PRESS RELEASE

Cisco Networking Academy to Help Decrease Unemployment in South of Russia

30 Venues to Open in New Academic Year in the Region

MOSCOW – August 7, 2012 – Cisco has announced the launch of a Southern IT District project, part of a  three-year program aimed at developing and modernizing IT education in Russia. The project is focused on promoting IT education in the Southern and North Caucasus Federal Districts (the last has the highest level of unemployment in Russia).

Today 35 Cisco Networking Academy™ programs already operate in the south of Russia.  According to the project plan, in the 2012-13 academic year no fewer than 30 more academies are to be opened in general-purpose, secondary professional and higher education establishments of the Southern and North Caucasus Federal Districts.  By the fall of 2012, 12 new academies are to be opened.  The new academies will not only get access to continuously updated educational content of the Networking Academy® program, but also will receive expensive equipment.  The new Cisco® academies will offer IT Essentials and CCNA® and CCNP® courses. 

Key Facts / Highlights

• In June 2011, Cisco announced long-term initiatives aimed at the development and modernization of IT education in Russia at all levels. Also, these initiatives envision retraining unemployed people and those suffering from economic hardship.  By 2015 the number of networking academies in Russia should triple (from 217 in June 2011 to 650), while the number of students should reach 16,000. At the moment, 263 academies already operate in Russia.

• Besides its Networking Academy program, Cisco fulfills a wide range of education initiatives in Russia. Thus, the annual Cisco Expo conference in Moscow provides network specialists with a unique opportunity for education and skills upgrade. Last year it was attended by 3,104 professionals, analysts and journalists earning the title of Russia's largest ICT events.

• In 2009 the Cisco Expo Learning Club was set up in Russia.  This unique program is focused on raising the competence level of local ICT professionals. Today it is the largest skills-upgrade institution for networking specialists in Russia and other CIS countries (at present the club has 9,946 members, which became possible due to Cisco WebEx® online conferencing software). 

• In June 2012, Cisco and Sistema JSFC, Russia's largest publicly listed investment company, signed a memorandum of understanding in order to enhance cooperation between Sistema and Cisco in improving the quality of ICT education in the educational establishments that are engaged in the "Lift to the Future" project. 

Key Networking Academy Statistics:

• 1 million Networking Academy students worldwide engaged in learning this year.
•  More than 4.2 million students have participated in Networking Academy courses since the program's inception.
• 10,000 networking academies operate in 165 countries.
• The program has 375,000 Facebook fans and is growing daily.

Supporting Quote:

Dmitry Razumovsky, project manager, Cisco Networking Academy, Russia:

"Modernization of Russian economy is impossible without innovations in the education area. Cisco has tremendous experience in training top-class IT specialists. The company is ready to help in improving IT education in Russian educational establishments. In June 2012, Cisco signed a memorandum of understanding with Sistema JSFC, where - under the "Lift into the Future" project - the company made a commitment to provide new academies with free networking equipment and access to its courseware. Besides, in order to support talented Russian youth, Cisco together with Sistema will organize student competitions, forums and summer schools.  As far as the Southern and North Caucasian Federal Districts are concerned, both of them face a severe shortage of skilled IT specialists. Implementation of the Southern IT District project will help to train such specialists in accordance with market requirements and reduce unemployment rate among the local population."

Tags, Keywords: Russia, Cisco, Networking Academy, Southern Federal District, North Caucasus Federal District

RSS Feed for Cisco: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/rss.html

Supporting resources:

• Cisco website
• Cisco Networking Academy
• Cisco's support for IT Education in Russia
• Memorandum of Understanding with Sistema JSFC

About Cisco Networking Academy

The Networking Academy began in 1997 with 64 schools and has grown to become one of the "world's largest classrooms" with 10,000 academies in 165 countries, and more than 4 million students having participated in the program since its inception.

A pioneering example of cloud-based education delivery, the Networking Academy teaches students how to design, build, troubleshoot, and secure computer networks for increased access to career and economic opportunities in communities around the world.  Students who complete the program often go on to secure entry-level career opportunities, participate in continuing education and achieve globally recognized career certifications.

Networking Academy courses are delivered in multiple languages through a cloud-based learning system. Courses are supported by classroom instruction, hands-on learning activities, and interactive online assessments that provide personalized feedback. Networking Academy instructors receive extensive training and support to help ensure a consistently-enriching learning experience for students around the world.

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go tohttp://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in Russia is supplied through its authorized channel partners by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.

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