To better serve his students, Gregory Cole, Information Technology/Computer Systems instructor at the Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Lake Shore/Carrier Career & Technical Academy in Angola, recently earned his CompTIA Network + Certification. This certification is used to demonstrate a computer technician’s ability to manage, maintain, troubleshoot, install and configure network infrastructure.

Those are extremely important skills for Cole’s students to have in today’s competitive information technology job market, which is exactly why he took the exam in the first place, earning a score of 822 out of a possible 900 points. That’s 322 points above the minimum 500-point threshold required for certification.

“I took the test because my curriculum includes Network + Certification training for the seniors,” Cole said. “I wanted to be sure I was teaching to the standards of the 2009 CompTIA Network + Certification.”

CompTIA is an acronym for the Computer Technology Industry Association. Numerous advanced certifications can be earned through CompTIA, beginning with the basic CompTIA A+ Certification. The Network + Certification requires more advanced levels of knowledge, training and experience.

During the 2009-10 school year, Cole also became a Master Microsoft Certified Application Specialist after becoming certified in four Microsoft Office 2007 applications: Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint. And last year, Cole became a National Board Certified Teacher through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.