August 5, 2009

Cisco—a major supporter of Skills/Compétences Canada (S/CC)—congratulates the winners of the 15th annual Canadian Skills Competition in May in P.E.I., where five of the six medalists in the IT and Network Support contest are Cisco Networking Academy students.

Secondary School
• Gold: Nathan Wiens – Chilliwack, B.C.
• Silver: Guillaume Lafrance – Orléans, Ont.
• Bronze: Alex Szczuczko – Calgary, Alta.

Collegiate / Post-secondary
• Gold: Matthew Burr – Lindsay, Ont.
• Silver: Michael Hopkins – St. John’s, Nfld.
• Bronze: Dallas Rathbone – Red Deer, Alta.

“The Skills Canada Competition provides students with the opportunity
to demonstrate their skills and work with their peers in a challenging
and competitive environment,” said Rosanna Bisges, senior manager of
the Cisco Networking Academy, U.S. and Canada. “Cisco’s ongoing work
with S/CC is evidence of its commitment to raising the importance and
visibility of IT training and skills worldwide in a dynamic and
innovative way.”

The Cisco Networking Academy is a technology education program that
provides students in 165 countries with networking and technical
skills, offering students “real-world skills that will position them
for employment and career growth”. There are 236 such academies across
Canada, with nearly 17,000 students having completed coursework
preparing them for careers in information technology.

The IT and Network Support contest tests four key competencies:
hardware knowledge and setup; network layout and management; Windows
server operations; and Linux server operations. The networking portion
of the contest evaluates a competitor’s ability to design a functional
network that is scalable, adaptable and easily managed. Competitors are
required to implement, verify and troubleshoot their network.

CLICK HERE for Skills/Compétences Canada.

CLICK HERE for the Cisco Networking Academy.