Ready and Set with Cisco Academy

It’s every fresh graduate’s wish to feel as confident and ready for his career as can be. And this is without a doubt what the Universite Antonine staff wishes to provide to their students by constantly reshuffling their cards and offering them the right tools to succeed and stand out.

The Cisco Academy is definitely part of this initiative. Born more than 10 years ago at the Faculty of Engineering, it is the ideal place for Computer Science students as well as Engineering students interested in networking. Mr. Joseph Fares, in charge of the program, explains: the Cisco Academy suggests an international academic program through online courses that are constantly updated. Students get to use Cisco equipment such as routers and switches along with simulators needed to recreate huge environments. Through that, they learn to connect various locations of a company for example, and how to protect their created network, all from the comfort of their laptops.

Cisco, a worldwide leader in IT & Networking, was selected by UA for its academic but also thorough profile: evenly merging theory with practice thanks to their laboratories.  As per Mr. Fares, It was only natural for their department to make the Cisco courses mandatory, as they offered the necessary theoretical content of their program but added a very important value to it: the real feel of the major. The academy merges in other words the old content with the new, along with the experimental aspect which is crucial for the students.

The reputation of the Cisco program reflects a tough image due to its intensive content which requires a full time commitment. It might be difficult for working students or those following extra courses but in spite of that, Mr. Fares is proud that all students come out well prepared for their careers. As a matter of fact, lots of students are being hired based on their theoretical and laboratory experience at the Cisco academy, allowing them to be noticeable from the moment they pass their interviews and most importantly, making it quick and easy for them to adapt to their work environment.

One of the key role players is the development of the exams at the faculty. The academy students are required to undergo an online exam but, it didn’t seem quite enough for the professors to guarantee the students’ capacity to apply their knowledge once out of the class room. Therefore, two UA exams have been formulated and count for 90% of the students’ final grades while the online exam counts for 10%. And as per Mr. Fares’s plans, it might go down to 5%, all in the best interest of his students. He also gladly talks about the ongoing improvements at his department, especially when it comes to the laboratory which was upgraded many years ago, allowing students to access their equipment easily thanks to new racks with open sides, along with other enhancements.

Cisco, which is based in California, presently holds more than 70% of the market and added servers and storage systems to its wide range of expertise. Sky is certainly…the limit!

 



Joseph FARES, Legal Main Contact of the Cisco academy in UA