February 2002 Update

Elevator Pitch

The Cisco Networking Academy Program is a comprehensive ten-course program designed to teach students Internet technology skills.  Cisco has expanded the Networking Academy program to include optional, partner-sponsored courses by IT leaders in the Fundamentals of UNIX, sponsored by Sun Microsystems, and the Fundamentals of Web Design, sponsored by Adobe Systems. All courses are delivered through the Cisco Networking Academy Program.

Interesting Factoid

The majority of students in the Academy program come from countries outside the U.S.

Worldwide Education News

New Sponsored Curriculum Offering
A new partnership with the Panduit Corporation announced today will bring a cabling systems course to the Cisco Networking Academy Program. 

Panduit will sponsor the Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling course which will taught by Networking Academies in the U.S. and selected sites internationally beginning in July 2002. Students will get hands-on experience in the lab exercises which will be taught utilizing Panduit’s complete copper and optical fiber cabling system solutions, including connectors, outlets, cable management, surface raceway, cable ties and identification products.

"Panduit is very excited to join forces with Cisco to provide cabling education and skills to the future members of our industry," said Andrew Caveney, Global Marketing Manager at Panduit. "Cisco's Networking Academy educators recognize the importance of cabling and it’s impact on network performance. The Cabling course provides them with the tools needed to share this knowledge. Additionally, Cisco's global learning network delivers quality content via the web in a way that is second to none."

Living with LD Website Launched
On October 30^th the National Center for Learning with Disabilities (NCLD) launched a new website, “Living with LD.” The idea for “Living with LD” was a result of Cisco’s partnership with NCLD to improve the accessibility of the Cisco Networking Academy program to those with LD.  NCLD conducted a 12-month study of the Networking Academy program.  “These two ventures offer vital information and resources to young people at a critical juncture of their lives: when they cross the threshold into adulthood with all its prospects for career, family, and relationships.   “Our work with Cisco illuminated the special concerns of young people during this time.  NCLD’s ‘Living with LD’ Web guide grew out of our realization of the need for practical, comprehensive career and social guidance for students with LD who are transitioning from school to work,” stated, James H. Wendorf, NCLD’s executive director.

The website at http://www.ld.org/livingwithld/, covers a wide range of issues facing adolescents and adults with LD, including, educational and career choices, studying and interviewing skills, job hunting, support accommodations, LD testing, disclosure, self-advocacy, legal rights, and social relationships.  The website also contains a section that features Cisco and other companies with exemplary programs that support individuals with LD in the workplace.  Future plans include profiling individuals with LD, with a focus on their successes and frustrations in school and on the job.

A Successful Event in New Hampshire
John Morgridge and the Governor of New Hampshire, Jeanne Shaheen held a press event to honor the only CATC-CCNP site in the Northeast located at the New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI) in Concord, New Hampshire. NHTI is already training high school teachers to teach the Academy program.  This new program will allow NHTI to train their students in both the CCNA and CCNP.

At the event, Morgridge praised the efforts of the faculty and administration to deliver top quality training and embrace an innovative private/public partnership that provides a new model for learning. Governor Shaheen thanked John Morgridge for his commitment to provide opportunities for young people to get the training they need to succeed in the knowledge economy. "Being chosen as one of seven sites nationally says not only something about NHTI but something about the entire New Hampshire Community Technical College System", said Governor Shaheen.

Through the Cisco Learning Institute, NHTI has received approximately $150,000 of Cisco equipment and $30,000 for program development.  To date, NHTI Academy has trained over 150 students and hope to have a large increase in enrollment as they start training college teachers this January.

International News

The Academy Program Supports a Wireless Project in Remote Australia
Cisco has partnered with Bushtel Australia Ltd. in a $25 million project to provide wireless technology to remote local locations in Broome, Australia and provide easy Internet access and cheaper telephone calls.  Unfortunately, there are few people in the area with the skills to troubleshoot and support the equipment.  (Broome is located in the north of Western Australia which is quite large with a population of approximately 1.7 million people.)  So, a consortium came together including, Notre Dame University, the local high school, the local technical college, and St. Mary’s College to set up an Academy to train the locals.  Many of the trainees are likely be Aborigines, who otherwise would have a very limited opportunity to gain such advanced skills.  One of the instructors trained to teach at the Academy is Christian Brother is in his 70's -- and according the Mike Weaver, Academy Coordinator for the Central Technical and Further Education College (TAFE), “he is, by all accounts, the keenest!”  The TAFE Academy in Perth has trained a number of instructors for the Broome Academy.  The project received some positive press recently in the local paper.

A Gold Medal for an Academy Student in Singapore
Nichoas (Cher-Yong) Chung, a student from the Temasek Polytechnic Cisco Networking Academy in Singapore, won the Gold medal at the recently concluded World Skills Competition in Seoul.  Nicholas was trained by a team of CCAIs from the polytechnic, and as part of his preparation he spent three months on an internship with Cisco SEs in the Cisco Singapore office.

Hong Kong Awards Grant
The Hong Kong Government awarded an additional USD$90K (HK$700K) grant to support the Cisco Networking Academy Program.  An initial grant of HK$100,000 was awarded last month to help establish one regional academy and ten local academies.  The further funding will help establish an additional 12 new local academies.

