Building Human Capital in Uganda: Cisco Networking Academy Program

Networked Readiness -- Planning for ICTs in the Developing World

Building Human Capital in Uganda:Cisco Networking Academy Program

Presentation to Reebok Human Rights Foundation

September 20, 2004

By

Tariq MohammedReturned United Nations Volunteer

• The mission

• Program sponsors and beneficiaries

• Challenges / problems

• How we achieved our goals

• Lessons learned

Agenda

Where is Uganda?

• Population: 26.4 million

• Area: 236, 040 sq km

• GDP per capita: US$ 1390

Uganda: Country Overview

Endangered Mountain Gorillas

Least Developed Countries Initiative –Background

• G-8 Summit in July 2000

• Called for new private and public sector efforts

• Bridge the global digital divide

• Cisco Systems invested $3.5 million

•Established Cisco Networking Academy Program in LDCs

• Provide students in LDCs educational opportunities

• Develop human resource capacity

• Create a community of learning

• Enable businesses and governments to compete

• Demonstrate the power of IT for Development

Least Developed Countries Initiative –Goals

• Trains students to design, build and maintain computer networks.

• Delivers: web-based educational content online testingstudent performance tracking hands-on lab

instructor training and support

• Industry certifications: Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)

Cisco Networking Academy Program

Least Developed Countries Partners

Educational Institutions

Governments Students

International DevelopmentOrganizations

Business

Project Tasks

• Implementation

• Operations and Monitoring

• Training and Development

• Information Management

Implementation:Established New Academies

• Researched and identified 10 Academies

• Organized stakeholder workshop

• Developed implementation plans

• Calculated program fees

Uganda: First LDC to offer CCNP

Operations and Monitoring:Academy Management and Maintenance

• Site visits to Regional and Local Academies

• Quality Assurance standards

• Facilitate communication between Academies

Site Visits

Work-Site Tours…to let students see how and where the pros work.

Information Sessions…to promote company, attract top talent.

On-Campus Interviews...to recruit directly from the campus.

Resume Writing and Referral…to share resumes of promising students.

Posting Internship Listings…to assist partners with short term projects.

Networking with Alumni/ae…to develop links with other IT professionals

Workforce DevelopmentProgram

Information Sessions

Work Site Tours

Training and Development:Quality Control

• Conducted training needs assessment

• Designed short business/management course

• Delivered course to instructors and support staff

• Obtained feedback from participants

Basic Business and ManagementTraining Program

• Career Management Plan

• Adding Value as a Team Player

• Strategic Planning

• Verbal and Written Communication Strategies

• Following up On Unfinished Business

• Inspiration, Motivation and Meaning at Work

• Writing Grant Proposals

• Time Management Techniques to Ensure Productivity

• Capturing and Sharing Knowledge

• Embracing Life-Long Learning

Professional Development ofNetworking Academy Staff

Information Management: Data Collection and Maintenance

• Tracked student enrollment

• Maintained graduate database

• Exchanged information on best practices

• Provided weekly/quarterly reports to LDC Initiative Team

Success Stories

• Highest Country Female Enrollment

• Highest Country Enrollment

• Most Graduates, Regional Academy (Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology)

• Highest Enrollment, Local Academy within the LDC Initiative (Institute of Computer Science at Makerere University)

• Job Placement Award (Institute of Computer Science at Makerere University)

5 Awards at Africa Academy Forum

Lessons Learnt

• Patience – don’t expect immediate results

• Persistence – if you don’t succeed try again

• Develop consensus – keep partners involved

• Tact/Follow Through – give reminders for results

• Sensitivity – local expertise vs. global “cut and paste”

Integration

Thank You

Tariq MohammedReturned United Nations Volunteer

tqmohammed@yahoo.com

http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tariq