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Josh Waite: CISCO Academy Teacher


2020-03-30

After leaving school, Josh Waite went straight into the workforce, working in a retail clothing store. Seven years later, he decided to start a new career and enrolled in a full time program at Box Hill Institute studying basic electronics and computer field service. 

“Once I had completed the second year, I got a job almost immediately in the field servicing laser printers, with a little PC support thrown in the mix. It was with a small company of less than 15 employees but they had a large customer base within the Melbourne CBD and suburbs,” he said.

When Josh attended his graduation ceremony in July 1995, he was awarded the top Computer Technician Graduate. He said, “On the same night I was told there was an opening in the Box Hill Institute ITS department, servicing the newly built Nelson Campus. I applied, was interviewed, and started in October 1996.”

Since then, Josh has been working at Box Hill Institute doing all sorts of IT work, including basic desktop support, networking administration, troubleshooting and purchasing. He said, “I worked on issues at Nelson, Doncaster, Nunawading, Whitehorse and Elgar Campuses, but mostly Nelson.” 

Currently, Josh performs three roles as an ICT and cyber security teacher, the subject matter expert for mentoring, delivery materials upgrading and development, and the training Cyber Security Operations Centre administrator. In 1999, Cisco Systems, an American technology company best known for its computer networking products, came to Australia with a new educational program that they had created for the United States market. They wanted to spread it globally and Box Hill Institute grabbed the opportunity to deliver the program. 

A small group of teachers based at the Nelson campus, including Josh, received two weeks of intensive training with a trainer from Cisco USA who helped create their learning materials and just like that, Box Hill Institute became the first Cisco Academy in Australia.

After years of training, completing his TAE course, working full time during the day and teaching nights across Box Hill Institute, Josh left the ITS team in 2019 and started a new role as a full time teacher. “I was immediately put to work delivering units for both the Certificate IV and Advanced Diploma in Cyber Security, as well as updating and creating content where needed,” he said. Box Hill Institute delivers cyber security courses to students across a broad range of ages and a multicultural cohort aiming to upskill or reskill. 

The Cisco program attracts students due to Box institute’s investment in equipment and because of its highly trained Cisco instructors. Josh said, “We have a local setup with over 100 Cisco Networking Devices that can be accessed remotely from anywhere in Australia or New Zealand 24 hours a day. 

“I really enjoy teaching, meeting new students and helping them to achieve their goals, even more so when I meet them years later and they are enjoying their new jobs.”