Demand up for Microsoft, Novell certification courses

by Christine Ballew-Gonzales

SBJ Contributing Writer

Microsoft certified systems engineer (MCSE) and certified Novell engineer (CNE) professional certifications continue to be in demand, according to area computer training companies.

Several local colleges and training companies are offering MCSE and CNE training programs.

The MCSE program consists of six areas of instruc-tion, according to JMARK Systems' Dina Casey, sales and purchasing representative.

Topics covered in MCSE training include Windows NT Workstation, Windows NT Server, Windows NT Server-Enterprise, MS TCP/IP (network configurations), Internet Information Server and Network Essentials, Casey said.

JMARK Systems is preparing to offer an MCSE training program, possibly as early as January, and it may also add the CNE training program sometime in the next year.

In addition, the company is considering offering NetWare training, if enough customers request it.

"I get calls all the time about MCSE," Casey said. "People are really looking for this training, I think."

The MCSE program that JMARK will be offering will take two weeks to complete and will cost $5,995, according to Casey.

"The instructor guarantees that students will pass," she said. JMARK's instructor is Microsoft certified to teach the course, Casey said.

Bryan Career College offers both MCSE and CNE training programs, according to Christopher Dixon, admissions representative.

Bryan Career College's MCSE course takes approximately nine months, with 15 hours of instruction each week.

"Anything less than nine months would not be adequate," Dixon said.

Dixon emphasized that the MCSE and CNE are very demanding courses that require previous computer expertise.

"Folks who take the MCSE or CNE program are usually already in the computer field," he said.

Because of the difficulty of the course, Dixon said he interviews and pre-tests potential MCSE and CNE students to assess their current level of computer knowledge.

According to Dixon, those interested in these courses should be leery of a school or program that fails to inquire as to a potential students' computer experience.

"A school that has the student's interest at heart will be forthright with them," he said.

In addition, Dixon said, students should exercise common sense when a school claims to "guarantee" that the student will pass the test.

"A potential student needs to stop and think, 'How can you guarantee that I'm going to pass a test that you, the instructor, are not going to take?'"

Webster Uni-versity's Springfield campus also offers the MCSE training, according to Chris Dunham, com-munity relations coordinator and campus computing administrator at Webster.

Dunham said Webster's program uses a sort of boot camp approach.

Students in the program go through six weeks of independent study with a mentor, then two more weeks of in-class training.

"We offer a money-back guarantee," Dunham said. "You will pass the exam within two attempts, or the university will pro-rate your money back." Webster University's MCSE course costs $5,495, according to Dunham.

IKON Technology Services education consultant Kristin Brenna said that IKON has been offering the MCSE and CNE courses for several years.

Demand for those certifications is great, according to information supplied by Brenna, which indicated that 1.3 million skilled technology workers would be needed by 2006. (ABC News "High Tech Work Programs.")

To help meet the growing demand for such qualifications, IKON will begin offering a course called Tech 2000 in November.

"We will start people at ground zero, but by the end of the course, they will be certified as MCSE and as a CNA (certified Novell administrator), and also A+ certified," Brenna said. The A+ certification refers to the hardware portion of the Tech 2000 class.

The Tech 2000 course, which also includes DOS training, will take four to six months to complete, along with passing the tests necessary to gain certification in those areas.

Universal Systems House has been offering the MCSE certification for the past four years, according to USH Chief Executive Officer Roger Best.

The CNE training program will also be offered at USH by the first quarter of next year, pending the hiring of CNE trainers, he said.

According to Best, USH provides flexible training schedules and offers an MCSE Unlimited package.

"At a cost of $7,500, that gives you as many classes in the MCSE tracks as you want in the next 12 months," Best said.

USH uses Microsoft certified trainers, and a high number of USH-trained MCSE test-takers pass the exam. "We have a higher pass ratio by far than the national average," Best said.

Also, those who do not believe they have mastered the skills in a particular MCSE class may attend that class again at no charge, Best said.

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