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Cisco Networking Academy, a global initiative from Cisco, has over 11,000 local academies in 165 countries with a curriculum of 16 different languages. They offer certifications like CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) and CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional).
The inauguration ceremony for the first Cisco Academy in Lahore was held in UCP. The university is now officially certified to provide courses and market certifications by Cisco.
Dean Faculty of Information of Technology, Dr. Ahmad Kazmi opened the ceremony, endorsing the importance of Cisco Academy, he explained how UCP is going to adjust their curriculum for Cisco Academy to function properly. He also mentioned courses like Entrepreneurship to be added in relevant departments with the cooperation of Cisco. He expressed his gratitude towards Cisco administration on choosing UCP for their first academy in Lahore.
Regional Head Cisco Academy, Mr. Mohamed Jinini then thanked the UCP faculty for their hospitality. He emphasized the role of Cisco by sharing the fact that 70% of the devices connected to the internet are Cisco made. He mentioned that the academy is offering entry-level courses not only engineers but also for students of Law and Medicine.
Mr. Jinini also mentioned that currently there is a total of 20 courses offered in three different categories by Cisco Academy.
- Exploratory Courses
- These involve courses like How to protect yourself as a student and Awareness for the internet.
- Foundation Courses
- Foundation courses involve introductory courses like Intro to Cybersecurity.
- Advanced Courses
- This category provides advanced courses with Market Certification.
Students eligible for advanced coursed should be at least in their sophomore year. Students with advanced certification can apply for jobs directly after certifications. While no official fees were discussed during the event, these are the prices usually charged for the certifications offered by Cisco Academy:
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (Routing & Switching) 15,000/-
- Cisco Certified Network 9Professional (Routing & Switching) 15,000/-
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (Security) 10,000/-
- Cisco Academy Instructor(CCNA) 45,000/-
- Cisco Academy Instructor (CCNP) 45,000/-
While making the closing statement, Mr. Jinini said to have seen more talent than he initially expected in Pakistan and wants to have more visibility for Pakistan along the globe by using this initiative provided by Cisco. He also mentioned his meeting with HEC for a re-launch program to create more opportunities in Pakistan regarding jobs with Cisco.
Technology today is not a luxury but a need. Almost 50 Billion devices are said to be connected to the internet in near future, amounting to an average of 7 devices per person. This is the right time for Pakistani market to use such a platform and strengthen the skill-set of youth in order to penetrate the tech market. Cisco’s current investments in this platform are around $200 million. Cisco claims to invest 2/3 of their revenue in such opportunities to make it their way of giving back to the community.
