary for broadband installation and safety.

It’s made possible through a grant of more than $500,000 that CTTC received from the State Department of CareerTech.

CTTC has purchased training equipment such as fiber locaters and fiber splicers. Pioneer also installed telephone poles at CTTC that will be used for training.

The technology center, through the grant, also covers the expenses to bring in experts in the various fields of specialized training and safety.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Chisholm Trail Technology Center on this opportunity to provide essential safety training for the Pioneer family,” said Pioneer General Manager Blake Callaham. “CTTC has been a great resource within our safety program for many years and we are very excited about this opportunity to elevate our safety awareness through this new grant.”

CTTC Business and Industry Director Paul Hursh and Small Business Manager Dan Craig have spent more than 18 months working on the project, from applying for the grant to working with Callaham and other Pioneer leaders in planning its execution.

Broadband and safety training will include:

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) telecommuncation industry safety;

• Ladder climbing for telecommunications equipment use;

• Bucket truck safety and operations, OSHA and ASME;

• Pole climbing and rescue; • Load securement;

• OSHA confined space training;

• Hands-on trenching and shoring;

• Essential fiber optics, splicing, termination and testing.

BreakThru Training Solutions (BTS), a company that provides development, training and product and service solutions, will be providing much of the training.

Between now and April 2025, some 200 Pioneer employees will take part.

The goal is to better equip Pioneer in its mission to expand its broadband services to its coverage area.

“Western Oklahoma’s rural communities have long faced challenges with slow or unreliable internet access. As remote work, education and telemedicine become increasingly important, the need for expanded broadband services has never been more critical,” said CTTC Superintendent Kurt Thomas. “This partnership will play a significant role in addressing these needs by providing Pioneer Telephone with the skilled workforce required to accelerate broadband expansion efforts.”

As Thomas noted, CTTC and Pioneer’s partnership history is extensive.

“Our Information Technology and Networking program was built as a feeder program for Pioneer. Many employees across departments have been students in our full-time IT and Networking program at CTTC,” said Thomas.

He also added that CTTC handles safety training with Pioneer across all locations throughout the state (fire extinguisher, forklift, bucket truck training and all first responder CPR training). Hursh has been doing safety training for Pioneer for two decades, he added.

In addition Pioneer discussed with CTTC in January 2021 the need for truck driver training. That led to a CTTC training site being built that has benefited not only Pioneer but other lo- cal businesses, Thomas said.

It’s a partnership that will continue to grow, Thomas said, and CTTC will be there to help any way it can…and for good reason.

“As the largest employer in CTTC’s district, it is an important partnership for us and one we look forward to continuing to grow in the future,” said Thomas. “Pioneer has been and continues to be a great partner with CTTC.”