High school students aim for college credits
Students from Crestwood Secondary School and Adam Scott Collegiate Vocational Institute met at Fleming College on Monday, November 17 for an orientation session on a college credit program in computer networking.About 40 students have signed up for the Fleming College Cisco Networking Academy, now in its third year.Connecting high school students to postsecondary education, the program uses a blended learning model that integrates classroom teaching, online exercises, hands-on lab work and realistic network simulations.The program, four credits in total, allows Crestwood and Adam Scott students to take the first two courses while still in high school. Portions of the first two credits are taught at Crestwood and Adam Scott as well as Fleming, and online at Fleming.Students in this program going on to attend Fleming can then complete the remaining two credits at the college. These courses will also prepare the students to write the Cisco CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) exams – allowing the students to use the CCNA designation.As part of the curriculum, students learn to install and configure Cisco switches and routers in local and wide-area networks as well as learn to provide troubleshooting service. Students are also trained in the proper care, maintenance and use of networking software tools and equipment.Despite troubling economic indicators IT hiring isn’t slowing down, according to IT World Canada. Networking (Cisco, VoIP, wireless, net management) is an "in demand" skill for 38 per cent of the hiring managers polled by IT World Canada’s salary survey, while 15 per cent had plans to hire new networking staff.- 30 -For more information, contact:Laura Copeland, Communications Officer, 705-749-5520 x 1370 or copeland@flemingc.on.ca