SAN JOSE, Calif., April 17, 2000 -- Cisco Systems, Inc., together with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Communities in Schools (CIS) today announced a program to establish a Cisco Networking Academy in each of ten HUD regions around the United States. The Academies will be sponsored by community-based organizations serving populations that have traditionally lacked access to technology and technology education.
In recognition of the urgent need to prepare all segments of the workforce for 21st Century jobs, Cisco Systems is working with HUD and CIS to extend its highly successful Cisco Networking Academy Program to serve youth and their families at specific HUD sites. Academies participating in phase one of this program are located in Neighborhood Network sites (HUD-assisted housing); HOPE VI sites (newly-rebuilt public housing); Empowerment Zones; and Native American sites. The program will eventually expand to include multiple sites per HUD region.
The value of Cisco's investment in the 10 sites is $1.37 million. The locations are: Eagle Butte, SD; St. Louis, MO; Baltimore, MD; New York, NY (Harlem); Gary, IN; Santa Ana, CA; Boston, MA; Houston, TX; Knoxville, TN; Seattle, WA.
The Cisco Networking Academy Program is a comprehensive 280-hour curriculum that uses a combination of web-based, instructor-led learning and hands-on exercises to train students in networking and information technology. Through this program, high school and adult students learn how to design, build and maintain computer networks. Cisco, HUD, and CIS are also establishing internship opportunities with local sponsors so that Academy students graduate with on-the-job experience as well as a marketable skill.
Academy graduates that pass the industry-standard Cisco Certified Network Associate(CCNA) certification exam are immediately eligible for more than 800,000 unfilled information technology jobs available in the United States, many of which offer high starting salaries.
The Cisco Networking Academy Program--launched in October 1997 in 57 high schools, colleges, and technical schools in the United States-has been implemented in more than 3,500 educational institutions in all 50 United States and 60 countries.
For more information on the Cisco Networking Academy Program, visit the Cisco Networking Academy web site at www.cisco.com/edu/academy
