According to an IDC study commissioned by Cisco, there will be a shortage of 1,900 workers with networking skills in Vietnam by the year 2009 and one way of preventing this would be to identify ways in which educational, training and government bodies can collaborate to help bridge this gap.
Speaking at the recently held 10th year anniversary celebration of the Cisco Networking Academy program in Hanoi, Vietnam, Christina Anthony, regional program development manager for Cisco Southeast Asia and Indochina, said the main way to combating this problem would be to increase the awareness of the value of networking and IT training among local students.
"Employers everywhere recognize the importance of all job candidates having experience with technology. Even if a student doesn't want to pursue a career in IT, having that knowledge base is critical in today's job market. Students who go on to obtain industry-recognized certification have an even greater competitive advantage," added Anthony.
Cisco’s Networking Academy program which has reached out to some 2 million students in 166 countries around the world since its launch in 1997 is one that provides students with the Internet technology skills essential in a global economy.
The Networking Academy delivers Web-based content, online assessments, student-performance tracking, hands-on labs, instructor training and support, and preparation for industry standard certifications.
"The Networking Academy has come a long way in the last 10 years and we are really proud of the effect and impact it has made in Vietnam. With the support of our partners and universities, we hope to continue to improve and expand the program," said James Chia, general manager of Cisco Vietnam.
"The Networking Academy has been a very effective way of providing an e-learning model that combines curriculum, assessment and instruction to improve student learning that will enable them to be successful in an IT-based economy."
Cisco said the IT training and education process represents it’s commitment to help Vietnam develop its own information infrastructure and keep pace with global IT developments.
"IT development for the young is very essential in building the foundation for strong human resources in Vietnam, especially now that Vietnam has joined World Trade Organization. The cooperation between Hanoi University of Technology and Cisco Vietnam via the Cisco Networking Academy program will create more opportunities to organize training courses at an international level to help our students to improve their abilities and confirm their pioneering roles in national socio-economic development," said Nguyen Khac Kiem, director of Bach Khoa Networking Academy of Hanoi University of Technology. |
