OVERVIEW

Leadership Claims

Our Cisco Networking Academy has won the Premier Partner status for two years in a row for our contributions to the success of students and instructors. We support over 35 other Cisco Networking Academies in North America and are one of only a few academies that have an Instructor Trainer status.

Program Overview

As the Information Technology (IT) sector continues to grow in Toronto and our industry partners report skills shortages, George Brown College is helping to meet employer demand by educating IT professionals who understand all aspects of computer systems. Our two-year Computer Systems Technician program provides students with a broad and in-depth technical base, through courses in the high-demand areas of system support, network administration and web technologies. The curriculum prepares graduates with the strong administration, troubleshooting and design skills they need for careers in IT.

As the Information Technology (IT) sector continues to grow in Toronto and our industry partners report skills shortages, George Brown College is helping to meet employer demand by educating IT professionals who understand all aspects of computer systems. Our two-year Computer Systems Technician program provides students with a broad and in-depth technical base, through courses in the high-demand areas of system support, network administration and web technologies. The curriculum prepares graduates with the strong administration, troubleshooting and design skills they need for careers in IT.

George Brown continues to invest in up-to-date networking, wireless and security lab equipment to help students develop hands-on installation, configuration and troubleshooting skills. Students use the NetLab platform, which enables them with 24/7 remote access to Cisco Systems physical equipment. This investment, along with our hands-on teaching environment, was recognized by Cisco when the college was designated an Area Support Centre and Instructor Training Centre.

Graduates of the Computer Systems Technician program are prepared to write several industry certification exams that are in demand by employers.

Note: Students who start the program in January (winter term) will be required to attend classes during the summer months (May to August).

Technology Requirements

This program requires students to have access to a personal computer with the following specifications: 

• 16 GB RAM minimum 
• 256 GB SSD Hard Drive (500+ GB is optimal) 
• Quad-core i7 2.4GHz or better 
• Video card (2GB RAM minimum/4GB RAM recommended) 
• Webcam 

Program Learning Outcomes

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Identify, analyze, develop, implement, verify and document the requirements for a computing environment.
• Contribute to the diagnostics, troubleshooting, documenting and monitoring of technical problems using appropriate methodologies and tools.
• Implement and maintain secure computing environments.
• Implement robust computing system solutions through validation testing that aligns with industry best practices.
• Communicate and collaborate with team members and stakeholders to ensure effective working relationships.
• Select and apply strategies for personal and professional development to enhance work performance.
• Adhere to ethical, legal and regulatory requirements and/or principles in the development and management of computing solutions and systems.
• Assist with the implementation of computer systems.
• Install, configure, troubleshoot, maintain, upgrade and decommission computing system infrastructures.
• Automate routine tasks using scripting tools and programming languages.
• Provide technical support for computing system infrastructures that aligns with industry best practice.
• Implement the basic concept, principles, and scope of DevOps.
• Apply task automation using configuration management and the Cloud.
• Automate network administrative tasks across distributed clients.