During the Computing Foundation Year, you’ll get to grips with the basics of computer programming by taking part in creative and fun practical projects. These will be carried out under the guidance of a teaching team with a wide portfolio of experience and skills.Personal development is crucial - you will be supported in improving your academic confidence and start on the road to becoming an independent learner. We encourage teamwork and cross-discipline collaboration, both of which are highly valued by employers.In partnership with the Cisco Networking Academy, the degree course will equip you with the practical skills required to design, implement, secure and manage computer network systems for business and industry – ranging from small businesses to large scale enterprise levels.Throughout your studies, you will be working in our high-tech computer networking labs with industry standard facilities featuring a wide variety of equipment including Cisco routers and switches, CCNA and CCNP bundles, multi-vendor network devices and high-performance servers. The lab machines are also equipped with a multitude of academic and commercial software including Cisco Packet Tracer, OPNet, VMWare, Open NMS, Wireshark, and GNS3 in Windows and Linux environments. The lab machines can also be configured flexibly to implement and test computer networks, and learn advanced technologies such as software-defined networks, cloud computing, virtualisation and the ‘Internet of Things’.Your future employability is a key focus, and in addition to professional qualifications there are a broad range of transferable skills such as project management, problem-solving and communication skills embedded throughout – helping you to become highly employable.After completing the second year, your placement year in industry will help you to develop your practical skills further. Previous students have completed placements and been employed in companies such as British Aerospace, Cisco, Juniper, and IBM.