PEABODY, MA — Four Peabody Veterans Memorial High students from the career-technical program will take part in a five-week, paid internship program through Astound.
The program is designed to provide the students with direct access to real-world fiber-optic training and career experience.
It marks the fifth year of the collaboration, where students will work alongside Astound professionals across technical operations, engineering, construction and broadband field functions.
The 2026 program runs through May 22, giving students a hands-on introduction to the technology, teamwork and problem-solving required to build and maintain modern communications networks.
This year, Astound and PVMHS are expanding the intern experience to include added time with engineering and construction teams and experience with emerging technologies such as 400-gig circuits and fiber-to-the-home.
The interns will gain experience in fiber cable assembly, fusion splicing, commercial installation work, equipment testing, troubleshooting at network hubs, circuit testing, installation and repair work, outside plant operations, mapping and design using AutoCAD and GIS tools, and observation of fiber deployment in multi-dwelling units.
The partnership is designed to help students build practical, job-ready skills while working directly with Astound technicians in the field.
"Reaching the fifth year of this partnership is a meaningful milestone for Astound and for Peabody Veterans Memorial High School," said Mark Bentley, Manager of Switch Transport at Astound in Massachusetts. "What began as a conversation about exposing students to fiber-optic technology has grown into a sustained program that gives young people real skills, real experience and a real look at what careers in this field can offer."
The partnership began in 2020, when Dale Larocque, a PVMHS CTE program instructor, invited Astound representatives to speak with students about fiber-optic technology.
Astound then helped the school develop a dedicated fiber-optics teaching lab and launched the paid internship program for students.
"This program continues to show what is possible when education and industry work together in a focused, practical way," said Brooke Randall, Principal of PVMHS. "They are seeing how those skills apply in the real world, alongside professionals who are helping shape the communications networks people rely on every day."
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