The first regional Cisco academy in the Vitebsk region has been established in Novopolotsk

April 7, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The first regional Cisco academy in the Vitebsk region has been established in Novopolotsk on the basis of a gymnasium and secondary school No. 14, the education department of the Novopolotsk city executive committee informed a BELTA correspondent. In 2008, the Ministry of Education of Belarus approved Cisco's "IT Essentials" course as an elective for schools. Currently, 138 Cisco Networking Academies operate in Belarus, with over 170 certified Cisco instructors and more than 2.3 thousand students and schoolchildren enrolled. Access to the portfolio of courses developed by Cisco Systems is provided by Cisco Networking Academies based at BSU, BNTU, BGIIR, the Higher College of Communications, GSU, and GrSU. Most academies teaching the "IT Essentials" course are based in schools, allowing their teachers and students to access a world-class training program on par with students from the UK and Germany, Italy and France, Russia and the USA. The establishment of a regional academy in Novopolotsk provides an opportunity to train new instructors who, in turn, will be able to train all interested students in local academies. Currently, three local academies are successfully operating in the city based on secondary schools No. 10, No. 14, and the gymnasium, with 42 students enrolled. The global Cisco Networking Academy program has been in existence for 12 years. It is aimed at fundamental training of specialists in the theory and practice of designing, building, and operating local and global networks using international standards. Cisco Networking Academies use an educational model that combines web-based learning and classroom sessions, including laboratory work that provides practical skills in designing, building, and maintaining computer networks. The Cisco Networking Academy program operates in 168 countries worldwide, including Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. Successful cooperation between the Ministry of Education, Cisco, and the High Technologies Park has placed Belarus in first place in the number of Cisco Networking Academies in the CIS countries over two years, surpassing traditional leaders such as Russia and Ukraine. -0-