Students get more secure on Web

LEECHBURG — The state Department of Education has approved two new programs at the Allegheny Valley Institute of Technology, a step the school's director said will help students get ahead of developing needs in the technology industry.

The school was formerly called MicroPower Institute of Technology.

The name was changed in the fall to reflect the institute's more regional service area, according to Director and CEO Skip Laratonda.

The institute, which is dedicated to computer technology, opened a new semester Monday with students having the first chance at enrolling in computer security technology or computer programming and Web site development technology, Laratonda said.

Laratonda expects both courses to meet with a strong demand.

The computer security technology program is a two-semester program designed to provide students with the skills to defend networks from hackers.

According to the school's Web site, “The training merges advanced skills in operating systems, networking, and security — all talents that are in heavy demand by industries who fear cyber attacks on their most treasured assets: their data and network systems. Financial losses due to breaches average $1.5 million per company.”

The institute also offers a single-semester security course. Laratonda said the security courses are very popular.

“We've had a lot of inquiries in the past few months,” Laratonda said. “It's looking like the numbers would be good for the fall.”

While security is a major issue for companies across the country, Web design is an equally hot issue.Laratonda said the school has had numerous students interested in learning how to design Web sites.

The school has had a one-semester program for a few years.

But there's more to building the site, Laratonda said, which led the school to develop a two-semester, more in-depth program focusing on both building a site and hosting it safely on the Internet.

“A lot of students want to build a Web site,” Laratonda said. “They don't know about the hosting and art behind it.”

So the school designed a program about building a Web site and using Adobe Photoshop to expand the site's art capability.

They also learn about computer servers in order to host a Web site and know how to protect it from hackers.

Community center

In addition to the new classes, the school's also hoping to open a community center for the public.

By working with the Armstrong Educational Trust, Laratonda said the school will hopefully be approved for a state program within three months.

If the program is approved, the school will open five state-funded training rooms and a computer lab at its 10-acre location on the shore of the Kiski River.

Laratonda said the school has about 50 students, and the school has an 85 percent placement rate.

Anyone interested in one of their programs can choose to take select courses without completing the full program.

Scholarships are available to those who qualify.

“Everybody that applies gets something,” Laratonda said. “That's based on need. It's usually 10 to 30 percent of tuition.”

Tamara Simpson can be reached at tsimpson@tribweb.com.