First batch of students in Global Talent Acceleration Programme graduates from Cisco's Delhi Academy

New Delhi, May 20 (ANI/Business Wire India): Cisco today announced that the first cohort of students has graduated from the Global Talent Acceleration Programme (GTAP) Academy in New Delhi.

The programme, launched last year in India, aims to develop homegrown technical skills and popularise career certifications, thereby bridging the gap between demand and supply for industry-ready professionals in the networking industry.

The GTAP Academy in New Delhi is operated jointly by Cisco and business partners Aricent and HCL. There are nine associate Customer Support Engineer (CSE) delegates graduating in the first Delhi cohort.

GTAP has particular relevance in India, where demand for networking skills could require an additional 118,000 professionals by 2009, according to a 2004-2009 IDC report on global skills.

Designed to be sustainable, delegates receive a salary and go through training programmes in relatively small groups. This enables GTAP to put a strong emphasis on technical and professional training, mentorship and on-the-job training.

John Livingston, GTAP programme lead at Cisco, said, "In addition to in-depth product and technical knowledge, engineers also require sophisticated management and communications skills.

Cisco's Global Talent Acceleration Programme has been specifically designed to cater to this need and support the future growth of Cisco service delivery in developing markets such as India, the Gulf Region, South Africa and Latin America. Our investment in this programme is aimed at bringing about a climate of confidence for businesses and governments in these markets to commit to major new projects".

Initiated in 2007, GTAP works towards accelerating business development and growth opportunities for Cisco and its partners in emerging economies where technical resources are known to be scarce. GTAP trains associate and experienced professionals as network consulting engineers, project managers, customer support engineers, system engineers, and account managers, who subsequently can be absorbed into the professional workforce at Cisco, its partners, and the wider industry.

Globally, Cisco has established GTAP academies in Amman, Jordan, and Johannesburg, South Africa, as well as in Bangalore and New Delhi in India. (ANI)