ICT and Networking Courses Prepare and Inspire Future Innovators

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1 Corporate Social Responsibility Impact Profile Cisco Networking Academy TM ICT and Networking Courses Prepare and Inspire Future Innovators Today, 2 billion things are connected over the Internet. Experts say that by 2020 more than 37 billion organic and inorganic connections will be made. This rapid increase is called the Internet of Everything, which demands a technology-adept workforce across all fields and disciplines. Cisco Networking Academy provides information and communication technology (ICT) and networking courses to high schools, community colleges and universities globally. Students learn how to design, build and secure intelligent networks, while developing soft skills like leadership, collaboration and entrepreneurship. Classroom instruction, online learning, interactive games, simulations, and hands-on practice are continuously refreshed and aligned with U.S. STEM and education standards. More than 1 million students are enrolled in Networking Academy courses around the world, preparing to become the innovators of tomorrow. The Impact in 470 Students taught in ,799 Students since inception 9 Organizations offering Cisco ICT courses 16 Instructors preparing the ICT workforce 3.94 Million Estimated in-kind contribution to education you + networks = impact 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 1 of 7

2 Innovative Technology Education for All Education Levels Cisco Networking Academy offers a comprehensive teaching and learning program licensed free to not-for-profit organizations, including course content, lab exercises, simulation software, gaming, interactive teaching guides, assessments, and grade books. All teaching materials are available online with 24-hour support. Cisco Networking Academy courses are designed for secondary, postsecondary, and professional development education programs. For secondary programs, courses are aligned chapter by chapter with STEM cluster topics, Common Core State Standards for technical subjects, and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). ICT and Networking Courses Engage Students Students acquire the basic-to-advanced ICT and networking expertise needed by every business, school, hospital, nonprofit, and other organization that relies on intelligent networks to keep them running and secure. Courses include IT Essentials, Linux Essentials, Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching, CCNA Security, and Cisco CCNP. Supplemental courses cover voice, cloud, healthcare IT, and more. "What the [technology] workforce needs now are those who can present what they are doing to people who are not in IT. Along with tech skills, they certainly need business skills as well. Networking Academy graduate The hands-on instructional approach using real-world scenarios encourages student engagement, and increases their ability to synthesize what they learn for application in other contexts. Students strengthen their understanding of technology, math, science, and engineering concepts, which improves their success in advanced studies and prepares them for globally-recognized certification exams. 21 st Century Career-Ready Skills Courses integrate skill areas identified as critical for 21st century professionals: Problem solving and decision making: Students configure and troubleshoot networks based on real-world scenarios. Creative and critical thinking: Students synthesize what they learn and apply it in other contexts. Collaboration, communication, and negotiation: Students acquire teamwork and leadership skills through group projects. Intellectual curiosity and information handling: Students develop the ability to evaluate, structure, and present information clearly. Courses prepare students to reach their full potential in new or existing careers, or to establish their own businesses. Professional and Community Development Unique to the program are support communities for both instructors and students. Instructors receive training prior to teaching their first class, and ongoing professional development opportunities. Cisco hosts peer communities that enable instructors to collaborate and share best practices in person and online. Students take part in skills competitions, and access a global network of peer mentorship for coursework and exam preparation. "Black Box Network Services partners with academy schools to provide students with internships, job shadowing, and job offers. Cisco does an exceptional job preparing students to excel in today's business environment. Our academy hires have added immediate impact to our clients' initiatives, and continue to excel by achieving advanced certifications." Talent Acquisition Manager 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 2 of 7

3 High Demand for ICT and Networking Skills Networking is expected to be the second fastest growing ICT specialization in the United States and Canada U.S. Employment Growth Projections 1 15% 15% 7% 25% 37% 12% 11% 18% Information All Networks Systems Security Occupations Architects Analysts Analysts and Information Systems Managers Network Support Specialists Employment Growth Projections ( ) 1 Network and Systems Administrators All Occupations 24% 20% 12% 28% no data 16% 15% 19% 1 Source: US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Top Cisco Certifications by Salary 2 ICT salaries are on the rise, particularly for professionals with specialized training or certification. For example, Cisco network administration knowledge and skills result in a 9% higher salary on average. $71,482 $81,308 $90,833 Additional Cisco certifications are available, including CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CCIE, CCDA, and more. 2 Source: Global Knowledge, 15 Most Popular IT and Business Certifications for 2014, The Impact in The partnership between Cisco and education institutions has touched the lives of many students and generated a large estimated in-kind contribution towards education. Impact since program inception in ,799 $3.94M 1 (100%) Students Estimated In-Kind Contribution Value Congressional Districts Participating Impact over the last 12 months % 16 9 Students Female Students Instructors Academies 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates. Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 3 of 7

