AFL Presents $5K Grant to Urban League of the Upstate

10/12/2017

Spartanburg, SC – AFL, an international fiber optic cable and accessories manufacturer headquartered in Duncan, SC, presented a $5,000 grant to the Urban League of the Upstate (ULUS), an organization committed to educating and equipping students thereby transforming generations. The grant is part of AFL’s Community Outreach Program and will aid in a new facet to the Fiber Optics Certification and Construction and Trade Skills (CAST) training programs by providing a soft-skills class for Greenville and Spartanburg high school students.

The Urban League is the only organization in the state to offer Fiber Optics Certification approved by the Fiber Optics Association (FOA), and one of few that offer CAST training. The soft-skills training program will provide 50 high school students a platform to receive FOA or CAST certifications.
 
“Our program participants are generally from low-income households. For graduating high school students, many would be considered a traditionally at-risk student due to low income levels,” explained Emily Cox, development manager for ULUS. “For this group of potential program participants, we will first work to make sure they complete high school, and then help them define their career path prior to applying for the fiber optics or CAST certification classes.”
 
The program is provided free of charge to all who are accepted. Acceptance will go to those most in need who are qualified for the program and fully vested in having a career as a fiber optics technician or a CAST employee.
 
AFL’s Community Outreach Program provides grants and sponsorships primarily focused on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. Additionally the Program supports volunteer projects, scholarship, disaster relief and more. For additional information on AFL and its community initiatives, visit www.AFLglobal.com.
 
About AFL
Founded in 1984, AFL is an international manufacturer providing end-to-end solutions to the energy, service provider, enterprise and industrial markets as well as several emerging markets. The company’s products are in use in over 130 countries and include fiber optic cable and hardware, transmission and substation accessories, outside plant equipment, connectivity, test and inspection equipment, fusion splicers and training. AFL also offers a wide variety of services supporting data center, enterprise, wireless, and outside plant applications.
 
Headquartered in Spartanburg, SC, AFL has operations in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fujikura Ltd. of Japan. For more information, visit www.AFLglobal.com. 
 
Contact
Corie Culp
Community Relations Manager
AFL
864.433.5409
Corie.Culp@AFLglobal.com