Cisco Networking Academy Students Find Encouragement During Visit to PPL Telcom
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
On Nov. 14, a group of 10 Penn College students, along with their instructor, visited the corporate headquarters of PPL Telcom in Allentown.
The group was hosted by Paul Ciotta, marketing communications specialist. Welcomed for the third year by PPL Telcom president, David Kelley, the students spent the morning learning about the company and hearing about the promise of the industry's future from people on the front lines of broadband fiber-optic and wireless technology.
"This is an especially exciting time in our history from a technological standpoint," Kelley told the students, most of them pursuing degrees in electronics and computer engineering technology or information technology. "The changes in technology and the opportunity that comes with change give us at PPL Telcom a great deal of enthusiasm, and I encourage young people like you to pursue careers in the telecommunications industry."
Sunita Krishna, product manager, discussed the use of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing in provisioning wide area network circuits, and Miguel Gracia, Network Operations Center manager, gave an overview of the services his department provides and the types of skills students need to be successful in that area of the business.
The group also visited the Hausman Service Center, where Jim Krutchen, senior telcom engineer, showed the students the types of equipment used in providing voice and data communication services to PPL Telcom customers and described what is involved in installing and maintaining a central office equipment room.
PPL Telcom, an unregulated subsidiary of PPL Corporation, was formed in 2001 to pursue telecommunications business ventures and is the college's internet service provider.
Penn College is a Cisco Networking Academy, providing training in Cisco CCNA and CCNP career certifications. For more information about certification classes and how they can enhance your degree, contact Jeff Weaver, assistant professor of electronics .