Cisco Networking Academy Students Ride the Wave of Success More Are Winners in Skills Canada Networking Competition in 2006
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August 2006 Success Story Cisco Networking Academy Students Ride The Wave Of Success More are winners in Skills Canada Networking Competition in 2006 Everybody starts in nationals. “I am nervous, but happy,” he the same place at says, about now being able to go to Japan. the Skills Canada While attending Cégep Limoilou in Québec networking competit- City, Boucher started his own company. ion. Yet, in the end, “That probably helped me to practice during it is the Cisco my courses and my work and prepared me Networking well for both competitions,” he feels. While Academy Program his own company hosts web sites on the students who stand internet, Boucher would like to work with a in the winner’s circle bigger company which is doing networking most often. on a larger scale. To attend Skills Boucher’s instructor, Jean-François Savard, Post-Secondary winners from left to right: Paul Ellis, PE (Silver), Tommy Boucher, QC (Gold), Canada 2006 in says he likes to participate in the competition Chris MacDonell, ON (Bronze) Halifax, participants because it is a great experience, win or lose, had to win their provincial Skills competition for the students. “The girl who went two in either the secondary or post-secondary years ago didn’t finish in the top three, but category. she used it on her resumé and got a job All winners receive significant prizes, but because of it,” he says. It also gives Savard the gold-medal winner in the post-second- an opportunity to see how other colleges ary category, Tommy Boucher, will also teach the same programs. represent Canada at WorldSkills 2007 in Holland College on Prince Edward Island Numazu City, Japan. Held every other year, has a tradition of participating in Skills and attracting more than 700 contestants Canada and won silver in this year’s post- from 45 countries/regions, WorldSkills 2009 secondary competition. Paul Ellis took will be in Calgary, Alberta. Networking Academy semesters in high From the northern part of Québec, Boucher school and continued with them in college. had never been farther than Québec City He also participated in Skills Canada, at the prior to the provincial Skills competition. nationals, in high school. “My exposure to Then he was able to go to Halifax for the the national competition is what prompted “As soon as I won, I felt a lot National Winners: more confident about the Secondary School Division Post-Secondary Division Medal Name Academy Name Academy things I do. I’m still taken aback Gold Justin Waterloo Collegiate Tommy Boucher Cégep Limoilou, QC Fitzsimmons Institute, ON by what winning at the national Silver Jason Geron R.F. Staples Paul Ellis Holland College, PE level means.” High School, AB Bronze Rees Ewonchuk Miles Macdonell Chris MacDonell Cambrian College, ON - Justin Fitzsimmons, Secondary Collegiate, MB School Gold Medal Winner While the students are the stars of Skills Canada the competition would not be possible without our strong supporting cast who give invaluable help behind the scenes or provide much needed support. Cisco would like to thank our partners, Panduit, Fluke, CompTIA and Cisco Press for their generous contributions of prizes. Skills Canada benefited greatly from the instructors who kindly volunteered their time on the various technical committees. A special thank you goes to the folks at Nova Scotia Community College for their assistance locally. Success Story me to take it in Collegiate Institute (WCI), in Ontario, will college,” he says. attest to that. “As soon as I won, I felt a lot more confident about the things I do. I’m Rob Blanchard is still taken aback by what winning at the the instructor at national level means.” Holland College. He says they have He is almost finished his Networking been sending stud- Academy program and will then take his ents to the national certification, so his prizes of the CCNA Skills competition prep library and $750 certificate from Fluke for about six years. Networks Canada will come in handy. “It’s a really good WCI is no stranger to winning. The gold morale booster. medal winner in the secondary competition Secondary school winners from left to right: Jason Geron, AB (Bronze), Justin Fitzsimmons, ON Once they get to in 2005 also attended the school. Ion (Gold), Ress Ewonchuk, MB (Silver) the nationals, it’s a Damian, a teacher at WCI, says they have great place to network with other students always developed strong trouble-shooting in the same trade.” skills. “We started by refurbishing comput- Blanchard says the Academy program prep- ers for a place that takes donated ones. We ares the students well for the competition. It had 200-300 computers going in and out. uses Cisco equipment so the students are That gives excellent hands-on experience.” familiar with it. “Other companies don’t Each skill at Skills Canada has a committee have any kind of training set up for their that sets and oversees the test. One of the products,” he says. five members for the IT Network Support While Holland College has appeared often Group, Jan Sirek of Cisco Systems Canada at the national competition, Cambrian Co., says they try in a test to cover a broad College, from Sudbury, Ontario, made its range of disciplines that would be appropri- first appearance and won bronze. Student ate for a secondary or post-secondary Chris MacDonell says, “I didn’t know any- student. “To make a good competition, we thing about networking, but we have excel- need to have a test that covers all the bases lent instructors and get great support from of the different technologies they would be them.” MacDonell is currently doing global exposed to in the classroom and industry,” network support for Inco Ltd. he explains. One of Cambrian’s instructors, Bob Vachon, Sirek says they are always adding new chal- says they teach both Cisco Certified lenges to the test. They update it by putting Network Professional (CCNP) and Cisco new questions in the written parts and Certified Network Associate (CCNA). He including new technologies. “Wireless was likes being able to see how they stack up added in this year, so a student who might against other colleges across the country. have been there last year would have been required to know this year how to use wire- Vachon sees many advantages to being a less and this wasn’t on previously,” he says. Cisco Networking Academy. “It is the qual- ity of the curriculum. We have access to Success comes in many forms, but requires unbelievable amounts of information, the a firm base of knowledge. The Cisco assessment helps students prepare for industry Networking Academy Program provides IT certification and students like the curricul- students with an important part of that um and the layout.” foundation. Winning gold at Skills Canada can change a student. Justin Fitzsimmons, from Waterloo Copyright © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Networking Academy, Cisco, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or it’s affiliates in the U.S. and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document or Web site are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (806R) Printed in Canada.