For Barb Allen and Jeff Heckbert, the Business Information Systems Development program did more than retrain them for new careers -- it helped them get the training necessary to form their own software company.

Allen is now the Chief Executive Officer of Zambera Systems, while Heckbert is the Chief Operating Officer (www.zambera.com). The pair, along with Carla Wilson, the Chief Product Architect, are all 2000 graduates of the Holland College BISD program. In fact, the trio hatched the idea for the Health Centre management software package during their stint at Holland College. Allen had been a nurse in Canada and Bermuda for 15 years and been involved in the information technology industry since 1992. Her interest during the ten month course at Holland College was software development, where she was able to combine both her nursing and information technology skills. Meanwhile, Heckbert also manages a dentist's office in addition to being a software pioneer.

Alan Dowling, who teaches the BISD program along with Brian Murray, said the trio all fit into the typical profile of course students. It is designed for university graduates who are looking for retraining to either upgrade their current job or enter a new career.

"Most computer courses are two years," Dowling explained. "Recognizing that people can't usually take too long away from their job, this course is pretty intense and we cover everything in ten months." That "everything" includes such topics as project management systems analysis and design, database management and development, object oriented programming and network technologies including intranet and internet.

The program also offers industry certified programs from such software giants as Sybase/Powersoft, Sun, Oracle and Microsoft. Dowling said each student (there are currently 18 registered for the course who will graduate in June) has their own work station and their own laptop computer loaded with all the applicable software so they can work both at home and at the school.

"I found the program to be both challenging and rewarding," Allen said.

The trio incorporated their company soon after graduation, and already they are making a name for themselves south of the border. Initially, the group came together to form a company around Allen's idea for a Health Centre management software package for children's camps in the U.S. The software, which resulted from Barb's experience as a camp nurse, is known by its trade name Medipal and is a one of a kind software system designed specifically for the management of camp Health Centres. The group hopes to use their initial success in developing Medipal to develop a range of technology and software products for the health care industry.

"The course was an invaluable experience for me, opening doors and offering opportunities I had not realized existed for myself," Heckbert said. "I was able to learn about programming from a practical viewpoint--I recommend to anyone considering IT training to look to the Business Information Systems Development course."

Dowling said the course, which is offered at Holland College, Charlottetown Centre, has a maximum enrolment of 24 students. He said applications are now being taken for the next course, which starts in September. Perhaps that class or the one that graduates in a few weeks may provide the foundation for the next success story in the province's booming IT industry.