SCHENECTADY — Students looking to jump-start their computer careers have found success in Schenectady High School’s CISCO Networking Academy.

State Education Department Deputy Secretary Duffy Palmer on Monday visited the school, the first high school in the state and one of the first in the country to implement CISCO. More than 1,000 students have completed the program, which teaches students how to design, implement and maintain computer networks. It also offers internships and the opportunity for students to receive CISCO Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification.

Andrew Cotton of Schenectady, who graduated from Schenectady High in 2006, explained how the program helped him. He is currently attending the College of Saint Rose and studying computer information systems. While attending school, he also has a full-time job providing network support for Northeast Parent & Child Society’s uptown campus on Hamburg Street. He obtained his A+ certification in CISCO, which led to this job opportunity.

“It gives you a good jumping-off point to start in the field,” he said, adding that he would eventually like to be an information technology manager or start his own computer repair business.

Palmer said he is having conversations with Gov. David Paterson about how to replicate the program in other areas.

He said the program offers students a chance for hands-on learning. “I think it keeps students involved and interested in school when they may drop out,” he said.

The only problem is the state is struggling with limited financial resources, he said.

Superintendent Eric Ely, Associate Superintendent Gary Comley and other administrators led Palmer on a tour of the facility and met with instructors Joe Hendrick and Bernadette O’Brien.

“It’s like today’s shop class. They’re getting the basics of how to open up a computer,” Hendrick said.

Information Technology Essentials course instructor Barry Gold said not all students pursue information technology careers. Some are interested in music and want to know how to use the computer to incorporate sound. Those seeking to become doctors want to have a passing familiarity with how network systems work.

“Not everyone is going to be certified but certainly everyone is going to come away with a set of tools that will be very valuable in later years,” he said.

Senior Michael Burke, 17, is taking the Information Technology Essentials class with the goal of continuing on to college and starting his own business one day.

“It’s a real good opportunity in the high school that I’m taking college-level classes for free,” he said.

Graduates of the program have gone on to successful careers. Aki Middleton, a 2004 graduate, studied aerospace engineering at MIT and spent three summers interning for NASA on a project to develop a new vehicle to replace the space shuttle.

Mark Giemza, a 2001 graduate, is working as a network systems specialist for the SI Group in Niskayuna. He said this two-year program was covered in the first year of his college so he was head and shoulders above others.

CISCO has spent more than $15 million and has established 146 academies — most of them in secondary schools.

More than 8,400 people graduated from the program in New York State last year and nearly 26,000 since its inception, according to Marie Zwickert, business development manager for CISCO. She said CISCO provides the curriculum for free and equipment at a deep discount.

Zwickert said the program is more important than ever, especially when the number of graduates in computer programs has been dropping in the United States, while numbers from India and China are rising.

“We need Americans to remain as competitive as we have in the past,” she said.