Local academy teachers then supplement their online curriculum with contributions of their own materials. Jai Gosine, formerly a teacher at Thurgood Marshall High School, which is located in an economically disadvantaged area of San Francisco, launched the initial networking academy with 40 students. The fact that it was an elective, so the students chose to be there, made a big difference. But it's a demanding class, requiring an hour and a half after school once a week in addition to everything else. In exchange, kids get a lot of hands-on experience with equipment they would use in the field.
Networking academies require four semesters to complete.
The first semester is dedicated to basic concepts on how to install network infrastructure. During the second semester, students work with routers. In the final semesters, they learn how to design a network and practice putting test networks together. At the end of the course, students have all the information they need to prepare them for the Cisco Certified Networking Asso-ciate exam. They are encouraged to take the exam and become certified.