Cisco selects India as launch pad for global talent acceleration program in Asia pacific
16 Oct 2008, 1859 Hrs

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New Delhi, October 16 (ANI/Business Wire India): Cisco today announced the launch of its global talent acceleration program in Bangalore.

GTAP is a long-term Cisco(r) initiative aimed at creating Cisco's next-generation local engineering and sales talent in India and other emerging countries.

India is the third country to be selected for the Cisco GTAP initiative, following the establishment of facilities in Amman, Jordan, and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Through the GTAP in India, Cisco plans to train Indian engineering students at the CCIE(r) level, the highest stage professional certification offered by Cisco. Cisco Learning Solutions Partners, Datacraft, Fast Lane Global Knowledge, and NIIT will act as Cisco's initial primary partner delivery organizations in India.

"India, which is at the centre of Cisco's globalisation strategy, is experiencing tremendous growth, and the demand for technical talent undoubtedly exceeds supply. The development of a sustainable talent pipeline, with market-ready skills, is imperative to sustain momentum," said Leo Scrivner, vice president of human resources for Cisco Services and the Globalisation Centre East.

"The launch of the Global Talent Acceleration Program in India reiterates our commitment to both incubating skills and developing our top talent here that will respond to the market needs immediately," he added.

GTAP is designed as a rigorous 37-week program that combines classroom training, industry exposure and hands-on experience. The program offers two tracks: Professional, aimed at students with three to five years' experience, and Associate, for fresh graduates. Initially, these students will be recruited for work at Cisco's Bangalore Technical Assistance Centre as well as Cisco's Bangalore Advanced Services Worldwide Service Provider practices organization

According to a Cisco commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting, there is a pervasive need for specialized networking skills. In fact, 36 percent of the global companies surveyed reported that they have dedicated wireless specialists in their IT departments, a number that will almost double in the next five years.

Dedicated network security specialists were found in 46 percent of the companies surveyed, and that role is expected to increase to 80 percent in five years. Additionally, 69 percent of the companies surveyed expect to have a dedicated voice specialist in their IT departments within five years, up from 40 percent currently. The survey respondents also cited the importance of certifications in their own professional development.

According to John Livingston, director of, Business Development at Cisco, who is spearheading the global initiative, "The Global Talent Acceleration Program is a core part of Cisco's strategy to create and develop local talent networks. GTAP is a profoundly sustainable program, with a strong emphasis on technical and professional training, mentorship and on-the-job training. The skills that GTAP provides to its graduates contribute to the local knowledge infrastructures that are critical for accelerating and sustaining economic growth." (ANI)

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