Apr 18, 2013

AMMAN -- Rana Qandah, a recent university graduate, thought it would be difficult to find a job upon graduation, but she is now a paid intern at the Cisco Systems' Jordan office.

Qandah, who graduated six month ago from Al Balqa Applied University with a degree in communications engineering, said she was able to find the job at Cisco Systems after receiving several training courses at one of Cisco's networking academies in the country.

"When I graduated six months ago, I felt I still needed more skills to be able to find a job. I was told about Cisco Networking Academies in Jordan and joined one of them. The training I received was interesting and taught me skills that I did not learn at university," she told The Jordan Times.

Qandah, who now works as a systems engineer, is one of more than 9,300 Jordanians who have been trained at Cisco Networking Academies since 2000, according to Nevine ElKadi, senior manager for Middle East and Africa, corporate affairs at Cisco Systems.

"Jordan is a success story for the Cisco Networking Academy programme, where the turnout is high, especially for female students," ElKadi said in a recent interview with The Jordan Times.

Around 31 per cent of the trainees since 2000 are women, she said.

Cisco Networking Academy is a global education programme that teaches students how to design, build, troubleshoot and secure computer networks for increased access to career and economic opportunities in communities around the world. 

Under the academy's training programme, Cisco partners with educational institutions, government administrations and community-based organisations to provide the courses.

"The idea of the academies is to enhance university students' technical skills in networking and provide them with other IT skills needed in the market to increase their employability," ElKadi said.

There are 19 academies in Jordan, she noted, including ones at Princess Sumaya University for Technology, the University of Jordan, the Public Security Department and the Jordan University of Science and Technology.

Currently, about 1,200 Jordanians are receiving training at these academies. 

In the Middle East and North Africa, there are 636 Cisco Networking Academies that have so far trained more than 241,000 students, with females constituting 32 per cent of the total.

Qandah, who received Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Routing and Switching, Cisco Certified Design Associate and Cisco Certified Network Professional training, said she feels confident about her skills after completing these courses.

"Unfortunately, the university focuses mostly on theory. The training I received helped bridge the gap between theory and practice and improved my technical skills," she noted.

Wasan Talhouni, wireless team manager at the Cisco Technical Assistance Centre at ESTARTA, agreed with Qandah.

'The training I took at one of Cisco's networking academies helped me move up the ranks in the company. I am currently a manager of 17 women in the only outsourcing service centre for Cisco in the Middle East," said Talhouni, a graduate of Princess Sumaya University for Technology with a computer engineering degree.

"Training at the academy helps students and professionals keep abreast of the latest technologies in the field. I think without the skills I acquired from the academy, I would not have been hired," she told The Jordan Times.

According to Mohamed Jinini, networking academy area manager for Levant countries at Cisco Systems, some universities in Jordan count training at the academies as part of their curricula to help students obtain technical skills needed in the ICT sector.

Jinini noted that those who successfully complete the courses are qualified to sit for an international test that enables them to earn industry-recognised certificates.

© Jordan Times 2013