Continuing Education expands Cisco courses, training
By Emily Rushton
Getting Cisco-certified from the comfort of your own cubicle sounds pretty convenient – and now, thanks to a deal signed by Technology Education, you’ll be able to do just that.
Technology Education, a division of Continuing Education at the University of Utah, previously offered just one Cisco certification – the basic CCNA. Now, a total of eight Cisco certifications will be offered, following a recent contract signing with Stormwind, an IT training company that specializes in online classroom experiences taught by experts in a live format.
“It’s synchronous, which means you’re actually right there in a classroom with a live instructor, and you can ask the instructor questions,” said Inita Lyon, Director of Technology Education.
Stormwind’s courses last for two weeks and only require two hours a day. “You close your door for two hours and you never have to leave your office,” said Lyon.
If something comes up that causes you to miss a class, you can simply log in and watch a recorded session of it later that day.
“We think it’s a paradigm that will be really attractive to very busy IT professionals,” said Lyon.
"I think our own UIT people generally go elsewhere to get their Cisco training because in the past we haven’t offered many certifications except for the basic CCNA,” said Jasmin Davis, Associate Director for UIT’s Strategic Vendor Partnerships.
Technology Education recently had a booth at a Cisco's Tech Days event in Salt Lake City, where staff were able to tout the new expanded course offerings and hand out information.
“I’m hoping next year we’ll be the preferred Cisco training partner,” said Davis. “We’re the biggest educational establishment in the state, so it would make sense.”
Eventually, the goal would be to be able to accept Cisco Learning Credits and do certification testing directly on campus.
In addition to the expanded Cisco course offerings, Technology Education will also offer multiple Microsoft and CompTIA certifications – all from the convenience of a computer.
And the best part about it? “Because we’re actually handling the registration process, these are considered our classes, which means your tuition benefit kicks in,” said Lyon.
“With the 50% discount, departments can then stretch their training dollars so much further than if they were sending their employees off site,” said Anne O’Brien, Assistant Dean of Programs for Continuing Education.
The new expansion of courses will be available in May, and Technology Education will be presenting more information about it at the IT Professionals meeting on June 4.
Lyon would like people to know that if they don’t see a class offered that they would like, they should give Technology Education a call. “We have the flexibility of being incredibly responsive in designing courses or creating custom classes,” she said.
They’ll even coordinate a live Cisco training course on-site: “You just need to call us, and we’ll set it up,” said O’Brien.
For more information, feel free to call Technology Education at 801-581-6461 or visit the website.