02 Mar 2021
Cyber security is important for Australia's national security, innovation, and prosperity. As we prepare students for jobs of the future, it should come as no surprise that cyber security is a key industry that students are increasingly moving into following graduation from college.
One ACT educator has made it his mission to ensure the brightest tech minds are on the right path. Graham Cassells is a specialist information technology educator at Lake Tuggeranong College who is training the next generation of networking professionals. Through a suite of classes, including CISCO Networking, students gain a sophisticated understanding of key focus areas of IT, as well as practical skills in teamwork, project management and time management that makes them work ready professionals.
What sets the CISCO Networking class apart from similar programs isn’t only Graham’s experience and enthusiasm for the topic. Graham has partnered with the Services Australia Cyber Security Department to provide a valuable work experience program. The program also provides hands on inquiry and mentoring by industry experts.
The computer lab sports an impressive Lego train set up, but don’t be fooled, it’s not all fun and games.
Dylan, Xavier, Kyle and Mitch are students of Graham’s who have come to the end of their journey with him. While the courses demand determination and hard work, the students see so much value in what they’ve achieved and are strong advocates of the classes.
“The work we do with Graham is all about working in groups, time management and problem solving,” Kyle said.
Xavier agrees, stating “It definitely helped with researching problems, finding solutions in any way you can, working with teams and working to deadlines.”
For the many of the students an interest in the industry started may years ago but the college classes translated an interest into a solid and appealing career pathway. “I always used to mess around on my dad’s computer. I saw that Lake Tuggeranong offered cyber security, it sounded cool, so I thought I’d give it a try,” Dylan said.
“Lake Tuggeranong College ticked all the boxes, it had networking and cyber security and also the flight course. What they offer here is amazing,” Mitch agreed.
The cyber warfare range is the students’ final project, combining two years of learning into a final challenge. As Graham says, to learn how to protect against cyber attacks, you must first know how to launch an attack, that’s where the LTC cyber warfare range comes into play.
Throughout the CISCO Networking class, students master all the competencies required to take the Cert 2 – Cisco Certified Networking Associate test, delivered by the Canberra Institute of Technology. Dylan, Xavier, Kyle and Mitch have recently completed their education at Lake Tuggeranong College, are now moving into further study or apprenticeships in the industry.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how the real world operates! Most things you work on in this field are very secretive, so it’s not until you get there that you can see these things,” Xavier said.
The students are now capable cyber hackers, and as they move on from the lab with Graham, it’s comforting to know that they’ll be protecting Australians from cyber threats.
Xavier and Mitch