SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - April 24, 2009) - Furthering its goals to enhance the development of information technology (IT) talent throughout the world, Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced its plans to participate in Mexico FIRST, a program developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy of Mexico (MoE) and the World Bank to improve the global competitiveness of Mexico's IT industry.

Key Facts/Highlights:

• According to IDC, Latin America will experience gains in all three IT market segments: hardware, software and IT services, driving overall IT spending to 4 percent growth in 2009.

Mexico FIRST

• Cisco is working to expand access to authorized networking certifications to thousands of aspiring IT professionals through the Mexico FIRST program.
• Mexico FIRST is sponsored by the Ministry of Economy of Mexico (MoE) in collaboration with the World Bank.
• The Ministry of Economy has set aside US $40 million to subsidize IT training and career certification programs.
• Through Mexico FIRST, Mexican networking professionals and students will have access to better and more cost-effective networking certification programs, including Cisco's industry-leading CCNA® and CCNP® certifications, to support the growing global competitiveness of Mexico's IT sector.

Training and Exams:

• Learning@Cisco has released Spanish versions of CCNA course materials, exams and learning games to aid in training and certification exam preparation.
• Individuals may validate their knowledge by taking a certification exam at any one of the 51 Pearson-VUE test centers located throughout Mexico.
• The CCIE® Mobile Lab will be available in Mexico City in September 2009.

Supporting Quote:

• "By helping to develop a base of talented professionals with critical ICT skills, Cisco is helping Mexico improve the lives of individual citizens and the competitiveness of the nation as whole," said Paul Mountford, president of emerging markets for Cisco. "Cisco is proud to participate in the Mexico FIRST program with the World Bank and the federal government of Mexico."

Supporting Resources:

• Cisco Learning Network: http://www.ciscolearningnetwork.com
• Cisco Latin American Networking Skills Gap: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2008/prod_031108.html
• Cisco Learning Partners: http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le27/learning_learning_partner_connection_home.html

Social Media Destinations:

• Friendfeed: www.friendfeed.com/learningatcisco
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/learningatcisco
• Digg: http://www.digg.com/users/learningatcisco
• Del.i.cious: http://delicious.com/learningatcisco
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=learningatcisco
• Google Reader: http://www.google.com/reader/shared/07543131729020791635
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=680467&trk=anetsrch_name&goback=.gdr_1236889165048_1

Technorati Tags: Talent Development, Certifications, IT Certifications, Cisco, Cisco Learning Network, Collaboration, Mexico, Mexico FIRST, Education

ABOUT LEARNING@CISCO
Learning@Cisco addresses the need for technical talent worldwide by providing the educational training, certifications, communities and consulting services that address the global networking skills talent gap and accelerate productivity, opportunity, and growth.

Through education and expertise, Learning@Cisco drives the talent development needed to evolve the workforce of today to meet the demands of tomorrow.

*Source: IDC, Worldwide Services 2009-2013 Forecast: Making the Most of the Economic Crisis, Doc # 217479 / Mar 2009.

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