Qualcomm and Cisco Learning Institute Partner to Provide IT Skills in Indonesia

Qualcomm and Cisco Learning Institute entered into an agreement earlier this year to provide IT Essentials and CCNA Discovery courses to the remote region of Way Kanan in Indonesia. Qualcomm’s Wireless Reach™ initiative was created in 2005 to support programs and solutions that bring the benefits of connectivity to developing communities globally. By working with partners, Wireless Reach projects create new ways for people to communicate, learn, access health care and reach global markets. As part of a joint effort with Cisco Networking Academy, local Indonesian regional Networking Academies, the Academy of Educational Development (AED), Qualcomm and Cisco Learning Institute, five high schools were selected from a previous Wireless Reach project in Way Kanan to convert their computer labs into Cisco Networking Academies. This will include training instructors, providing scholarships and internships, along with supporting connectivity and infrastructure costs for this project.

To start this project, Wireless Reach sponsored a week long Sustainability Workshop on June 22 at the Universitas Lampung in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia to provide training and information to school directors, two teachers, two students, and two PTA members. The mission of this workshop was to ensure each school was prepared to meet the long-term demands and challenges of sustaining their computer labs and operating as a Cisco Networking Academy. This workshop included a basic overview and group exercise for IT Essentials.

Later in the year, training will begin to prepare instructors for delivery of IT Essentials and courses for students will begin in early 2009. Wireless Reach’s representative, Linda Lee states: “This program between Qualcomm’s Wireless Reach initiative and Cisco Learning Institute brings together the exceptional skills and resources of two leading companies to deliver advanced connectivity and IT capabilities along with technical education to build a sustainable platform for future growth and development.” Dr. Helen Parke, Cisco Learning Institute Executive Director also adds: “Cisco Learning Institute is very proud to work with Qualcomm to extend IT and networking education to remote areas as part of the Wireless Reach initiative. This project is a model for future opportunities in developing regions and we are committed to support instructors so they can effectively deliver these technical courses.”

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