When the Kentucky
Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) announced—its
partnership with Cisco to create a statewide Cisco Networking
Academy Program, it didn’t anticipate the swell of response.
Students have filled all available slots in fall classes throughout
the state, and the KCTCS chancellor’s office has received more
calls from interested high schools than they can answer.
“I’ve been in academia for 20 years and this is the fastest
enrollment growth for one program I’ve ever seen,” says Vincent
A. DiNoto, Jr., Director of Technology, Jefferson Community
College. “We went from zero students last fall to nearly 1000
Cisco students in fall 2000."
Background
Three urban centers containing half the state’s population form
a triangle surrounded by small cities and rural areas in Kentucky.
In 1997, the state’s 13 community colleges were combined with
15 technical colleges to form the Kentucky Community and Technical
College System. While the colleges continue to be a pathway
to higher degree programs, they now have a greater emphasis
on helping people bridge gaps in their skills and education.
Increasingly, students with bachelor degrees and workplace experience
are coming back to school to take classes to improve their employment
opportunities. KCTCS caters to these students with certificate
programs and partnerships with industry. The Cisco Networking
Academy Program was an ideal fit in the new system, bringing
a highly prized certificate program, teacher training, and high
quality curriculum. The KCTCS chancellors, Dr. Keith Bird and
Dr. Tony Newberry, encouraged the statewide IT department to
take a system-wide approach to adopting the Cisco Network Academy
Program. The Academy program is offered as part of the IT degree
and as integrated certificates for college credit.
Challenge
When a clothing manufacturer closed their plants in central
Kentucky and the region lost 1500 jobs, a new kind of company
came in to replace them: Amazon.com. Those 1500 workers could
not immediately transition from one work environment to the
other. They needed a crash course in computers, software, and
networking to fill the jobs in the new workplace. KCTCS, through
Elizabethtown Technical College, partnered with Campbellsville
University as a local Networking Academy to leverage certificate
programs and contacts with local community colleges to help
fill the gap.
“Every business and organization in the state needs someone
with the skills the Academy delivers,” says Tony Nunn, Project
Manager, Kentucky Community and Technical College System. “Our
vision is to significantly raise the information technology
skill level in Kentucky within the next two years.”
From the start of the new college system, the chancellors and
the president recognized the importance of technology training
and the value of certificate programs. Chancellor Dr. Keith
Bird came to KCTCS from New Hampshire and brought the example
of successful Cisco Academies. Dr. Michael McCall, President
of KCTCS, made information technology training a top priority
for the state educational institution. With Chancellor Dr. Tony
Newberry, they gave the college IT departments the mandate and
the financial support to establish a statewide program. Even
with demand from students and a green light from college leadership,
a quality program takes time and people to launch. Education
institutions offering the Academy program must find and train
instructors, set up labs, and market the program to students.
The colleges turned to their own faculty members and offered
them an opportunity to join a statewide community of instructors.
The response from the faculty was extremely positive as they
recognized the critical need for information technology training
for the people of Kentucky. The faculty member’s experience
and commitment to teaching made an excellent match to the Cisco
curriculum.
Solution
The Cisco program and the ability of KCTCS to quickly ramp up
and offer classes signifies a new relationship between the workplace
and the classroom. Workers of all ages and experience need learning
opportunities at critical times in their career, and community
colleges have the flexibility and resources to meet their needs.
When KCTCS looked for a way to establish an IT certificate program,
the Networking academy had all the right ingredients: industry-recognized
certification, quality assessment, instructor training, and
student assessment.
KCTCS established 10 Regional Academies to support 100 Local
Academies in high schools, colleges, area technology centers
and other non-profit entities such as public housing authorities.
Area technology centers are vocational schools serving secondary
students, usually located next to a high school. The Murray
Housing Authority offers classes onsite. Cisco curriculum enables
area colleges to set up labs, train faculty, and start teaching
curriculum in less than six months, a year ahead of schedule,
according to Alan Hall, Cisco Regional Academy Instructor at
Northern Kentucky Technical College.
By coordinating efforts from a central office, KCTCS can leverage
resources to make the Academy available throughout the state,
not just in the urban centers. Tony Nunn, Program Manager and
Vince DiNoto, Statewide IT Director, provide a single point
of contact for resolving issues and promoting the program. They
report directly to the chancellors and meet with college presidents
to gain their support for regional instructors. They also work
closely with Cisco to implement the industry-recognized program
as quickly as possible. When the state decided to launch 10
Regional Academies at once, they paid for the Cisco Academy
Training Center instructors to come to Kentucky.
“We all went to Cisco training together,” says Hall. “We got
to know each other at the training and, even though we are all
over the state, we can support each other.” They communicate
through email, chat rooms, and hold meetings over the statewide
interactive television network.
Future Plans The Cisco Networking Academy Program in
the state of Kentucky started with 256 students in spring of
2000 and has grown to 1000 for the fall 2000 semester. The state
fast approaching its goal of 100 Local Academies and will offer
credit to high school students who successfully pass their assessments.
In spring 2001, the colleges will begin offering the Cisco Certified
Network Professional (CCNP) program as credit courses. KCTCS
plans to use the partnership with Cisco as a model for the future.
“Cisco curriculum and the way it’s delivered is a model for
where education is headed,” says Nunn. “Students have access
to the curriculum any time through the Internet. The curriculum
and training is more up-to-date. Controlled testing to internationally
normed standards provides excellent feedback and assessment
for students. If all of our courses could be that way it would
terrific.”
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