Cisco Network Academies are a partnership between Cisco and Educational Institutions in the US and Canada to provide industry-certified program to students.
 

The program is intended for high school students in grade 11 and12, Colleges and Universities.
 

To prepare for the certifying exam requires approximately 280 hours of work. This includes theory and practical hands-on (lab) work. The total number of hours of instruction will depend upon your schools timetable but generally involves three or four high school courses.
 

A good computer background with either at middle school computer course or a grade 11 computer course taken in the students grade 10 year. Additionally basic science and math courses to the grade 10 level are required to understand the course material.
 

Individual schools may choose to call the class different titles depending on the way it is offered. The student would receive a course credit for each class that is part of the Cisco Program. Most educational jurisdictions in North America and many overseas have a classification that will give you credit for this program.
 

The Cisco program can be part of a Work Experience or Co-op, Internship programs. This could include, in addition to the class work, outside experience working on real networks.
 

What do you get at the end?

This program prepares you for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam.
 

The CCNA test is given only at Sylvan Testing Centers. These are located all over the world. For your convenience, Piedmont Technical College is a ProMetric testing center:  http://www.ptc.edu/coned/PrometricTesting.htm
 

The way teachers choose to evaluate students are local decisions. The course is intended to be a preparatory course leading to the certification. Whether the student chooses to complete all or part of the program is up to them. The material is a valuable learning experience with or without the certification.
 

Many schools also offer the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) modules. These deal with setting up server computers and managing users accounts. Cisco deals with the network, wires, and boxes that the Microsoft services run on. A student completing one should find it easier completing the other.
http://www.ptc.edu/coned/CenterForComputerExcellence.htm
 

The Comptia A+ and Network+ are complementary to the CCNA program. The Cisco Curriculum and on-line material have been adapted to provide much of the information to complete the Network+ certification.
 

No, .... well probably not. There are many high paying jobs that this program is designed to help fill. Good math, English and science skills make for a good all-around student or employee. It is highly unlikely that any single piece of paper will guarantee you a job.
 

Most jobs in this field are called Network Managers, Network Designers, Network Administrators as well as Marketing, Sales and Customer service. Additional Certifications, a College, University or Vocational credential is a good addition to this program.
 

If you are considering going in to the constantly evolving Information Technology field it is imperative that you continue to upgrade your skill set.
 

What do you do in this program?

The Cisco Program has an On-line curriculum and examinations which are augmented by lecture and tutorial work, this allows the course to be self-paced. The Cisco labs provide hands-on experience with internetworking equipment.
 

The theory is needed to do the practice so the early part of the course is about 80% theory and 20% hands-on. By the end of the course this is almost reverse. At the end of the program, there is an equal balance between hands on work and theory.
 

E-mail Norm Wiseman at wiseman.n@ptc.edu.