A-B Tech Students Capture Top Spot in IT Skills Competition
November 6, 2009
Two A-B Tech students earned first place in the North Carolina state final of the 2009 NetRiders Skills Challenge conducted by Cisco Networking Academy. Brandon Hunnicutt and Matt Blakely beat 42 teams over two rounds of state competition to move on to the North American Theater Finals.
The 2009 NetRiders Skills Challenge is open to post-secondary students enrolled in the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) curriculum within the past six months across the United States and Canada. The competition spans a six-week period between October 12 and November 20. Teams of students have the opportunity to advance through three contest levels and compete for the Grand Prize awarded to the top two teams across the United States and Canada -- an all-expense paid trip to Cisco's corporate office in San Jose, CA, during January 2010.
NetRiders leverages Cisco's Web 2.0 technologies to create an interactive experience, enhance classroom learning, and motivate young people to further pursue technology education and training. Students test their Networking/IT skills through a series of online exams and simulation activities.
In addition to the first-place team, A-B Tech teams beat out competition from other colleges and universities in North Carolina to capture the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th place spots in the final state qualifier.
"These teams demonstrate the determination and dedication all of our students have to achieving success and creating opportunity," said Lewis Lightner, Chair of Networking Technology at A-B Tech. "When they choose to major in one of our programs, we make it very clear that we have high expectations of our students. The success of Brandon and Matt, as well as the other competitors, exemplifies how our students live up to this high standard. We are very proud of their accomplishments and know that they will represent us well in competition against other students throughout North America."
The Cisco Networking Academy at A-B Tech started in 2001 as part of a comprehensive two-year degree program. The Academy at A-B Tech not only provides Networking/IT education for students but also serves as a Regional Academy where instructors from other Academies receive training. To date more than 400 students and instructors have received training at A-B Tech.
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