4 Education Levels Secondary Schools Community Colleges Universities Other 3 Students 6% 2% 61% 30% Curricula 4 Basic ICT Basic Networking Intermediate Networking Advanced Networking Academies 22% 22% 33% 22% Students 22% 38% 23% 17% 3 Community-based organizations, middle schools, military, nontraditional educational settings, and post-graduate institutions 4 Students that enroll in more than one education level or curriculum in 12 months may be counted more than once COUNTY CITY SCHOOL Cascade Great Falls Great Falls College State University Custer Miles City Miles Community College Glacier Browning Blackfeet Community College Lewis and Clark Helena Helena College University of Helena High School Missoula Missoula University of Silver Bow Butte Tech of The University of Toole Sunburst Sunburst High School Yellowstone Billings State University - Billings COT Impact Story Developing Academy Instructors: A Pipeline of Excellence Dr. John Sands began his career in computer maintenance, so clearly he has an affinity for fixing things that are broken. When Moraine Valley Community College (MVCC), where John teaches, added Cisco Networking Academy to its IT programs, he became proficient in computer networking. It shouldn t be too surprising that someone who loves to fix what s broken and connect the unconnected would find a way to solve an impending teacher shortage. The answer was in the bridges that John and fellow instructor, Erich Spengler, began building years before the shortage hit. In the beginning, says John, we recognized that community college students fall into three major populations: the group coming out of high school, the ones changing careers, and those looking to upgrade their skills. The high schools are a big student pipeline for us, and we re a natural program for connecting the high schools with the four-year colleges and universities. Erich Spengler and John Sands John and Erich believed that one key to strengthening relationships with the local high schools was to encourage and help them set up their own Networking Academy programs. At the time, high schools and community colleges were teaching skills geared toward manufacturing jobs, which were on the decline in the United States. s, on the other hand, were dramatically on the rise. So when we approached these high schools about adopting the academy program, and aligning those students with our community college and/or university programs, they were receptive to our ideas. From this early outreach, they got 7 schools in 4 states to incorporate CCNA courses into their curricula. This confirmed their other belief: it s easier to build relationships when you have something relevant to offer your academic partners, and you re ready to help them implement new ideas Cisco and/or its affiliates. Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 4 of 7

5 Relationships, Readiness, and Relevance s and networks were on the rise, but so were hackers. John and Erich secured a regional grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) National Resource Center. Their proposal was to create the Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA), with a primary goal of developing and training instructors to teach cybersecurity courses. The idea for the Center was a perfect complement to the Cisco cybersecurity curriculum, so we put together the proposal in record time and won the grant, says John. In fact, CSSIA was the first comprehensive cybersecurity center funded by the NSF. The funding enabled MVCC to build a cyberlab. Some schools thought that to teach hacking meant putting their own systems at risk, so this required a safe sandbox for teaching and learning. We provide that safety zone with our cyberlab. Currently, this one-of-a-kind cyberlab has nearly 200 servers from which students can virtually participate in course-related labs and competitions. Classroom tools like the Cisco Packet Tracer have totally transformed the way we teach the academy courses. In the past, students had to share time on limited, expensive equipment. With Packet Tracer, software that simulates equipment, every student can have the same experience virtually, and at a greatly reduced cost. We ve found that it s a big motivator for people who want to teach or adopt this curriculum. Many people in technology are gamers, and this kind of simulation appeals to them. After about 6 years running the program at a regional level, MVCC applied for a national grant from the NSF, also focused strongly on faculty development. We have to do reports every year to the NSF. We set goals in our proposals, but we usually far exceed them. We train about teachers each summer in a workshop series, and many go on to take their certification exams. Last year, we trained almost 700 instructors and established approximately 30 new cybersecurity programs. To date, CCSIA has trained more than 2,000 teachers and involved over 160 schools. Once You Have the Blueprint, Keep Building Those Bridges Last year, MVCC reached out to Historically Black Colleges and Universities in different parts of the country to offer a computer science instructor mentoring program. First, we met with instructors for 10 weeks, and then with students. We introduced them to the IT Essentials course in a shared virtual environment. MVCC is also doing outreach to veterans through the Cyber Aces competition. This year, they identified 12 highly qualified veterans to put through an intensive one-year program to get 6 different certifications. In that group, we ve spoken to two or three people who are interested in going into teaching. We hope to recruit them for part-time or fulltime Networking Academy instructor positions. We have no doubt that those who don't want to teach will be snapped up by industry. The visibility received by MVCC has spread beyond school campuses to the corporate world. Local businesses have been unbelievably supportive of our program. They know how important it is that we re developing a local workforce with strong security skills. John says that a Networking Academy graduate with a Cisco security certification is almost guaranteed a job. We were awarded another grant from the Department of Labor, and in the first year, we placed 18 of 25 graduates in securityrelated jobs. This year, half of them have been placed in jobs, and the year has only just started. John acknowledges that the job placement goal is often at odds with the instructor development goal. It depends on the individual s goals. We try to give people the tools to pursue whatever they want in life. That s what teachers do. We help students realize their potential and live their dreams Cisco and/or its affiliates. Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 5 of 7

