In a regional meeting held in Cairo
Cisco Systems recently organized a meeting where it invited managers from all its Networking in the MEA region. The meeting discussed the results achieved by the program last year, in addition to revealing plans to expand the Academy programs in 65 regional nations by the year 2010. The aim is to train 500,000 trainees in 10,000 Academies.
Shahb Mashky, Cisco Networking Academy Program Regional Manager said: "The meeting that joined the Academy Program Managers in the different nations among the region aimed at reviewing the results achieved by the program last year, represented in achieving a 40-50% growth, as 50,000 trainees graduated from 600 Academies in the region."
Mashky expects demand for expertise and high-caliber workers to continue in the region in information technology networking and security. The sector grows by 45% annually to make it the fastest-growing sector in the field of IT and Communications. "The sector is expected to dominate 32% of the work opportunities in the field of ICT throughout the upcoming three years" added Mashky.
The experimental "Digital Academy" was showcased at the meeting. 120 trainees in the Cisco Academy Program were graduated throughout the past 6 months from the Digital Academy. The experiment was created in cooperation between Egypt's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, and Ofok association, with which the Digital Academy is affiliated. The speed with which the trainees were trained is considered a record in the region, and the experiment is considered a model among all Cisco Academies worldwide.
Nevine El-Kady, Cisco Networking Academy Program MENA Regional Manager says, "The graduation of the Digital Academy graduates is a model that Cisco Academy Programs will follow throughout the region to reward pioneering Academies and encourage civil society associations aiming at enhancing skills of graduates and youths using communication and information technology tools."
El-Kady held up the Egyptian model as an example among developing countries, as the Egyptian government and civil-society associations contribute towards different initiatives regarding education and qualifying graduates for the labor market, saying: "Egyptian expertise is among the most desired in the region, and there is a plan to lift the number of Cisco Academy graduates to 20,000 with 1,000 Academies within the upcoming three years. This will be in cooperation with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology".
Commenting on the merit granted to his association, Mr. Shaarawy Abdel Baky, Ofok CEO says: "The main goal of the association is to enhance the skills of graduates and youths and qualify them to the working environment. The start was studying the market needs, where we found a huge need in some specializations that required knowledge of IT and Communications tools. At the same time, we found many youths who were looking for job opportunities and were keen to learn and become qualified to the market, and this is where we started to know our directions in cooperation with Cisco Academy Program and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology."
A surprise that stunned the audience was the graduation of an Egyptian child named: Mohammed Eisa, who is twelve years old. He now holds the ITE certificate from Cisco, certifying his specialization in basic IT skills. Mohammed is now the youngest graduate of the Cisco Academy worldwide. Mohammed is hoping to achieve the CCNA and CCNP in coming years.
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Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, this year celebrates 20 years of commitment to technology innovation, industry leadership, and corporate social responsibility. Information on Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.
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Cisco Networking Academy Program
The Cisco Networking Academy Program is a public, private, partnership between Cisco, governments, education institutions, NGOs and industry created to teach students how to design, build and maintain computer networks. The Networking Academy delivers web-based content, online assessment, student performance tracking, hands-on labs, instructor training and support, and preparation for industry standard certifications.
Launched in October 1997 with 64 educational institutions in seven states, the Networking Academy has spread to more than 150 countries. Since its inception, over 1.6 Million students have enrolled at more than 11,000 Academies located in high schools, technical schools, colleges, universities, and community-based organizations.
The Cisco Networking Academy Program is a comprehensive e-learning program that provides students with the Internet technology skills essential in a global economy.
© Press Release 2007
