The Polytechnic of Namibia has partnered with the global IT systems and networking giant, CISCO, to establish a training academy at the Polytechnic. The academy will be tasked with delivering CISCO Networking Academy Instructor certification modules and testing to the public.
"Today marks yet another significant milestone in the partnership. CISCO systems identified a need within the market and instead of waiting for a competitor or third party to fill the void, it provided an answer that has not only expanded the services it offers, but has contributed to skills development and employment creation on a global scale," Rector of the Polytechnic of Namibia Dr Tjama Tjivikua said at the launch on Tuesday at the campus in Windhoek.
CISCO Networking Academy Instructor certification was established at the beginning of this year with the primary aim of delivering and establishing the CAITC and offering this training through the School of Computing and Informatics.
The Polytechnic is taking its mandate of skills and knowledge transfer one step further so that through "train the trainer" certification individuals by affiliating with CISCO can establish networking academies that provide training.
Tjivikua said the skills from the academy would help improve career and educational opportunities for individuals. He said the world is becoming more connected and therefore service and product delivery in the public or private sectors require a reliable network that connects service providers and users.
"The other spin-off accruing from this mutually beneficial relationship has been an opportunity to create a strong linkage between industry and academia. That is our trademark," said Tjivikua.
The partnership between the Polytechnic of Namibia and CISCO Systems goes back to 1999, when an agreement was recognized to establish a CISCO Networking Academy in Namibia with the response to the growing demand for ICT professionals as well as addressing the skills gap by offering quality and education training at international standards, which could enhance career and employment prospects of Namibians.
The Polytechnic, therefore, decided to integrate the CISCO certifications into its undergraduate curriculum in order to equip its students with the networking skills that were fast becoming a huge demand in industry.
The CISCO certifications were incorporated into the former Bachelor of Computer Systems and Networking programme and at a later stage the CISCO Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification was introduced at Honours degree level.
Serge Adjovi, Regional Manager for CISCO Southern Africa said the shortages of global information technology skills need to be addressed in order to provide career opportunities and to reach more students per year with online learning and partnership with academies around the world as CISCO believes in talent enablement.
