The Cisco Network Academy Programme is using contests and tie-ups to attract and train students in IT networking skills
FOR SEVERAL YEARS, the Cisco Networking Academy Programme has been teaching people around the region the inner workings of network management.
This is part engineering, part magic, but the programme has taught many over the years and has been a great help to those looking to find work in this arcane area of IT.
Ip Wing Kei, a first-year graduate of the Cisco Networking Academy Programme, was admitted through the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (HKIVE), where he was doing a full-time higher diploma course in information technology. The Cisco programme was offered as an optional subject and Mr Ip was able to study how a hands-on approach to network design and implementation is done. He finished both programmes at the same time, and immediately took and passed the Cisco Certified Network Associate Programme.
Mr Ip said the course was extremely relevant to what he wanted to do. 'I can say I was really lucky. Not only has the Cisco Networking Academy Programme given me a solid foundation in networking knowledge and skills, it has also opened new doors for my career in the networking industry.'
Cisco has considered non-profit teaching an important part of its business right from the beginning. It launched its Cisco Networking Academy in 1997 in the United States and now it has 10,000 academies all over the world. There have been 1.6 million students (including 94,109 in Asia Pacific) over the years.