Teacher Training Program in Hong Kong
The Cisco Networking Academy program will be participating in the Teacher Training program organized by the Hong Kong Government’s Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau, the Information Technology Service Department, and Education Department. Forty teachers will participate in Semester 1 training, followed by the Orientation Chapter to be delivered remotely.  After completing the training, the teachers are then expected to recommend that their schools join the program.  All participating teachers are required, as a minimum, to train 40 students in Semester 1, regardless of whether they eventually join the program.  1,600 new students in Hong Kong will have access to the Academy program for the first time and we expect to bring on at least another ten local academies as part of this initiative.

All Female College Joins Academy Program in India
Mody College of Engineering and Technology, an all female college in India, has just signed on to become a local academy.  Mody College joins Banasthali Vidyapith, one of the oldest women's universities in India, which became an Academy in August.  Each Academy is estimated to train 150 students each year.  This is part of the Cisco Learning Institute (CLI) and Cisco's gender initiative in the region. A United Nations volunteer, Ms. Ruchika Gawari, has been sponsored by CLI to help push the gender initiative in India.  Other women institutions in India have been identified and we expect to see more women's institutions offering the Program to their students in the future.

Workforce Development News

Demand For It Workers Likely To Outpace Supply
Data from a recent ACT survey suggests that there is a disconnect between the jobs that will be needed in the future economy and the majors college students are choosing.  The survey noted that three of the four fastest-growing occupations in the U.S., projected by the Department of Labor, are computer-related jobs that generally require a bachelor's degree.  Specifically, the number of computer engineering, systems analyst and database administration jobs in the U.S. are expected to approximately double between 1998 and 2008, amounting to almost a million new jobs.  However, of this year's nearly 1.1 million graduating high school seniors who took ACT's college-entrance exam, just 5 percent name computer and information sciences as their intended college major, an increase of less than two percentage points since 1997.  Engineering has also lost ground as an intended major of incoming college freshmen. Interest in engineering has dropped slightly in each of the past five years, even while the need for engineers is expected to expand in the future.

The full survey can be found here.

Education Ecosystem

Cisco’s Education Ecosystem consists of educational institutions, corporations, government agencies, and non-profit organizations partnering together to build value through the innovative application of networked information technology to education.

A short list of alliances include:

- Adobe Systems
- Sun Microsystems
- Monster.com
- Oracle
- Panduit Corporation
- Siemon Corporation
- Communications Workers of America (CWA)
- U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- International Youth Foundation
- UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
- World Bank Group
- Organization of American States

Networking Academy Certifications

Networking Academy students are prepared for industry standard, as well as vendor neutral, certifications. The first four semesters of the Networking Academy program prepare students for the CCNA certification exam. Semesters 5-8 prepare students for CCNP certification, which requires candidates to be CCNA-certified and pass the CCNP certification exams.  Semester 5-8 as well as the CCNP certification requires a candidate to pass multiple exams.

Networking Academy students are also prepared for other certifications such as the Network+ certification, administered by CompTIA which develops vendor neutral standards in the areas of e-commerce, customer service, workforce development and training certification.

Foote Partners' latest quarterly index on hot skills pay found that Cisco's certifications are among the most sought-after. Cisco Certified Network Associates brought home an additional 13% in compensation last quarter, while Cisco Certified Internetwork Experts and Cisco Certified Network Professionals aren't far behind with 12% premiums.

Program Structure

The CCNA Networking Academy program is three-tiered.  Cisco Academy Training Centers (CATCs) train instructors at Regional Academies, which in turn recruit, train and support up to ten Local Academies, where students attend classes.

The CCNP, Fundamentals of Unix and Fundamentals of Web Design, Networking Academy program is two-tiered.  CATCs train instructors from Local Academies, where students attend classes.

What Academy Graduates are Doing

Networking Academy Messages

The Internet and Education are the great equalizers in life

E-Learning improves teaching methodologies and enhances learning outcomes

-	Combination of web-based, instructor-led learning and hands-on labs.
-	Internet-based community among educators and students.
-	Frequent online testing allows for assessing student comprehension and determination of program refinements, as needed.
-	Global Learning Network delivers personalized learning over a scalable, reliable, and secure distributed network.  From simple Word documents to flash animation to streaming video, this Global Learning Network deploys content and rich media at local area network speeds worldwide.

An educational ecosystem improves education

-	Cisco has built alliances beyond schools and colleges.  Additional alliances include government, businesses, worldwide organizations and nonprofit organizations.
-	IT leaders are joining the Networking Academy ecosystem – this Fall the curriculum will include the Fundamentals of UNIX, sponsored by Sun Microsystems, and the Fundamentals of Web Design, sponsored by Adobe Systems.

Networking Academy program prepares students and workers for Internet-based economy

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Workplace Learning Initiative provides Networking Academy students with internships, mentor programs and on-the-job training with local Cisco partners and customers.

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In recent decades changes in the American economy have produced striking changes in the earnings of American workers -- the variation in earnings among workers with the same level of education has increased -- most economists believe that this is due to a significant increase in the demand for skills and employers are willing to pay a premium for those skills which include mathematics, reading, and writing skills, problem solving skills, computer skills, and the ability to work productively with people from different backgrounds.