Satellite/Terrestrial Aerial and Cable Installation Course

Since starting in 1992, more than 650 Service leavers have completed the aerial and satellite installation course and many have found work, either on a self-employed basis or as an employee with good career prospects. Ex-students are very much sought after by employers looking for staff in a growth industry, with work opportunities in the UK and overseas.

Previous knowledge
Whilst a prior knowledge of electricity and electronic fundamentals is an advantage, it is not essential. However, candidates must have the relevant practical abilities; the course cannot teach students to use a spanner or climb a ladder. The maths required is simple addition and subtraction.

Course details
Course content has recently been upgraded to cover new developments in the industry, so students are trained in all aspects of digital terrestrial television reception. The course also covers the installation of BSkyB systems in individual homes, the reception of foreign satellite programmes, an introduction to cable TV, and the provision of home cinema systems. The two-week course is held in a well-equipped classroom and workshop, with a maximum of 12 students.

Week 1
The first three days cover the principles of electricity, electronics and telecommunications, as well as the installation of simple TV aerials and satellite dishes. Half the time is spent on practical work, and students are streamed so that newcomers tackle the basic tasks whilst more experienced people work on more elaborate projects.

Time is also spent on pricing a job and the meaning of the word 'profit' - a new concept to some Service leavers. The rest of the first week is spent working on more specialised aspects of satellite TV, including the reception of foreign stations and motorised systems. Associated topics, such as working procedures and health and safety, are also covered.

Week 2
Students start by looking at relaying signals throughout a building. Starting with multiple outlets in a single dwelling, the course covers signal distribution in blocks of flats, hotels, schools, universities and military camps. For the associated practical session, the students work as a team, to specify, design and build a complete cable distribution system capable of feeding some hundreds of outlet points.

The next two days cover digital TV. After a brief theory session, students install a terrestrial receiver and various digital satellite boxes, to receive both Sky and foreign programmes. It is not unusual for a student without previous experience to be able to load more than 400 watchable channels into a digital receiver in 15 minutes. The last day is spent studying the industry Code of Practice so that everyone fully understands its contents and implications.

Certification
At the end of the course, students sit a multi-choice test paper. Successful candidates receive a certificate issued jointly by the Career Transition Partnership and the Confederation of Aerial Industries (CAI). This is Accredited Prior Learning (APL) towards an NVQ2 that is currently being designed. Those achieving distinctions have their names and preferred geographical area of work published in CAI journals, greatly increasing their exposure to the job market.

Job opportunities
In addition to the aerial replacement market of 750,000 installations per year, digital terrestrial broadcasting has created the need to upgrade many existing installations. Much of this work is carried out by self-employed installers working from home, with similar opportunities existing overseas.

The satellite industry is currently experiencing a period of dynamic growth. Sky is adding more than a million customers a year (not counting the three million or so existing analogue customers who must be upgraded to digital over the next two years) and there are not enough trained installers to carry out all this work. Some ex-students have found employment in the cable TV industry, which is also converting to digital - and trying to upgrade from copper to fibre-optics at the same time.

The BBC's new Freeview digital service gives viewers a choice of up to 30 free TV channels delivered through rooftop aerials. Customers must purchase a £100 digital TV receiver, and at least 2 million homes are likely to do so during the next two years. Some 30 per cent of homes will require an aerial upgrade to receive digital programmes.

Digital TV transmissions are more efficient and deliver a better picture as well as providing supporting services. TV relay systems feeding six million flats in the UK require upgrading for digital TV, and the residents of apartment blocks are also a prime target for installations. Most current TV systems cannot relay satellite programmes, and another emerging market is the provision of integrated reception systems.

Course tutor, Bob Calaz, runs his own aerial company. He has presented technical papers, and has recently published a book on TV and satellite installation techniques. He is a member of the CAI, whose members will provide work experience for people who successfully complete the course.