When Lighthouse Communications of Warwick launched a training center dedicated to Cisco systems earlier this year administrators of the program expected gradual growth in enrollment. That was not the case. Instead of gradual growth it was dramatic.
“We were surprised at the demand out there,” said David Sylvestre, marketing director for Lighthouse. “We had no difficulty filling classes. Initially we did not see this as being a profit center of the company, but it became a more serious part of our business than we anticipated.”
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Sylvestre said since February 100 people have gone through the 5-day courses being offered in a variety of subjects involving Cisco, a system platform used by the majority of corporate networks.
“Since 70 percent of corporate networks are Cisco-based we are optimistic about the program. The demand far exceeds the supply for trained certified Cisco engineers,” Sylvestre said.
He added that the training program, which soon will include another five courses, is the only one like it in New England so the IT professionals taking classes there come from as far away as Vermont and Maine.
There are dozens of other IT training centers in the region, but most focus on other applications. Sylvestre said Cisco appeared to be a niche worth looking into considering Lighthouse is a supplier of Cisco Systems.
“The original intent was not profits. What we wanted was a full-service networking company. So along with designing the network, installing the network and maintaining it we wanted to train the staff of our clients’ companies in-house. It is a very good value added feature,” Sylvestre said.
The company’s main focuses included the design, implementation and management of enterprise networks for customers worldwide. They offer a comprehensive range of communications services, including network design, installation and support, training, remote network monitoring, plus network performance and security audits. Lighthouse’s commitment to the new training program included building a network training facility at the company’s headquarters in the Warwick Executive Office Park. The facility features classrooms, interactive AV system, PC workstations and a fully equipped network laboratory.
The company’s investment will have a secondary benefit.
Because of the nature of the networking industry, technology changing so quickly, we have to keep our own staff highly trained so we can use this facility for that,” Sylvestre said. He said the company plans to put each of its 15 senior networking engineers through six different advanced networking training course in the next 12 months.
The initiative caught the attention of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, which recently awarded a grant to Lighthouse that will cover roughly 50 percent of the cost for the in-house training, Sylvestre said.
There are a half-dozen levels of Cisco technical certification that Lighthouse senior network engineers teach with an emphasis on relating the technology to real-world applications.
Most of the five-day courses are priced at $1,000 per student, with significant discounts available for groups or students who register for multiple courses.
A unique aspect of the program is the “Certification Success Guarantee.” Students who complete a course, but don’t pass the Cisco certification exam can retake the entire five-day prep course at no charge.
Lighthouse has also used partnerships with other training sites like Roger Williams University and Data General Open Systems Training to attract people to the program.
“For a large number of students once they get other IT certifications the logical step would be to get Cisco certification. It works out well with these other training sites, because we are not competing by offering similar programs,” said Sylvestre. “They resell our course and we pay them a commission. It works out very well for everyone.”
For more details on class dates, fees and registration visit the education section of Lighthouse Communications’ web site at www.lighthousecomm.com.
