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Computer grant may launch careers
By BARBARA BEHRENDT © St. Petersburg Times, published February 21, 2001 LECANTO -- In a couple of years, Bob Chambers hopes to be teaching teens who will make double his teacher's salary or more as soon as they collect their diploma and get their first high-tech job. Lecanto High School recently applied for a $350,000 grant to create a program that would turn out high school graduates with computer skills certifications. While only a limited number of schools will receive the grants from computer technology giant Oracle, Chambers hopes Lecanto can be among their number because he sees real benefits to the program. And besides, the students in his "emergent computer technologies" class are already excited about the possibilities, a clear sign there will be no shortage of interested students if Lecanto High is lucky enough to win an Oracle Internet Academy. The course would be geared for 15 to 30 students. Chambers is shooting for the higher number because he thinks there will be no problem filling the classes. Since a portion of the curriculum will include work experiences in local businesses, school officials already have been talking to potential employees and are getting a positive response. Already 10 businesses have indicated a willingness to take between one and five students. Not only are businesses interested in putting the students to work, but they also want to see those teens become part of their permanent work force after graduation, Chambers said. The course work for students would begin with a class on the fundamentals of a database. After that would come three more semesters of specific forms of programing, concluding with a course on database applications. At the end of the program, students would be certified and ready to take on jobs as computer network administrators or various programing positions. For those who move on to higher education, many other job possibilities exist, including as a more advanced programer, or an analyst or systems designer. "We are deep into an informational age with all kinds of technology emerging," Chambers said. "My goal as a teacher is to bring in as much technology as I can." While Lecanto already has the computers and other hardware needed to run the program, the grant from Oracle would purchase software and licensing, provide needed curriculum and pay for technical support. Dollars also would be allotted for Chambers to get his own training, a regimen of 10 weeks of online instruction, two weeks of training in California and another eight weeks online to complete the program. "We're trying to develop something that is going to give students some power upon exiting the high school level or going on to higher education," said Lecanto High principal Steve Richardson. "There is just so much carry-over value to these kinds of things." Richardson said the Oracle Internet Academy is the ideal program for what the high schools are trying to do: focus students on an area of interest and train them in ways to get ahead in those fields. And computer training ranks right up there, he said. "There sure is a wide job range for the computer industry now," Richardson said. That is especially true in the areas targeted by the Oracle academy. "All across the nation there is such a cry for networkers, and the starting salaries are $60,000 or better," Chambers said. "And that's coming right out of high school." He said some of the students have begun asking every day about whether the school has gotten word on the grant. Some youngsters have worked on their own certification online because they are so interested in the computer field. That encourages Chambers, who said he has seen computers inspire students who previously had been through bad experiences with other academic courses. "We have taken some who are techno-phobic and now they're programing," he said. "Plus, it teaches problem-solving skills. . . . I'd like to believe you get a lot more out of it than just the computer training."
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