Cisco Academy To Open Next Year
Government anticipates a Bermuda Cisco Academy dedicated to training young Bermudians in Information Technology will open no later than next year.
In a briefing today [Nov. 17], Information Services Minister Michael Scott said the island was actively pursuing the idea of establishing a Cisco Networking Academy in Bermuda, a global education initiative from computer giant Cisco Systems.
Courses are available in approximately 9,000 local academies, in over 165 different countries.
“Whilst employment opportunities have been curbed as a result of the economic downturn, the Cisco Academy provides an excellent opportunity for Bermudians to train and position themselves to take their place in this ever changing, exciting world of IT,” said the Minister. “Bermudians with a Cisco certification are able to compete more effectively and offer their services to Bermuda-based companies currently employing Cisco certified guest workers.
“Additionally, a Cisco certification also provides the opportunity for mobility for Bermudian IT professionals as Cisco qualifications are recognised worldwide.”
A Steering Committee for the establishment of the Bermuda Cisco Local Academy has already been established.
Mr. Scott’s remarks appear in full below:
Good morning and thank you for your attendance at this press conference.
I draw your attention to the following statement made by His Excellency the Governor in the Speech from the Throne just under two weeks ago: “The Government is pleased to share that it is engaged in advanced discussions with Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in networking products and services, for the establishment of a Cisco Academy in Bermuda.”
As the Minister of Government Estates and Information Services, I am delighted to provide you with additional details with respect to the establishment of a Cisco Academy here in Bermuda, a facility that will provide certified training for Bermudians and prepare them for opportunities in the realm of Information Technology [IT].
The Cisco Networking Academy is a comprehensive e-learning programme which provides students with Internet technology skills that are essential for the development of countries in the current global economy. The Networking Academy programme delivers web-based content, online assessment, student performance tracking, hands-on-labs, instructor training and support and preparation for industry standard certifications.
In October 1997, the Networking Academy programme was launched in 64 educational institutions in seven states of the USA. It has spread to more than 160 countries.Since its inception, over 1.6 million students have enrolled at more than 10,000 Academies located in high schools, technical schools, colleges, universities, and community-based organizations. You will be interested to know that 70% of the internet traffic uses Cisco network systems. Indeed, Cisco is dubbed as the ”plumbers for the internet.”
The Cisco Local Academy initiative dovetails with the Government’s overall commitment to develop the Island‟s human potential by means of enhanced training opportunities in various areas, in particular, training that will meet the emerging needs of the next few decades.
IT stands at the forefront in this regard.
The idea of establishing a Cisco Local Academy emerged as part of the response to the Request For Proposal [RFP] which was issued by the Information Technology Office to reengineer the Government network infrastructure.
The successful vendor was required to provide a state-of-the art switching fabric and network management systems that would form the backbone for the government-wide Network that supports Information Technology applications and Internet access.
Earlier this year, my predecessor, the Hon. D. Neletha Butterfield, visited the Heart Trust Stony Hill Academy, the location of a Cisco Academy in Jamaica. Upon the conclusion of this visit, she advised her Ministry that Bermuda and Bermudians would benefit from a programme of this nature. Preliminary discussions were held and the proposal has taken shape.
Links have been established with the Cisco Regional Manager, Navid Ghandeharioun, and with Georgette Shirley, the Programme Coordinator of the Caribbean Institute of Technology.
Mr. Ghandeharioun met with me in Bermuda on Thursday last. Senator Jonathan Smith, Junior Minister within the Minister of Government Estates and Information Services, and ITO Director Mr. Michael Oatley, were also in attendance at that meeting. We were heartened to hear Mr. Ghandeharioun re-affirm Cisco’s commitment to Bermuda and its willingness to work cooperatively with both the Government and with private sector partners to ensure the success of the enterprise.
Reference to the Cisco Academy initiative in the Speech from the Throne has already generated a great deal of interest among the private sector in Bermuda.
