Internet training programme launched

Accra, April 26, GNA - A comprehensive Internet training programme designed to teach tertiary students IT skills was on Tuesday launched in Accra by the Ministry of Communication in collaboration with Cisco Systems, South Africa, a world-wide leader in networking for the Internet.

The programme to be run under the Cisco Networking Academy Programme would start in May across the 11 local training centres established at the polytechnics and selected universities in Ghana.

Consequently, the Ghana-Indian Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT commissioned last year as the regional Cisco Academy has started a training of trainers programme for selected tutors and lecturers of the various polytechnics, who would in turn train their students. Under the programme, students and other trainees would undergo training programmes that would be valuable in the building and maintenance of an Internet infrastructure that would accelerate Ghana's progress towards full integration into the world economy.

Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Communications, launching the programme said a nation's ability to accelerate its socio-economic process and gain global competitive advantages depended on the extent to which it could develop, exploit and sell information, knowledge and technology in one form or another.

He said the Cisco networking programme was, therefore, a welcome collaboration that would help bridge the gap between those who could effectively use new technology and communication tools such as the Internet and those who could not.

"This is because today networks are an essential part of business, education, government and home communications and Cisco Internet Protocol-based (IP) networking solutions are the foundations of these networks," Mr Kan-Dapaah explained.

He said such a programme would in the long run help equip graduates majoring in electronic/electrical engineering and computer science for them to be competitive in the job market in the areas of network maintenance and support, network technicians and engineers, systems administrators and specialists in training others.

Mr Drew Murray, Country Representative of Cisco Systems, said the academic programme had been introduced to help to train people in the IT industry and enable Ghana to have the right people to man the Internet and help make her the ICT hub of the West Africa Sub-region.

Ms Dorothy Gordon, Director-General Kofi Annan ICT Centre, said trainees would be awarded an internationally recognised certificate from Cisco that would afford them the opportunity to work in any country of their choice.

She expressed appreciation to Cisco for donating computers for the computer laboratory and providing instructors to train the trainers.