6 Skills Competitions: A Great Place to Find Natural Teachers MVCC is very big on competitions. They are co-founders of the National Cyber League, a competition with several thousand teams that participate at approximately 300 community colleges and universities. MVCC also participates in the Cisco NetRiders competition each year. Through the Cyber Security Center, MVCC sets up a student skills competition using Packet Tracer, A+, and security protocols. This year more than 120 students from 11 institutions collaborated in teams. During the competition, John says they identified at least half a dozen participants in undergraduate or graduate programs who are interested in teaching academy classes. According to John: Academy courses are built around labs that make students deal with real-world problems. It s the best way to learn. When I look for faculty members, I look for individuals who want to train people to hit the ground running with strong capabilities. The Internet of Everything Drives More Connections It is estimated that by 2015 the number of mobile devices and smartphones connected will exceed the global population. And by 2020, more than 5 billion people and 50 billion things will be connected. The need for security is continuing to grow and becoming more specialized. MVCC can t produce all the professionals needed, so we have to partner with high schools to show learning pathways sooner, and partner with universities to offer pathways beyond community college. Securing the Instructor Pipeline In the last 7 or 8 years, we ve seen a number of high school instructors retiring, in technology and other curricula. If we hadn t already been developing future academy instructors all this time, some of our schools might have struggled to sustain the program. Employment demand for academy students is tremendous, so this is not the time to reduce or shut down these programs because of a teacher shortage. MVCC and all of its academy instructors work hard to identify and develop future instructors. At least now, when we see turnover, we have better options for dealing with it. The goal is to engage other schools earlier in the recruiting process. For example, rather than placing ads on job sites after a teacher has already announced retirement, we encourage schools to participate in skills competitions and career fairs ahead of time to help them identify the kinds of people we know will make excellent networking instructors. Most of the high schools in MVCC s ecosystem now invest heavily in faculty development and recruitment efforts. More also invest in dual credit, which gives students the opportunity to take classes at their high school and MVCC simultaneously. In fact, MVCC received top honors for its Information Technology Dual-Credit Program from the National Career Pathways Network (NCPN). MVCC ranks third in the nation in associate degrees conferred in Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies for its science transfer programs. Today, the CSSIA is an NSF ATE National Resource Center. It has become a national resource to educate institutions on curriculum development, instructor training, cyber-defense competition training, and career readiness. In 2013, Cisco gave MVCC an Academy Award for Going Above and Beyond in recognition of its global focus on data security. Erich and I were so pleased to receive the Cisco award, says John. We especially appreciated the name of the award. In building relationships with other schools, we ve achieved more than we could have imagined just staying in our own backyards. And if we ve influenced schools, faculty and students to value relationship-building, then everyone will always be working above and beyond just by working together. Dedicated to the memory of Erich Spengler, MVCC Cisco Networking Academy instructor. With admiration and gratitude for his contributions to teaching and his pioneering work in the field of cybersecurity education Cisco and/or its affiliates. Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 6 of 7

7 Learn More About Cisco Networking Academy See videos and more impact stories. Learn how to get involved. Cisco Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Cisco CSR efforts are aligned with five focus areas, as illustrated. Cisco Networking Academy is a Society program and Cisco s largest in education. Cisco In-Kind Contribution Value (IKCV) comprises product donations and pro bono services. Cisco assesses IKCV at fair market value defined by the IRS as the price that inventory, products, or certain professional services would garner on the open market between a company and its direct customers/clients. All Cisco CSR IKCV United States 12 months (11/1/13-10/31/14) $63,014,402 Since 2007 $339,249,606 Cisco Corporate Social Responsibility csr.cisco.com We create opportunities to transform lives, communities, and the environment through the combined power of human collaboration and networked connections. We call this impact multiplied. Together with others, we apply technology to unlock the intelligence and fuel the innovation needed to address some of the world s most pressing problems. Our corporate social responsibility efforts focus on five areas: improving the well-being of people and communities around the world, using our technology to improve environmental sustainability, conducting our business ethically, creating a workplace where our employees thrive, and maintaining our high standards for ethics, labor rights, health, safety, and the environment throughout our supply chain Cisco and/or its affiliates. Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 7 of 7