By Thomas J. Polis, Magnavox CATV Systems, Inc.
We are an industry which is currently enjoying a fantastic growth rate. With the advent of Pay Cable, De-regulation and the increasing use of the system to provide services such as alarm systems, Peak Power Management and Data Communications, we find ourselves faced with an enormous problem: "The Lack of Effectively Trained Personnel." In other industries, this problem can be reduced by going to the colleges of our nation and select personnel from a large graduating roster. Whenever any segment of our industry has made this attempt we have all received the same basic question: "What is a CATV?" One must remember that a successful Institute of Higher Learning is based on the employment success of its graduating students. Until the industry can demonstrate this all important employment success rate, the institutions will not turn the corner and we will continue to play second fiddle to other industries.