Information communication technology (ICT) has become an important subject for students, and Cisco (HK) is introducing ICT to primary and secondary schools, and tertiary education institutions in Hong Kong and Macau as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme.
'When education and the internet are put together they make a powerful impact on society,' said Cisco's managing director, Hong Kong, Macau and South China, Charleston Sin Chiu-shun.
The main objectives of Cisco's CSR programme are to nurture the next generation of IT specialists for Hong Kong and Macau and to empower young people with IT knowledge and skills so that they can e-learn effectively. Cisco has divided its CSR initiatives into two broad categories: IT education, which is the teaching of essential IT skills and networking technology; and IT in education which encourages the education sector to adopt the latest IT equipment and skills to make teaching and learning more effective and fun.
'Students equipped with ICT are able to use the internet for self-learning and benefit through the multimedia [available online],' Dr Sin said.
The Cisco Networking Academy (CNA), which was founded in the United States in 1997 and introduced to Hong Kong the next year, fulfils the goals of IT education and IT in education. The programme features regularly updated web-based curricula with rich multimedia content. Instructors trained by Cisco lead classes with hands-on practical lab sessions. Students are required to take tests and exams, and are awarded industry-recognised certificates on successful completion of the course.
The company had organised CNA courses in collaboration with 35 educational institutions in Hong Kong and Macau and more than 3,000 people had graduated in the past 10 years, Dr Sin said. 'We have incorporated CNA courses on associate and professional levels into the IT programmes offered by tertiary educational institutions in Hong Kong.'
