Computer & network infrastructure design, installation, maintenance and management - a proposed new competency based curriculum

All Interii%tranet commercial and industrial iippliccm”ons need a stable and secure computer and nehvork in$wstructure. l%is infrastructure is typicaliJ a large, heterogeneouspopul~”on of networkedPCS that need to be managed by a specialist support group. Market analysis clearly indicates that these specialists n-eed a pori$olioof skills and knowledgenot suppliedby tradition accreditedcomputerscience courses. Although Edith Cowan University (ECU) was recerdi’ygranted level 1 re-accreditati”onof its Computer Science Degree by the Australian Computer SocieQ it was clear that, on completionof their studies, their graduatescould not desig% install, maintain or manage a netwur?xdpoputi”on of P(Ys to a professional st&rd with due regard to safe~, both to themselves and the equipment. Further, it was noted that the current degree provides fm options to study Health & Safe~, Law and Technology, Finance or Human Resource Management issues thut a graduate must address in prepar~-on for a professional career in computer and network management. hdic~”ons are that this is also the case within other universitiesin Australia and the UK l%is paper proposes a new competency based curricuhu%referenced10interndonal practices and am-cdated to non-university educ~”onal programs, to meet marketneed Thispaper also presezts resultsfiom the implement~-onof part