School District No. 42, located about an hour east of Vancouver, British Columbia, has had a reputation for its strong trade education programs and hands-on experience that helps high school students find jobs after they graduate. When the district decided it needed to add a leading-edge technology component to its course offerings, it chose Council Lead Partner Microsoft's IT Academy for a pilot program at one of the district's high schools. The IT Academy program offered real-world training and certification in several Microsoft-based technologies and skills, such as Office 365, database management, systems administration, web development and more.
The program was so well-received by students and their accomplishments so promising that a second school undertook the program with the same successful results.
