Goals and Objectives

The ITU Development Bureau (BDT) is working to establish a worldwide network of Internet Training Centers providing training on Internet (IP) networks and services.

Through a train-the-trainers approach, the BDT works with public and private-sector players to provide students in developing countries with access to affordable and relevant training using both face-to-face and distance-based training methods.

One of the objectives of each Internet Training Center is to strengthen Internet skills within the staff of the national telecom operator(s). In this respect the BDT encourages each Internet Training Center to develop partnership arrangements with the Operator. Such partnership arrangements might include the provision of low-cost connectivity in return for cost-based training for a number of staff. The operator might also develop an agreement to employ the brightest students graduating from the Center.

Targets

1. Ensure that the training provided under the project is delivered to as many students as possible. The target is to train a minimum of 50 students per year per Internet training centre.

2. Encourage participation by women in the deployment of information and communication technologies. The target is for women to account for 30 per cent of the total number of students. The University/Institute is also asked to envisage appointing women as instructors.

3. Bring the academic world closer to the world of telecommunications. The IP protocol is an integral part of telecommunications, and operators need to retrain a large proportion of their staff in order to familiarize them with IP technologies. The objective is to ensure that our Internet training centres offer a number of free places (6 to 8 per cent, i.e. three or four places a year) to telecommunication professionals. This will be to the advantage of both parties and will cost the University/Institute nothing, as the costs of the programme it is offering are covered. The telecommunication sector will benefit from the free places and the University/Institute will have an opportunity to publicize its programme in a sector that is a veritable breeding ground of students.

4. The University/Institute can offer the programme to its own students and to outside professionals or students interested in such training. The number of outside professionals or students should not exceed 50 per cent of total participants in the training.

Partners

The ITCI implementation started as a partnership venture between the BDT and the first partner of the Initiative: Cisco Systems. Cisco contributes the Cisco Networking Academy Curriculum. This valuable contribution is detailed further down.
The project will continue to look for other partners and contributions that will complement the Internet related training of the first partner.

The University/Institute can offer the Networking Academy to its own students and to outside professionals or students interested in such training. The number of outside professionals or students should not exceed 50 per cent of total participants in the training.
 

The role of the Administration and the High Level Facilitator (HLF)

Each Internet Training Center will involve a partnership of the relevant Government Agencies, the training / education Institution and the ITCI. The success of a Center will very much depend on the support provided by its National Administration. In order to assure a successful implementation the Administration must designate a High Level Facilitator (HLF) for this Initiative whose mission will be to provide appropriate support for the ITCI in the country. The HLF will be a dynamic high rank officer of the Administration (close to the Minister’s Office), champion of the ITCI and able to mobilise any local resource required for the set up of the Internet Training Center.

Training programmes

Cisco will make Cisco Networking Academy available in all Internet Training Centers. The Cisco Networking Academy functions on a train-the-trainers principle. It is a hands-on course designed to teach students the skills needed to design, build and maintain small to medium-size IP based networks. The training material is web-based. It consists of a 280 hours curriculum delivered over approximately nine months (four 70 hours courses). This program prepares students for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam, an industry standard certificate. Course content is available in many languages: English, French, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Turkish, Korean, Hungarian, Japanese.

Main components of the project

The following items will be provided free of charge by the project to the selected candidate institutions:

1. Train-the-trainers. Two instructors per institution will be trained. The project will provide funding for tuition fees, travel, lodging and boarding for two instructors from each selected institution.

2. Curriculum. The project will then provide free access to the curriculum (training materials) for the delivery of the training programme to the students.

3. Lab equipment. The project will provide free of charge one set of lab equipment to each selected institution.

The selected institution will

1. Provide at least two full time instructors

2. Provide the required infrastructure (see section “Infrastructure requirements for candidate institutions” in this document)

3. Recruit students and deliver the training to them.

Candidate institutions

Each candidate institution must be run on a not-for-profit basis, be an enthusiastic partner (able to meet deadlines) and demonstrate willingness to establish the Internet Training Center Programmes. Examples of candidate institutions are universities, technical institutes, and similar training / education organisations. 

Institutions may charge students reasonable tuition fees to cover costs.

LDCs will be given priority wherever training institutes can be found with the requisite profile, infrastructure, connectivity and availability of staff.

The project will actively encourage the participation of women. In this respect, the establishment of a women-only Internet Training Center is encouraged. Female instructors will also be encouraged. Special attention will be given those candidate institutions that propose female instructors for this programme.

The project will also promote all kind of partnerships between the selected institutions and the telecommunications sector (operators, ministries, regulators, ISP, etc.) for the benefit of both parties. Institutions will be asked to promote the creation of other Internet Training Centers at local level and to assists them in their functioning.

More information about the curriculum is available at http://www.cisco.com/edu/academies.

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Tensin Tobgyl
Project Coordinator
ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)
E-mail: tensin.tobgyl@itu.int