DOHA - Cisco System International BV, the global network solution providers, has set up its Regional Networking Academy at the College of Engineering, Qatar University (QU).
The decision was jointly announced by Dr Hassan E Alfadala, Dean, College of Engineering, QU and Wayne Hull, Director, Cisco, here yesterday.
Cisco Networking Academy is a programme developed by the Cisco to promote networking education worldwide.
QU is the only regional academy in Qatar and other institutions will work with the university to become local academies. The regional academy will become fully operational by March 2008.
"The programme will help students leverage the excellent integrated curriculum provided by Cisco. It will also provide them an excellent hands-on-lab experience", Hull said ahead of signing the agreement with QU.
Hull, who said that Qatar will be in need of an estimated 1900 skilled networking professional by the year 2009, added that the regional academy will contribute to filling the big gap between demand and supply of skilled talent in the emerging networking/IT field in Qatar. The academy would provide a chance to eligible institutions to become local academies and offer courses to their employees or general students.
The programme will help QU and the College of Engineering in improving quality and impact of computer science, computer engineering and electrical engineering programmes. Cisco Networking Academy has an excellent reputation within academia and industry circles in terms of quality, Hull added.
The initiative will help promote ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), Education and Knowledge in Qatar. QU will be working in local academics in Qatar to teach networking and IT courses based on Cisco's online curriculum tools, said Adnan Abu Dayya, Chairman &.Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering.
The College of Engineering will act as the only Cisco Regional Networking Academy in Qatar, he added.
The academy would recruit local academies and work with Cisco to organise and promote events, conferences, seminars related to Cisco's academy. Its functions also include recruitment of local academies to the programmes and offer courses to students per contract between the local academies and the regional academy.
The programme will help QU and the College of Engineering in improving quality and impact of Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering programmes. Cisco Networking Academy has an excellent reputation within academia and industry circles in terms of quality and impact of its curriculum.
© The Peninsula 2007
