Geoffrey Alleyne, has been in telecommunications for the last 51 years. A career he has found a great amount of satisfaction in. And as a telecommunications teacher at Pearson Electrotechnology Centre at the Lester B. Pearson School Board he has had a front row seat monitoring 
changes and development in the sector.
Through the years he has watched the telecommunication industry morph and grow and as the world moves digital. Alleyne reckons this is a sector that young people need to jump on.
The way he sees it the industry cuts across many spheres and industries not just limited to telephone operations.
“I have seen the explosive growth in telecom we need loads of people in it,” he told the CONTACT, “Black boys and girls should apply and be a part of it.”
He figures that as the world shifts digitally opportunities for telecommunications will keep increasing and he would like to see more people in the community get in on the action.
“We need to get the message across, so our people can seize the opportunity. Like I said, I’ve been here for a while, I know where the opportunities are. We have electric cars, fiber optics, people in 5G, hospital technology that doctors use, even for writers you can be a technical writer. There’s a wide pool of opportunities for everyone.”
Alleyne says the course is free after a onetime of fee of $500. The books are provided and there is help for placement given to those who go through the course.
The program has the following modules: Electronic Circuits, Semiconductor Circuits, Oscillator and Filter Circuits, Antennas and Propagation, AC Circuits, Installation of a Repeater System, Installation of Radio Communication Equipment, Wireless Communication Equipment Repair, Telephone System Installation and Configuration, Wired Communication Equipment Repair, and Cellular Telephone System Installation.
According to Alleyne, it’s not about the grades that you get but how hard you work. He looks at his own life and shares his story to inspire others. He says that didn’t do so well initially in high school but worked hard and continued to put his best and it has got him to this point.
After finishing his high school in his native Barbados, he began working as telegrapher and then he later moved to Canada where he worked as a technician at Nortel a position he held for 21 years before moving to the States where he furthered his education and eared a masters in Wireless Communication.
After this he joined the Lester B. Pearson Board where he has been for the past 14 years empowering the next generation.
His hard work has opened up opportunities for him, and he wants the same for others in the community, age not-withstanding.
Because Montreal is home to a large number of telecommunication companies including Bell, Videotron, Telus and Rogers, graduates of the program are snapped up in both the public and private sectors..
The next intake of students at Pearson Electrotechnology Centre will be in August, and those interested can get information at, https://www.lbpce.ca/telecommunications
