Contact Information: Press Contact (Portugal): Sandra Freitas Cisco +351 918797400 sfreitas@cisco.com Press Contact (Europe): Alison Stokes Cisco +44 7796 93 7465 astokes@cisco.com
Cisco Agreement With the Government of Portugal to Improve Access to Networking Training, Narrow the ICT Skills Gap and Increase Employment Opportunities
Creation of 250 New Cisco Networking Academies Will Triple Number of Students
| Source: Cisco
LISBON, PORTUGAL--(Marketwire - May 9, 2008) - The prime minister of Portugal, Jose
Socrates, together with nine Ministers signed today a broad agreement with
Cisco (NASDAQ : CSCO ) to help bridge the anticipated skills gap in the
networking sector through the expansion of Cisco's Networking Academy
across Portugal. As a result of this agreement, the number of people
studying information and communications technology (ICT) in the country is
expected grow from around 3,000 to 10,000 by 2011.
Local networking academies will be opened throughout Portugal in
universities, polytechnics, secondary schools, professional training
centers, NGOs, prisons, army and security training centres. The agreement
also includes a broad set of parallel initiatives such as cooperation in
traineeships.
The ICT skills gap is a significant challenge to organizations, hindering
advanced technology adoption, business competitiveness and economic growth.
A shortage could hold back Europe's competitiveness in the global market
and hinder the European Commission's policy goals. Set against IDC's
advanced networking technology growth projections (18 per cent per year to
2008) and the European Union's plans to improve competitiveness through ICT
-- greater shortfalls may occur.
The Cisco Networking Academy launched in Portugal in 1999. Since then over
100 academies have opened throughout the country. More than 3,000 students
(8 percent female) are currently enrolled in the program and close to 6,000
have followed its courses since inception. Globally today the Networking
Academy reaches 700,000 students through 9,000 academies across more than
160 countries. It is widely considered to be one of the largest and most
successful public-private training programs in the ICT sector.
President of Cisco Europe, Chris Dedicoat, said: "We welcome the vision and
openness of Portugal's political leaders to partner with the ICT industry.
We believe that the set of initiatives defined in this agreement will boost
the country's capabilities to compete in the global arena, well in line
with Portugal's historical credits as the first truly global nation in the
world."
The agreement was signed during the official inauguration of the new Cisco
office in Lisbon, a modern 5,500 square meters facility utilising the
latest Cisco technology including TelePresence. As well as being the centre
for Cisco Portugal operations, the facility also houses the European
Hercules center.
Virginia Pojo, a Cisco Networking Academy instructor from Porto, said, "As
a teacher, Cisco Networking Academy allows me to know and understand the
language of my students as future entrepreneurs of the Information Society.
Cisco Networking Academy opens the door to a life of opportunities and
gives you skills that change the way you look at the world."
About Cisco Systems
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 to
http://newsroom.cisco.com.
Cisco, the Cisco logo and Cisco Systems, are registered trademarks or
trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United
States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this
document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word
partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any
other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.
For direct RSS Feeds of all Cisco news, please visit "News@Cisco" at the
following link:
http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/rss.html