Major companies in Bermuda obviously value internationally recognized Cisco certifications; consequently, they are adopting Cisco technologies. A local Cisco Academy will provide Bermudians in the IT profession with the opportunity to gain Cisco certifications and re-certifications. Local companies, both large and small, will benefit from a larger pool of skilled Bermudian IT personnel from which to draw.Although we are seeking to establish a bona fide Networking Academy here in Bermuda, we must make the point that we have already embarked upon a pilot or prototype of such an Academy. Personnel from our Information Technology Office, other Government Departments and persons from the private sector participated in training led by Cisco during October of this year.
The curriculum of the Networking Academies combines the theory and practice of designing, developing and implementing the networks that drive modern organizations. The curriculum is designed to teach teamwork skills that are essential for success in today‟s marketplace.
Cisco Network Support certifications include:
Careers in the field of IT.
- Cisco Certified Network Associate – CCNA
- Cisco Certified Network Professional – CCNP
- Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert – CCIE-R/S (Routing and Switching)
- Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert – CCIE- ISP Dial (ISP Dial Technology)
Whilst employment opportunities have been curbed as a result of the economic downturn, the Cisco Academy provides an excellent opportunity for Bermudians to train and position themselves to take their place in this ever changing, exciting world of IT.
Bermudians with a Cisco certification are able to compete more effectively and offer their services to Bermuda-based companies currently employing Cisco certified guest workers.
Additionally, a Cisco certification also provides the opportunity for mobility for Bermudian IT professionals as Cisco qualifications are recognized worldwide.
A Steering Committee for the establishment of the Cisco Local Academy in Bermuda, under the leadership of ITO Director Mr. Michael Oatley, has been formed.
The Steering Committee’ primary objective is to secure a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Bermuda and the Cisco Regional Academy based in Jamaica.
Working jointly with the Regional Manager, the Steering Committee will strengthen the increasingly important public and private partnership component of the Cisco Local Academy initiative. Additionally the Steering Committee will make a recommendation regarding the most suitable location for the Cisco Local Academy.
It is anticipated that instruction at the first formally established Cisco Local Academy will commence no later than the second quarter of 2012.
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Nice try.
Just about 5 years too late.
Most of the IT jobs requiring this level of expertise have been moved off the island and with the advent of cloud computing,virtual networks and remote system management the need for Cisco qualifications are long gone.
Too bad too,as there are a great many talented young people in Bermuda.
electioneering……key words “actively pursuing”….right? actively pursuing getting reelected…
Must agree with ‘Guest Who’ and ‘Navin’. This Cisco Academy is far too late, even more than 5 years too late. Not only has technology evolved whereas this level of expertise is not as in demand. Most Cisco appliances are set-it-forget-it.. because it just works if setup correctly, the large enterprise environments are few and far behind and are already being managed, some managed badly. Further, it will take more than just a Cisco cert to get you in the door. You better be stepping up with an array of various industry recognized certs and experience.
Let’s give Bermudians new hope, then crushed them when their jobs move off island, like so many IT jobs in recent years…
Will be good for Bermudian help desk people who look after the PCs and have to do basic troubleshooting. Realistically I can’t see their being much call for so many Cisco juniors coming out of an academy. Just because you get a cert does not mean that you are going to be let loose on a corporate network infrastructure. Most companies look at experience from which they build a level of trust first before they let you loose on a system. One mistake can take a network down and a company can loose millions, especially in insurance renewal season. If we try to kick out or replace the expat Cisco techs they will just carry on doing the same job overseas. A lot of companies are already doing this.
Most companies have basic internal Cisco skills and rely on specialized network services companies to look after their systems. Companies in Bermuda are not big enough to justify they own Cisco tech. To become a good Cisco tech you have to work for a Cisco service company.
Exactly. A Microsoft academy would make more sense. A Cisco CCNA will not want to work a helpdesk at Level 1 support for any longer than a week! More than likely, he or she would be better off getting certifications here, then moving overseas to manage and maintain larger infrastructure before then returning home to make good money. No business will allow a green CCNA or Microsoft professional loose on their network.