Contact Information: Press Contacts: Robyn Jenkins-Blum Cisco 408-853-9848 rojenkin@cisco.com Cara Sloman Cisco 831-440-2411 csloman@cisco.com
Cisco Calls for Era of Public-Private Partnership in Education
Cisco Networking Academy Marks 10th Anniversary, Grows Global IT Workforce Pipeline by 2 Million
| Source: Cisco Systems, Inc.
WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - October 3, 2007) - Cisco® (NASDAQ : CSCO ) Chairman and CEO
John Chambers today called for governments and businesses to embark on an
era of public-private partnerships aimed at ensuring that students gain the
knowledge and skills necessary for U.S. competitiveness.
At a Capitol Hill event to mark the 10th anniversary of the Cisco
Networking Academy®, an initiative that has provided more than 2 million
students around the globe with critical information technology (IT) and
networking skills, Chambers said business leaders must take more
responsibility to refocus our educational system on the skills that
students need to be successful in the modern economy.
"The future success of any nation depends on the quality of its education
and the skills of its workforce," said John Chambers, Cisco Chairman and
CEO. "No one entity, company or government organization can address this
challenge alone. It requires collaboration on a very large scale between
corporations and government organizations at the state and national level.
Cisco is proud to be a part of this effort through the Networking Academy's
innovative approach to reaching students, engaging them in learning and
preparing them for careers in the 21st century."
The Higher Education Research Institute reports that the first wave of IT
professionals will soon retire, leaving a large gap in the workforce.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, five of the
fastest-growing occupations for college-educated job seekers through 2014
will be in IT. The Networking Academy, which began from a passion to make
IT skills available to all, has become a successful model to help meet the
demand for talent.
Students and instructors from all 50 states and the District of Columbia,
as well as government and education leaders, participated in the event to
celebrate the first decade of the Networking Academy and to discuss its
goals for the future. In the United States, there are 69,500 currently
enrolled students and more than 2,600 instructors in Networking Academy
institutions.
The Networking Academy has demonstrated success in providing students of
all ages and from all walks of life with the advanced IT and networking
skills desperately needed in today's global economy. Graduates have
benefited from gaining in-demand skills, increasing their earning power,
and often advancing their education to aid in the development of their
countries and local economies. Of those Networking Academy students who
responded to a survey, 91 percent stated they use their newly acquired IT
skills on a daily basis, while 40 percent reported the program has had a
significant positive impact on their careers.
"The Networking Academy provided me with the knowledge and skills to
advance my career," said Davion Crumel, a Networking Academy alumnus and
now the director of the Cisco Academy Apprentice Program at Miami Dade
County Public Schools. "After graduation, I built on the partnerships to
help create internship opportunities between the academy students and local
businesses to provide real-world skills. Through our district's IT
department, we are growing our own talent pool and making an impact on
these students' career paths and our local economy."
Networking Academy institutions are located in more than 160 countries
around the globe via schools, colleges, universities and community-based
organizations where they partner with educational, business, government and
nonprofit organizations. Through the Networking Academy, these partners
deliver the knowledge and training needed to grow the global IT workforce
and encourage socioeconomic development in communities around the world. As
a comprehensive e-learning program, 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.
More Paths to Education, Careers
As Cisco Networking Academy begins its second decade, the program will
reflect a heightened focus on student outcomes, providing different paths
to education, certification and careers. Cisco recently launched a new
segmented approach to the Networking Academy curriculum that accommodates
differences in student capabilities, goals, and environments around the
globe. And by continuing to forge unique partnerships with local
governments, education institutions and private businesses, the Cisco
Networking Academy will continue to teach, inspire and encourage people to
pursue technology as a career path that makes a contribution while being
personally rewarding. Networking Academy also helps build an important
linkage between secondary and post-secondary schools by giving students
credit as they enter college, encouraging more and more individuals to
further their education.
"Community colleges play a pivotal role in workforce development by serving
a highly diverse student population and providing the learning resources,
skills and training required for success," said George R. Boggs, president
and CEO, American Association of Community Colleges. "The growth and
pervasiveness of the Networking Academy throughout the community college
system over the last decade demonstrates the importance of partnerships
between educators and industry leaders in ensuring the development of a
talent pipeline equipped with the technology and IT skills required to
sustain America's viability and productivity in the 21st century."
The Networking Academy, the cornerstone of Cisco's focus on promoting
technical training and economic opportunity, represents a $300 million
commitment to education thus far. Cisco is also engaged in a number of
projects around the world to promote 21st-century learning; these include
the Jordan Education Initiative in partnership with the World Economic
Forum and the $40 million 21st Century Schools (21S) program in the U.S.
Gulf Coast region to help transform education in the areas affected by
Hurricane Katrina.
For more information about the Cisco Networking Academy Program, visit:
http://www.cisco.com/go/netacad. For information on other Cisco global
partnership programs, visit:
http://www.cisco.com/web/about/citizenship/index.html.
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