Students complete Cisco courses

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) students and professionals can now gain valuable industry certification through the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), as a result of a partnership with global IT leader, Cisco.

13 students began the program at the start of the year and recently received certification acknowledging the completion of the first two Cisco courses. These students will now be eligible to sit the Cisco Certified Network Association exam once they complete the final two courses in semester two 2007.

Senior Computing Lecturer and Cisco Development Co-ordinator, Dr Yan Li, established USQ's partnership with Cisco and said it was wonderful to see the students complete the first two courses in the program.

'This is a historic moment that captures the successful start of a new era of collaboration between USQ and related industries.

'To make this happen I successfully obtained $80,000 from the Vice Chancellor's Discretionary Fund via a USQ Strategic Development Fund application and, with assistance from staff in Sciences and ICT, the program was made possible,' she said.

USQ is one of the few institutions authorised to operate as a Cisco Academy, and the program is integrated into USQ's Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) course materials.

Head of Mathematics and Computing at USQ, Associate Professor Ron Addie, was also keen to see the students receive acknowledgement.

'This is a great opportunity to work with industry more closely and with the most important networking company in the world,' he said.

'It will also make those who take part in it job ready and will help them fit into the workplace upon graduation.'

Industry professionals will also be able to enrol in the University's Cisco courses from the beginning of 2008.

'This would be delivered via this USQ Cisco Academy to the Toowoomba and South East Queensland IT community,' Dr Li said.

Media Contact: Connie-Louise Alexander, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 2977