Programmer analysts going national
8/3/2004 1:23:10 PM
By Chad Harnett
College of the North Atlantic (CNA) will be sending some of its students to the nation’s capital this fall.
In fact, 14 students from the Programmer Analyst (Business) Co-op program (44 percent) are headed for Ottawa. More specifically, four of the 14 have been hired for IT positions at the RCMP’s national headquarters.
The group includes students Tom Fagan, Tina Wall, Nicole Lewis, and Phillip Rogers, all from CNA’s Prince Philip campus in St. John’s. They will begin work in September and remain there for 16 months as a part of the work-term required for their program.
“We were very impressed with these students, and the fact that we were only looking to fill two positions and actually offered positions to four students speaks for itself,” says Andy Etherington, Recruitment Coordinator with the RCMP CIO Sector.
Also, says Etherington, a first-rate example was set by CNA students previously hired for the RCMP’s Central Help Desk and Mobile Communication Services.
Tom Fagan, work-term student and class leader for the Programmer Analyst (Business) Co-op program, feels he will be prepared for the job in September.
Fagan says that although he will be doing additional things that he has not been specifically trained for, the college has given him the basic skill set in preparation for the job. He has developed problem-solving skills as well as group work and communication skills at CNA that should prove to be extremely useful.
“I feel great about getting the job,” he says. “The opportunity to work with the federal government is a great one, and I feel that it reflects really well on the college and on our program that all four who were interviewed were selected.”
The placement includes duties such as general LAN administration, equipment upgrades and disposal, configuring RCMP Office Support Systems (ROSS) and hardware/software troubleshooting, among others.
RCMP LAN administrator Joel Tellier is impressed.
“The students that participated in the interviews were very qualified. They seem responsible and serious about the goals they wish to achieve,” says Tellier.
“These are strong and important qualities to have in order to make your way on the path of life.”
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For more information contact:
Stephen Lee
Communications Manager
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-7929
Or
Tanya Alexander
Public Information Officer
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-7928