Ecuador
Academy Profile
Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral
Regional Academy
Established November 2001
Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) is located in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Offering a diverse curriculum, the school serves students from Guayaquil and neighboring regions. Programs include: mathematics, chemistry, physics, engineering, computer science, economics, and humanities.
ESPOL offered its first Cisco Networking Academy class in November 2001 and has since experienced tremendous growth. Because of increasing demand, the institution has continually increased capacity. In May 2003, it had over 315 enrolled students; its two instructors currently combine to offer 14 simultaneous classes that are available seven days per week. Program administrators attribute this impressive growth to the perceived need for IT specialists that will be required as Ecuador continues to develop. Administrators have also implemented a cost-sharing program that allows the tuition of students from the private sector to help subsidize the enrollment of students from ESPOL.
As the facility continues to grow, it will continue to uphold the principles of the Gender Initiative. In May 2003, the program had 67 female students, representing 21% of total enrollment. Plans are also underway to begin training female instructors.
For the future, the Academy at ESPOL hopes to continue to grow and be able to serve the students of Ecuador. As a regional academy, it will facilitate the expansion of academies into nearby institutions, beginning first with schools in the Manavi Province.
University website: http://www.espol.edu.ec