Through the Cisco Networking Academy program, high school and college
students can learn the information needed prepare them for the Cisco
Certified Networking Associate exam. This certification positions them for
immediate openings in a talent-hungry job market or for engineering- and
science-focused college studies. In a nutshell, the Cisco Networking Academy
is a complete, four-semester program on the principles and practice of
designing, building, and maintaining networks capable of supporting national
and global organizations.
Cisco provides course work for a complete range of basic through advanced
networking concepts - from pulling cable, through such complex concepts as
subnet masking rules and strategies.
The program uses Regional Academies as hubs, each of which supports a
minimum of ten Local Academies. These Regional Academies teach the teachers
who oversee programs at the Local Academies under their jurisdiction. The
Regional Academies funnel input to Cisco on topics such as individual school
performance, curriculum quality and effectiveness, and student progress.
The format for the classes reflects the content: interactive lessons stored
largely on the classroom's Cisco Web server. The Academy design also
accommodates diverse learning styles. For those who learn by reading, text
is available. More visual learners can focus on the course material's
extensive graphics and QuickTime movies. To promote development of the
personal skills that underpin successful careers, projects require students
not only to resolve technical issues but also to successfully address
network users' needs.
Local Academies receive mentoring and technical support from the Regional
Academies and are backed by SMARTnet? services, a service and support
program that provides round-the-clock access to assistance from Cisco's
Technical Assistance Center (TAC) and the Cisco Connection Online (CCO) Web
site, plus major software and maintenance releases, product documentation
updates, and next-day delivery of replacement parts.
