Cisco Invests in Education and Talent Development in Mexico

MEXICO CITY--(Marketwire - April 24, 2009) - Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced that its pioneering Global Talent Acceleration Program (GTAP) will be available in Latin America for the first time. The Mexico GTAP provides learning and development opportunities for Cisco engineers, recent graduates and established professionals in the industry. Recognizing that a strong pool of talented network engineering skills is critical to increasing a country's overall productivity, the company is making an initial investment of more than $1 million in training programs in the first six months alone.

Key facts:

• The first GTAP courses in Mexico City are scheduled to begin in May 2009.
  
  
• A recent study by IDC indicated that networking skills will outpace supply by nearly 27 percent within the next two years in Latin America.
  
  
• According to the Cisco Networking Skills Gap study 2008, the networking skills demand in Mexico will outpace supply by approximately 24 percent by 2010, representing a potential deficit of 20,400 trained information and communication technology professionals.
  
  
• Initially, the GTAP Academy in Mexico City will focus on training existing Cisco engineers and will open the program to external delegates later this year. The program will offer a Professional Track for delegates with up to four years of experience and an Associate Track aimed at recent college graduates.
  
  
• The Mexico GTAP academy is the fifth to be established by Cisco, following the opening of centers in Amman in Jordan, Bangalore and Delhi in India, and Johannesburg in South Africa.
  
  
• The first GTAP academy was opened in Amman in November 2007.
  
  

Supporting quotes:
"Successful countries and companies rely on both the people and the technology to achieve their goals. Building a strong and deep talent pool is necessary for Mexico to fulfill its potential and become one of the world's largest and most dynamic economies," commented Paul Mountford, president, Cisco Emerging Markets. "Mexico is a strategic priority for Cisco, and we're pleased to deliver a variety of pioneering talent development programs in Mexico to address the existing skills gap."

"We will bring to Mexico our experience in identifying the specific technical skills required to help drive sustainable, intelligent industries, citizen services and economic growth in Mexico," commented John Livingston, director, Cisco Global Talent Acceleration Program. "Already more than 250 engineers around the world have benefited from GTAP, which represents a 'finishing school' for network skills. These graduates are now able to build technology infrastructures that create the right conditions for prosperity in emerging countries. They are the architects of growth."

GTAP helps develop high-potential individuals into high-quality knowledge workers, equipping them with technical as well as soft skills to successfully handle customer support needs. To ensure a strong practical element, the curriculum includes a combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job training.

Supporting Resources:

• Cisco Latin American Networking Skills Gap: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2008/prod_031108.html
  
• Cisco Learning Partners: http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le27/learning_learning_partner_connection_home.html
  

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* Note: This study is commissioned annually by Cisco and run by IDC analyst firm.

About Cisco's Global Talent Acceleration Program:
Launched in 2007, the Global Talent Acceleration Program (GTAP) accelerates business development and growth opportunities for Cisco and Cisco's ecosystem partners in emerging markets where technical resources are scarce. GTAP trains associates and experienced professionals as network consulting engineers, project managers, customer support engineers, system engineers, and account managers.

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