MOSCOW – April 10, 2012 – Cisco today announced that the first Cisco Networking Academy™ for disabled people, called the Academy of Borderless Possibilities, has started its operations in Russia.  This non-commercial project is a Cisco initiative with support from Advanced Training Center; Cisco IT Train at the Moscow State Technical University of Radio Technology, Electronics and Automation (MGTU MIREA); and Together Society.   

The new Networking Academy® will prepare people with impaired health for productive work in the area of network technologies. Students will be trained free of charge at  CCENT® and CCNA® courses. CCENT students will be taught installation and testing of basic networking functions (such skills are sufficient for junior technical jobs). The CCNA course deals with the main approaches to servicing networks of different types. CCNA students will obtain the skills of installing and configuring switches and routers in multiprotocol networks (LANs and WANs), as well as initial diagnostics and troubleshooting, performance enhancement and network security skills.

Key Facts / Highlights

• The education and training of disabled people at the Networking Academy is carried out remotely. The students get access to the training materials via Cisco Networking Academy Connection, while lectures are delivered in the format of webinars under the guidance of experienced instructors.  Online classes are enabled by Cisco WebEx® and high-definition Cisco TelePresence® Precision HD cameras supporting video conferences with high resolution.  Access to WebEx® and webinar hardware is provided by Cisco. Practical skills can be developed with the help of TermILab (Terminal Internet Laboratory), which has been created by the Network Management and Telecommunications Center of MGTU MIREA to expand education capabilities. TermILab makes it possible for the students to do academy labs remotely. 

• The first group of students is being recruited.  Webinars for that group will be held from April to August 2012.  However, the duration of the course for those students can be extended due to possible difficulties of scheduling the classes for people with health impairments. 

• On completion of the course the students will get an international certificate of the Networking Academy.  Students who complete the course may be able to pass international CCENT and CCNA exams at a discounted rate. In addition, they will get free Linksys® wireless routers. 

Supporting Quotes:

Sergei Tulinov, founder of the Academy of Borderless Possibilities:

"In Russia the Cisco Networking Academy for disabled people starts its operation for the first time.  Our goal is not only to prepare highly skilled networking specialists, but also to provide  them with jobs.  For that purpose we are going to place our students' and graduates' CVs at the Academy website as well as involve employers in the project." 

Sergei Nidolov, project coordinator, Together Society:

 "We have a saying:  'One fish will make you filled for a day.  Fishing skills will make you filled for your whole life.'  Our joint project is not about fish distribution. We distribute fishing rods and teach disabled people how to use them. In this project the Together Society attracts participants, involves them in social activities and helps them to find jobs.  In addition, we shall award the most talented students valuable prizes."

Semyon Ovsyannikov, Cisco Networking Academy expert in IT education, Cisco Russia:

"The Networking Academy program is offered free of charge to all educational institutions worldwide. Today - due to a series of technological innovations - education has become available even to those who, for various reasons, cannot physically attend classes.  We believe that highly skilled instructors in combination with interactive nature of the training course will provide disabled people with a new impetus for their professional growth."

Tags, Keywords: Russia, Cisco, Cisco Academy, CCENT course, CCNA course

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Supporting resources:

• Cisco
• Cisco® Networking Academy
• Cisco Networking Academy for disabled people in Russia
• CCENT certification
• CCNA certification
• Cisco IT Train at the Moscow State Technical University of Radio Technology

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in Russia is supplied through its authorized channel partners by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.

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