Assessing Computer Networking Course for Network Admin Skills

This report assesses the effectiveness of computer networking courses offered by UK universities in developing the necessary skills for network administrators. The study examines the curriculum, learning outcomes, and skill sets required for network administration roles, including technical and practical skills, competence, and soft skills like teamwork and communication. It highlights the importance of these courses in preparing graduates for roles in various companies and government bodies. The report also explores the skills employers seek in network administrators, such as knowledge of computer networks, firewall configurations, and system design. By analyzing the alignment between course content and industry demands, the report aims to justify the value of UK's education system in producing qualified employees for the IT sector, providing a detailed analysis of the network administration skills gained through computer networking courses.

Computer Networking
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Title
“Does the Computer networking course help in development of the skills required by employees
in the area of Network Administration”
Introduction
The main purpose of this project is to evaluate if the computer networking courses conducted in
the universities of UK are helpful in development of individual employees working in the field
of network administration in UK industries. The commercial purpose of the courses are assessed
for visualizing the governmental bodies that UK education is helpful for making effective
employees in UK governmental industries.
Computer networking is the course that includes prospects of network administration where
systems are interconnected through various network modules and thus objectives for industrial
purpose are met. As the shortages of well qualified graduates are being seen every year, the
course is to develop such worthy employees for UK industrial zone.
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Figure: Shortage of Well qualified Graduates (STEM crisis)
(Source: Yi and Richard, 2015)
Discussion
The learning outcomes in the course of computer networking on the University of Bedfordshire
administer several aspects like, technical and practical skills, competence and knowledge and
most important soft skills like, teamwork, deadline considerations, presentation skills, report
writing and communication (Beds.ac.uk. 2018).
The technical and practical skills include knowledge of computer networking for the
maintenance of network systems. As a whole for a company in UK, the LAN, MAN and WAN
connections within the office systems are taught along with the expertise in maintaining the
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network systems so that the work culture does not get affected (Morris et al., 2018). Competence
suggests innovation and invention through accurate communication with the team and develops
solutions for any problem faced by the company. The course includes working together aspect
where diversity is met and innovation is originated.
Potential employers for network administration job role
There are several employers for the network administrator job role, such as,
Interact CC ltd, Richmond, UK
AdView, Greater London, UK
Redline Group ltd, Theale, Reading UK
Except these companies the main employer for the job role are UK governmental bodies
(Ioannides and Datcher Loury, 2004)
Skill set for the graduates for network administration profile
The skill sets that the employers look for in a graduate includes if the graduate incurs according
knowledge of computer networks, through which the graduate as an employee will be able to
maintain the high availability in network infrastructure so that the workplace objectives can be
met without any interception (Marcia et al. 2018).
The skills regarding the development must be included with the prospects of computer, voice and
firewall. The firewall is for internet security so that no information is lost.
The required skills for being an impressive network engineer must include,
 Establishment of network environment through proper system design (Bénédicte and
Pierre, 2017)
 Monitoring and evaluation of systems for maximizing the network performance
 Up gradation of data network equipment to the latest stable firmware releases
 Configuration of routing and switching equipment, hosted IP voice services and firewalls
Justification
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The justification is provided in order to assess if the skill set are good enough for the post of
network administrator in any company of UK. The skill sets suggests the graduate with such
mentioned skill set is perfect for the post of network administrator as the minimum responsibility
of the employees working in the same field includes these.
Conclusion
The discussion illustrates the justification for the government bodies that the education system in
UK Universities is capable of making bright employees for the government for their industrial
purpose.
References
Beds.ac.uk. (2018). Computer Networking - beds.ac.uk. [online] Available at:
https://www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/courses/undergraduate/next-year/computer-networking
[Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].
Branchet, B. and Sanseau, P.Y., 2017. From technical to non-technical skills among information
systems suppliers: An investigation in the skills domain. Journal of Enterprise Information
Management, 30(2), pp.320-334.
Mardis, M.A., Ma, J., Jones, F.R., Ambavarapu, C.R., Kelleher, H.M., Spears, L.I. and McClure,
C.R., 2018. Assessing alignment between information technology educational opportunities,
professional requirements, and industry demands. Education and Information
Technologies, 23(4), pp.1547-1584.
Morris, G.J., Fustos, J.T. and Haga, W., 2018. Connecting the Dots and Nodes: A Survey of
Skills Requested by Employers for Network Administrators. Information Systems Education
Journal, 16(1), p.4.
Prospects.ac.uk. (2018). Overview of the IT sector in the UK | Prospects.ac.uk. [online]
Available at: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/information-
technology/overview-of-the-it-sector-in-the-uk [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].
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Work.chron.com. (2018). What Is a Junior Network Admin?. [online] Available at:
https://work.chron.com/junior-network-admin-22414.html [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].
Yi Xue and Richard C. Larson, "STEM crisis or STEM surplus? Yes and yes," Monthly Labor
Review,U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2015, https://doi.org/10.21916/mlr.2015.14.
Ioannides, Y.M. and Datcher Loury, L., 2004. Job information networks, neighborhood effects,
and inequality. Journal of economic literature, 42(4), pp.1056-1093.
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