Freshman and sophomores at St. Joseph Catholic High School will have the opportunity in the fall to enroll in the school’s latest courses in the Information Technology Academy. The school is working in collaboration with Innovative to provide students with the chance to prepare for careers in information and communication technology.
Gregory Christian, I.T. Academy instructor, said after completion of the course, the students will have a solid foundation. He said the students will be eligible for seven certifications.
“They will leave certified and be prepared – having theory and skill training,” Christian said. “We’re building a future workforce here.” He went on to say they are instructing students to be computer network defenders.
“Look at the global scale of hackers,” Christian said. “We need to have people to secure data and the integrity of networks. The computers in the territory will be vulnerable. We have to build a workforce here to defend us.”
At a media conference Monday at St. Joseph to announce the launch of the program, Jennifer Matarangas-King, Innovative vice president of public relations and governmental affairs, said Innovative always needs information technology employees.
“This could lead to internships,” Matarangas-King said. “We could start to engage a school-to-work program. This is just the beginning.”
Matarangas-King said quite a few of the Innovative executives are graduates of St. Joseph High School and they appreciate and understand the rigors of a parochial school education. She said she hopes the program draws attention to the school and enrollment will increase.
The Rev. John Mark, principal at St. Joseph, said a Catholic education is and continues to be progressive.
“We’re here to educate children to contribute to the community and take care of themselves,” Mark said. “We’re eager to prepare children for society in a good way.”
The courses were developed by and will be delivered through Cisco Networking Academy, a global education program. They offer features like network simulation exercises, labs and assessments.
