JAKARTA, Indonesia -- 16 August 2001 -- Multipolar Corporation today launched the first internship program for top graduates of the Cisco Networking Academy Program in Indonesia. The initiative provides three months of first-hand work experience in networking technology through actual corporate projects at the company.
"We are proud to take the lead of sponsorship for this particular workplace training and hope that other IT corporations will follow suit. This collective effort in forging 'link-and-match' between education and industry will be a powerful force that helps develop excellent human resource and improve the current economic conditions," explained I G.M. Mantera, CEO of Multipolar's IT Division.
After the successful completion of the internship, participants may be offered permanent employment. The company will select three interns per batch from the Regional and Local Cisco Networking Academies in Indonesia. These include the University of Indonesia (Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Faculty of Mathematics and Science); Bandung Institute of Technology, Bina Nusantara University; Pelita Harapan University; and Perbanas Higher Institute for Management and Computer Science.
The Cisco Networking Academy program is a partnership between Cisco Systems, education, business, government and community organizations around the world that teaches students the fundamentals of designing, building and maintaining computer networks.
The program prepares students for the 21st century workplace, while serving as a model for e-learning. Students are also prepared for industry standard certifications including the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), the first step towards the highest level of professional Internet certification, the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE).
"We regard the internship as an investment in the human resource of the country, developing both technical and social skills that will help graduates prepare better for actual workforce environments. In addition to contributing to the improvement of manpower quality in the country, our organization will also benefit from the interns' world-class training in the Cisco Networking Academy program," said Multipolar's Mantera.
"The opportunities offered by Multipolar will be the first step for the students in their career in the IT industry. Cisco is committed to empowering the next generation of Indonesians through the Cisco Networking Academy program," said Hermanto Murniadi, Country Manager for Cisco Systems Indonesia.
Interns will receive a fixed allowance and guidance from designated mentors who will work with them in actual corporate network projects. They are also required to prepare a final project by the end of their workplace training. Assessment will be conducted by a panel consisting of a Multipolar team (from Human Resource, Engineering and Management), a Cisco Systems Indonesia representative and relevant members from the respective regional and local academies.
Today, in Indonesia there are 15 Cisco Networking Academies at the university and technical high school level. As of June 2001, there were around 700 enrolled students of the program while to date, 120 students from Bina Nusantara University and University of Indonesia have already successfully received their Cisco Certified Network Associate qualifications. Worldwide, there are more than 95,000 enrolled students in over 8,000 Cisco Networking Academies in 131 countries.
About Multipolar Corporation
Established in 1975, Multipolar Corporation is Indonesia's leading provider of B2B cross-industry enterprise solutions that blend business intelligence with IT enabling. The company has been handling numerous technology enabling projects in banking/finance industry, serving Indonesia's major private and government banks while enhancing its technology services to the non-financial sectors.
Integrated into Hong Kong based AcrossAsia Multimedia last year for better access to the regional market, the company began working with Cisco Systems in 1997 to improve services in corporate networks projects. In addition to the alliance with Cisco Systems, Multipolar is the first and the foremost IBM Business Partner in Indonesia.
News and information on Multipolar are available at www.multipolar.com.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco news and information are available at www.cisco.com.
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