News release

Agreement Helps Students Advance Their Education

Education (July 1999 - March 2013)

Grade 12 students who complete advanced computer networking courses could earn a credit towards a Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) Information Technology (IT) diploma, as they earn a high school credit.

The IT training is the result of an agreement signed today, Oct.20, between NSCC and the Department of Education, to give students career options in technology. The agreement means that students in the Applied Network Technology programs will be able to earn Cisco Systems Network certification at higher certification levels in a shorter time frame.

"By studying advanced IT skills while in high school, students are getting a very good introduction to computer networking, and a path they may wish to choose as a career," said Jamie Muir, Minister of Education, who met with students and NSCC president Ray Ivany today.

The Applied Network Technology 11 and 12 courses teach students about networking communication including servers, routers and switches. Students learn about the hardware operations of these various devices and how they communicate via wires, fibre-optic and wireless media. Students also learn about software and computer applications, including the parts of a computer, the production and testing of cables, the analysis of e-mail network packets and the operations of a router.

Auburn Drive High School was the first school to offer the pilot program in 2000. Five schools across the province now offer the course to high school students.

The networking courses were developed by the Halifax Regional School Board with the help of Auburn Drive High teacher, Ed Butler. They were approved by the Department of Education as a locally developed course. The Department of Education and NSCC collaborated to train more teachers to deliver the courses. Twenty-two teachers are now qualified to teach the programs across the province.

"In addition to providing a college credit learning experience to high school students, every teacher who delivers this course completed a 10-day professional development program, sponsored by NSCC and Department of Education," said Ann Jones, NSCC director of CollegePrep, and team leader for the agreement. "Students and teachers have benefited from this partnership."

Cisco Systems Network Academy was developed by Cisco to teach students how to design, build and maintain computer networks. High school courses based on Cisco Systems Network Academy Semester 1 and Semester 2 are offered as high school credit courses in most other Canadian provinces.