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Industry leader shares how Tier 4 Training made a difference
Denver Cassels, vice president of core infrastructure at General Informatics, recently shared a new milestone in his 20-year cabling industry career in a LinkedIn post: He’d achieved his RCDD (Registered Communications Distribution Design) credential, a certification offered by BICSI (Building Industry Consulting Service International). To prepare for the notoriously difficult exam, Cassels turned to Tier 4 Training, BEI Construction’s training arm.
Cassels explains why he chose Tier 4: “I know the standards behind the exam, but I didn’t pass on a prior attempt even after taking another prep course. The test presents the material differently than a seasoned pro might understand it from field experience. You need to know your stuff and to have rigorous test prep. That’s exactly what I got from Tier 4 and my Tier 4 instructor, Dave Sanders.”
Cassels and General Informatics are based in Louisiana. The firm takes on large-scale projects for clients that include the State of Louisiana and LSU. Today, Cassels and General Informatics are among the few service providers in Louisiana that are RCDD certified. RCDD certification assures clients that the people and firms they’re hiring have demonstrated their ability to design, control, and manage the installation and maintenance of network systems. Certified professionals like Cassels get a career boost.
Why Tier 4?
Sky-high pass rates and a strong reputation attract learners to Tier 4. The average pass rate for the RCDD exam is 25%, but people who take prep classes with Tier 4 have a pass rate of roughly 80%. People who’ve taken the class spread the word to peers. Instructor Sanders has taught more than 2,000 of the people who’ve successfully passed the exam. Tier 4 continuously updates the course to stay current. For instance, the 14th edition of the manual that BICSI uses as the basis for the exam was recently published. Tier 4 already uses the 14th edition during instruction.
Cassels’ experience is similar to many others who choose Tier 4. “I learned about Tier 4 and Dave Sanders from a peer,” says Cassels. “I reached out to Dave to learn more. His passion for teaching is contagious. He’s very well respected in the industry, and his techniques for helping people comprehend and retain information worked for me.”
As Tier 4 instructor and director of education, Dave Sanders is RCDD/DCDC/OSP/NTS certified, and has more than 21 years of experience as an instructor in the cabling industry. He has won numerous honors, including the “International RCDD Instructor of the Year” award given by CET Networking Education. In 2014, Sanders was named one of the “20 Most Influential People” in the cabling and networking industries by Cabling Installation and Maintenance magazine.
Sanders attributes his success as an instructor to the team-first attitude he learned as a young man in the military. “‘Leave no one behind’ applies to education,” says Sanders. “In the classroom, that means working to make sure everyone learns enough to pass. The RCDD exam is difficult, but passing makes a huge difference in people’s careers.”
About Tier 4
Tier 4 Training is the training division of BEI Construction, a corporate BICSI member and an approved BICSI Continuing Education Credit (CEC) provider. Tier 4 is premier provider of licensing exam prep and continuing education for businesses and individuals in the telecommunication and information technology industries.