Two Community College of Rhode Island students won a grand prize trip to California through a global networking competition. Ruben Frias and Samuel Greene took first place in the 2009 U.S. and Canada, Cisco NetRiders Skills Challenge on Nov. 20.

“I didn’t realize what a big deal it was at first, but now I do,” said Frias.

The challenge is an interactive contest designed by the Cisco Networking Academy to give technical education students the opportunity to showcase their IT (information technology) and networking skills and to recognize excellence among Networking Academy students.

“This is an outstanding way to showcase our students,” said Lela Morgan, CCRI vice president for academic affairs.

Cisco is one of the leading manufacturers of networking equipment. Their primary business is internetworking products such as: routers, switches, and bridges.

“This is a worldwide competition theater in the U.S. and Canada for the first time,” said Marie Zwickert, Cisco business development manager.

The students competed in three rounds of activities including network simulation and a timed theoretical exam. Greene and Frias placed first out of more than 600 Networking Academy students from 38 states and 6 provinces.

“To have these students right in our backyard win this global competition is truly impressive,” said Bill Gustafson, a Cisco systems engineer.

The Cisco Networking Academy is a global education initiative that delivers information and communication technology skills to help improve career and educational opportunities for individuals in communities around the world. The academy serves over 950,000 students in 165 countries. CCRI was one of the first regionally and locally designated networking academies.

“The skills of tomorrow are really needed today,” said Kevin Livingston, Cisco New England Public Sector SE Manager.

The top two teams won an all expenses paid trip to the Cisco Headquarters in San Jose, Calif. Greene and Frias were awarded new Flip video cameras to document their trip.

“Most URI and RIC students won’t work in Rhode Island after graduation, the majority of our students live and work here,” said John Mowry, an assistant professor in the engineering and technology department. Mowry is also the Cisco certified networking program coordinator for CCRI.

Cisco works directly with educational institutions to serve as a training partner. CCRI has been partners with Cisco for the past 12 years, providing students with networking and technical skills to prepare them for careers in the 21st century.

“The barriers of success are very formidable,” said Gustafson.

This program allows students to come out of college trained and prepared for immediate employment. A recent CCRI graduate was hired by one of the world’s largest network security companies, according to Mowry.

“It’s all cutting edge stuff,” said Mowry.

Students from all ages and backgrounds are coming to attend the Cisco classes. These programs and systems are not something that can be learned once, they are constantly changing and therefore people must always be retraining.

The Cisco Certified Network Associate program can be finished in two years and the starting salary for a graduate averages around 80,000 dollars.

“People don’t realize the depth of what we have to offer at CCRI,” said Morgan. Providing a workforce for businesses in Rhode Island directly supports the presidents message that CCRI contributes not only to the educational level in the state, but also to the state of Rhode Island’s economic development and the regions workforce.

“CCRI is one of the best kept secrets in the state,” said Mowry. Zwickert hopes that the college challenge will become an annual event, with another already scheduled for next fall.