Novell has announced that its CNE (Certified Novell Engineer) bursary programme, has produced its first graduate for 2000. Mokete Sekiba succeeded in completing the course and acing his exams in half the time that it takes most other students to do.
"Mokete is a shining example to other CNE students," says Novell bursary fund co-ordinator Patricia Leaman. "According to his lecturers, he was very astute in the classroom, keen to learn and extremely dedicated. Even his days off were spent at IT-IQ, the Novell Education Authorised Partner, he attended."
Before applying for the bursary programme, Sekiba had acquired some experience in networking and had previously worked as a training officer. He had been unemployed for some time, however, and describes his life at that time as "going nowhere".
"I decided to apply for the bursary programme and was delighted when I was accepted," he relates. "Novell had given me a chance to start my career over, and I was determined to grab that opportunity with both hands. I resolved to commit myself entirely to my studies."
This proved to be a wise decision as, according to Sekiba, the CNE course proved to be extremely challenging. "Previous networking experience is a must, and if you want to do well, you have to be prepared to work hard," he says. "There`s no time to party."
Sekiba was so determined to pass that he even suffered sleepless nights during his studies.
His hard work has paid off, however, and upon qualifying he was immediately recruited by Pretoria-based Novell business expert, Red Star Networks.
"I foresee that Mokete will one day hold a senior technician`s post in a leading IT company," Leaman predicts. "His story is exactly what Novell`s CNE bursary programme sets out to do - provide financial support to up-and-coming IT professionals (particularly previously disadvantaged individuals) so that they might obtain IT skills and become marketable in the job sector."
Since the programme`s establishment six years ago, Novell has invested no less than R2 million in producing CNE-qualified technicians.
Applicants have to undergo stringent selection criteria before being accepted into the bursary programme.
"We receive about 300 applications each year. All the applicants are interviewed several times and are also required to write an IT aptitude test to determine their technology skills level - a basic understanding of networking principles is a prerequisite as students won`t be able to pass the course without it," Leaman explains. "From these, 10 are eventually selected to attend the CNE course, the majority of whom are previously disadvantaged individuals."
The course can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis. According to Leaman, successful graduates usually have no problem finding immediate employment in the IT industry. "The CNE qualification is world renowned, which gives the graduates a significant advantage when seeking employment," she says.
The programme has also enjoyed a high success rate so far. "Many past graduates are now holding senior technical positions in the industry. Our vision is that, in time, at least one of our graduates will become managing director of a leading company," Leaman concludes.
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