Project manager Kris Libbrecht switches from Proximus to Unifiber and prepares himself and his teams for Home Connected.

Kris Libbrecht becomes Unifiber project manager: “I followed our new technical training as a test subject.” 

In Circet Alumni, a colleague tells the story of his or her training at the Circet Academy, in short and detail. 

Who is Kris?  

• Professional life: For many years, Kris worked as a project manager for our client Proximus. But recently he became project manager for Unifiber. For this new client, he is launching the ‘Home Connected’ project, connecting individual homes to the fibre optic network in the street.
• Private life: Kris lives in Opglabbeek with his girlfriend. In his spare time he works out or plays the guitar.  

In short

• Training?  ‘Home Connected’ technical training for Unifiber
• His take-away? “The photos from in the field and the test set-up make it very tangible.”  
• Tip for those who want to keep learning? “If you’re interested in following a course, don’t wait until you’re asked to do it. Instead, volunteer.” 

In detail

Why did you follow this training? 

“As project manager for Unifiber – the joint venture between Proximus and Eurofiber to roll out fibre networks in Wallonia – I am starting Home Connected from scratch. All aspects of a new client are reviewed: material management, IT platform, contact with the client, invoicing, training of the technical teams... 

For the training, I put together a course with an experienced trainer, which I then followed as a test subject. In the training, the technicians learn about the procedures, the material they receive, how they can test their work afterwards, and so on. The client gave us carte blanche and they have since green-lighted the content. From now on, it’s time to train our people: we’re aiming for 40 to 50 technicians in total.”  

“I put together a course with an experienced trainer, which I then followed as a test subject.” 

What did you find most challenging about this training? 

“Theory and practice fit in a one-day course. The theory part takes 5 hours, followed by 3 hours at the test set-up in the lab. There the technicians become acquainted with all the materials used. But we also try to support the theory as much as possible with examples. That’s why the presentation contains many photos and videos from the field.  
 
Still, it’s not easy to stay focused during those long hours. Our trainers are therefore still looking for ways to make the theory as digestible as possible. We are also looking into making part of the subject matter available for self-study. This would allow colleagues to avoid setting aside a full day for a classroom training.”  

“The technicians become acquainted with all the materials used through a test set-up in the lab.” 

Who would benefit from this training? 

“Circet colleagues who are already familiar with fibre optics through another client and want to upskill to Unifiber’s technical specifications. Of course, new colleagues will also work at Unifiber, but they will first learn more about fibre itself. As a result, their learning process takes longer before they can join the team on the job.”   

Is there another course on your wish list? 

“Soon I will be following the first aid refresher course anyway. And at IDEWE, our external prevention service, I received training on how, as a team lead, I can keep in touch with colleagues who are home sick.” 

Would you also like to follow a  Circet Academy course?  Have a look at the catalogue