Cisco has announced the addition of a new entry-level
certification,
CCENT
(Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician),
along with enhancements to the popular Cisco CCNA associate-level
certification.
Simultaneously, Cisco also plans to localise both the curricula
and
certification exams to meet the worldwide demand for networking
skills.
Analyst IDC is predicting as much as a 40% gap between the
demand and supply of technical networking skills by 2012. To
address these needs, Cisco is making significant investments in its
education and certification programs to equip more people for
successful careers in networking.
CCENT presents a new point of entry to those just beginning to
build a career in networking. As an optional stepping-stone to
CCNA, CCENT validates the skills required to successfully install
and verify basic networks – a requirement for most entry-level
network support positions.
At the same time, Cisco's foundational CCNA curriculum has been
revised to include a greater breadth of networking topics and more
focus on performance-based skills to differentiate Cisco certified
applicants in the IT job market.
The CCNA curriculum will be released in English on 26 July 2007,
and the exams will be released in English on 1 August 2007.
Additional languages will be announced as translation plans are
finalised.
Wim Elfrink, chief globalisation officer and senior
vice-president of customer advocacy at Cisco, said, "We are
dedicated to leading worldwide development of the right technical
expertise, in the right place and at the right time.
“The introduction of CCENT and localisation plans for our
foundational curricula, underscore our commitment to accelerate the
learning curve for technical talent across the globe," he said.
Laying the groundwork for more rigorous certification, CCENT
validates the knowledge and skills needed to configure and verify
small routed and switched networks, including the ability to
configure IP addressing, implement basic security measures and
understand the concepts of wireless networking.
A comprehensive understanding of networking fundamentals is the
focus of CCNA, said Cisco.
Certification at this level validates the knowledge and skills
required to install, operate and troubleshoot a small to
medium-sized routed and switched network, including the ability to
implement and troubleshoot protocols to manage addressing and
authentication.
Students must also be able to establish and troubleshoot
connections to service providers over a wide-area network.
The CCNA Prep
Center is available to anyone with a Cisco.com login to help
candidates prepare for the CCENT and CCNA exams.
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