HONG KONG - July 22, 2002 - Cisco Systems, Inc. has announced that Hewlett-Packard Co., Panduit Corp. and Sun Microsystems have each sponsored new curriculum to enhance the offerings of the internationally recognized Cisco Networking Academy Program. The new curricula are available to Cisco's over 900 Networking Academies across Asia Pacific.
The participation of these leading industry players will enhance IT competencies throughout the Cisco Networking Academy Program and, by broadening its scope, offer more students the opportunity to take advantage of the Program.
The curricula sponsored by HP, Panduit and Sun will include, respectively, IT Essentials 1: PC Hardware and Software and IT Essentials 2: Network Operating Systems; Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling systems; Fundamentals of UNIX and Fundamentals of Java Programming. These will be optional courses, and students can choose to attend whichever ones are offered within the respective Academies. Students outside of the Cisco Certified Network Associates (CCNA) program can enroll in these new courses.
The Cisco Networking Academy Program is a non-profit partnership between Cisco Systems, education, business, government and community organizations around the world aimed at nurturing networking and IT professionals. The education program employs an e-learning model, using a combination of Web-based and instructor-led training along with a hands-on lab environment to teach students how to design, build and maintain computer networks. First launched in 1997 in the US, there are more than 9,000 Networking Academies operating in 140 countries around the world and over 900 Academies in 25 countries in Asia Pacific.
"HP's sponsorship of the curriculum is right in line with our emphasis on widening the reach of technology education and e-learning," said Cecilia Pang, Director of Communications, Asia Pacific, HP. "As part of the Cisco Networking Academy Program, HP can actively contribute to the growth of IT education worldwide."
Whether Cisco Networking Academy students choose to seek jobs in the Internet and networking fields or pursue careers in higher education, the new curricula offer invaluable hands-on preparation and expands the pipeline of trained and certified IT professionals.
"In today's knowledge-based economy, Panduit believes it is essential to implement educational initiatives that offer students early access to the knowledge they need for their future endeavours," said Patrick Foo, Managing Director, Panduit Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. "By participating in the Cisco Networking Academy Program, we can make a significant impact on education around the world."
"The results of the Cisco Networking Academy Program have been phenomenal," said Mr. Naoyuki Nakanishi, Regional Director, Global Education & Research, Sun Microsystems Asia Pacific. "Sharing the same vision as Cisco, Sun Microsystems is delighted to participate in the program and demonstrate our corporate citizenship in the education sector."
"These alliances demonstrate how committed Cisco, HP, Panduit and Sun are when it comes to partnering with the educational sector to create new learning programs for the IT industry," said Marcus Lim, Education Program Manager, Asia Pacific, Cisco Systems. "Employers are hungry for IT-skilled workers and Cisco is expanding its Networking Academy Program to arm students with the critical IT skills necessary to remain competitive in the work place."
More information about the Cisco Networking Academy Program is available at www.cisco.com/asiapac/academy.
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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