Novell Training Brings High Technology Career Opportunities to San Jose High Schools

These new courses, in which students learn how to administer computer networks, were developed in partnership with Novell, Inc. and the San Jose Education Network (SJEN). Students who successfully complete the network administration curriculum and pass a Novell certification exam will become Certified Novell Administrators (CNAs), an industry-recognized certification standard that can help students gain entry into the information technology job market.

"By offering the CNA program at the high school level, Novell is able to give back to the community," said Carolyn G. Rose, Vice President and General Manager of Novell Education. "Technology changes so rapidly. It's difficult for schools to keep up, especially as they face funding and appropriations challenges. This is just one example of how the private sector can make a difference."

The courses began as part of a three-year-old initiative of the San Jose school system designed to better prepare students for technology careers. Within three years, the four San Jose school districts, representing 30 high schools, expect to include the Certified Novell Administrator curriculum in all of their high schools as part of the regular course of study.

Students will learn the necessary skills to administer the NetWare networks commonly used today. Through a partnership with SJEN, Novell has prepared the San Jose school teachers to teach network administration courses.

The San Jose Education Network currently consists of a Wide-Area Network connecting 64 Santa Clara county schools. Ten of these schools offer total distributed access to the WAN from any computer on site over a NetWare 4.1 network. These 10 schools are the ones that will be offering the CNA class to selected students this year.

SJEN receives financial support, as well as products and services, from many public and private sources, including Novell Inc., 3Com Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Pacific Bell and the City of San Jose. Textbooks for the student training are available through Southwestern Publishing Co.