Internet networking firm, Cisco Systems and UNIFEM have announced the first results of an initiative to increase the number of working-women in Jordan. Launched in January this year, under the patronage of Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, UNIFEM's Achieving E-Quality in the Information Technology (IT) Sector' Progra has since opened 10 Cisco Networking Academies across Jordan.
600 students have enrolled on the course to date, including 380 women who are now training to achieve globally recognized Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification. "One of the biggest challenges of our time is in fact an opportunity we stand to benefit from," Al-Abdullah said.
"Innovations in technology, particularly the increasing use of the Internet, have certainly brought us all closer. Technological advancements have fueled progress worldwide and we in the region still have many opportunities to capitalize on this. This initiative from Cisco and UNIFEM is a living example of this and we welcome their efforts in helping women achieve their full potential in the workplace."
The goal of UNIFEM's ICT program is to enable Jordanian women to build upon their current technological knowledge with demand-driven networking skills. This will help ensure a gender sensitive policy environment and ultimately increase their competitiveness in the labor market. Today, women contribute to 27 percent of Jordan's ICT labor force.
The Cisco Networking Academy Program was established by Cisco to help bridge the digital divide that separates people who have the opportunity to study information technology and gain better employment, and those who do not. Cisco supports its Academies by providing a web-based curriculum and online management tools, which are used along with laboratory equipment to teach students how to design, build and maintain computer networks. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
