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The Cisco Networking Academy Program helps students worldwide acquire the skills needed for IT-related jobs and for higher education in engineering, computer science, and related fields—effectively helping them to participate in the global economy. Launched in 1997 to teach staff and students how to use the equipment Cisco had donated to local schools, it is now one of the largest e-learning initiatives in the world. The program is run in high schools, colleges, universities, technical and military schools, prisons, community centers, and government training centers globally. Students experience a variety of instruction methods, including face-to-face teaching, Web-based training modules, and hands-on lab exercises. Cisco supplies the networking equipment, administers the curriculum, and trains the instructors. As the program has grown, the curriculum has expanded to include courses supported by other corporations. To date, more than one million students have successfully completed Networking Academy courses. There are currently 420,000 students enrolled in more than 10,000 academies in 160 countries. A survey of 1,500 former students conducted in 2004 found that 67 percent said the program helped them gain at least one job position, and 20 percent said they received a better or higher-level job than they believe would have been possible without the training. |
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