i see that the link i provided for The Cisco Kids article (#reply-6802078) isn't taking me to the proper page today. so here's the darn article instead :)
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The Cisco Kids
Company sponsors networking classes
in high schools
for three years, Sabrina Castillo lived on the streets
of San Francisco -- doing drugs, hanging out with
friends and avoiding school.
Today, the shy 18-year-old is learning how to build
and manage complex computer networks and
dreaming of a job at one of Silicon Valley's
high-tech companies.
The striking transition from street kid to computer
aficionada came after Castillo was sent to a drug
rehabilitation program. It was there that she heard
about Cisco Systems' Networking Academy -- a
nationwide program for high school students who
want to pursue careers in technology.
She enrolled in the academy at Sequoia High
School in Redwood City and, along with about 30
other students at the school, is learning about the
inner workings of computer networks.
The students at Sequoia are among the thousands
that Cisco hopes to train, certify and, perhaps,
recruit as part of its nationwide program.
The Santa Clara company has set up academies in
more than 1,000 schools across the country and
also offers the program overseas. More than
17,000 students are now enrolled in a Networking
Academy, which operate in all 50 states.
The program is open to any student -- there is no
prerequisite or entrance exam. It gives kids a
chance at a $40,000- a-year job out of high school.
Although it's designed mainly for students who don't
plan on going to a four-year college, some students
who do plan to attend a university take the course
for experience.
Cisco launched the program a little more than a year
ago to help fill a high-tech worker shortage. The
tech industry has been plagued by a severe lack of
skilled workers and has struggled to fill jobs that
require intense training.
The program is designed primarily for juniors and
seniors in high school, who take the courses during
regular school hours as an elective, much like wood
shop or home economics.
Students are taught at the school by a staff teacher,
usually a computer science instructor. But the
curriculum is provided online by Cisco. Tests are
also administered on the computer, although some
teachers substitute their own written exams.
At the end of the two-year program, which takes
280 hours to complete, students get a certificate
that qualifies them to be network administrators.
Students can get summer internships at some of the
high-tech companies where they might want to
eventually work.
''This puts kids on track to a high- paying job,'' said
Keith Fox, Cisco's vice president for worldwide
corporate marketing. ''And it will give them the
opportunity to learn the new life skills that they most
likely will require into the next century.''
Any high school in the country can become a
Networking Academy, according to Cisco, as long
as it has a dedicated instructor, can afford the
equipment and provides the space for the
networking labs.
Cisco donates the curriculum and online support,
but schools must pay for the networking equipment,
which costs about $14,000. Schools also pay about
$2,500 to have the academy's teacher trained by
Cisco. Many schools apply for grants from the state
or nonprofit agencies to cover the costs.
Community colleges can also host regional
networking academies and offer the courses to high
school grads.
While the program aims to help students set a
career path, the program is by no means altruistic.
By getting junior and senior high school kids
certified as network administrators, Cisco figures it
can create a well-educated, skilled workforce.
''The reason we did the program was fundamentally
to address a worker shortage,'' Fox said.
That has concerned some critics, who fear the
program is yet another intrusion by private
corporations into the public education system.
A Cisco banner hangs at the Sequoia High School
Networking Academy, and the company's logo is
seen throughout the online curriculum. Cisco also
sends guest speakers and provides tours of the
company and others in Silicon Valley.
Marianne Manilov of the Center for
Commercial-Free Public Education in Oakland said
the academies sound more like job-feeding
programs than job training.
''It sounds like they're using public funds to do
job-feeding to the company,'' Manilov said.
It raises a red flag, she said, because corporations
shouldn't have control over public school
curriculum. ''When a company comes in saying 'this
is what we need to teach you,' it blurs the line in a
dangerous way.''
Manilov also said the time spent in the program
gives students less exposure to other courses, such
as language, math or science. ''That's a lot of time
in front of the computer and it's not adding to any
other training,'' she said.
Those involved in the Networking Academies say
the program is helpful and that students wouldn't be
able to learn these skills if Cisco didn't provide the
curriculum.
Some students, like senior Richard Porter, say they
don't want to work for Cisco, but would rather start
their own businesses with the skills they learn in the
academy.
''The hands-on labs and the curriculum really
teaches you a lot and it sticks with you,'' said
Porter, 17. ''I didn't know anything about this
before but it's opened a lot of doors to me. Now I
think want to have my own network consulting
firm.''
Cameron Dodge, one of the two academy teachers
at Sequoia, said the program provides a great
opportunity to some students who would normally
have gone on to minimum-wage jobs after high
school.
''Part of the goal is to bring kids into an
environment where they can learn to earn two to
three times what they would make at minimum
wage,'' said Larry Wagner, another academy
instructor.
For Castillo, the chance to make good money and
work at a Valley company is reason enough to slave
through the course, which she and other students
said is challenging.
''It's hard, but I know this will help me out,''
Castillo said. ''I was on and off the streets for three
years and this is definitely different from what my life
used to be like. But I've always liked computers
and now I want to get certified and go work for a
big company.''
For more information on Networking Academies,
go to www.cisco.com/edu/academies.
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