Cisco Announces Workforce Retraining Initiative to Drive Innovation, Economic Growth and Job Opportunities

SAN JOSE, CA, Jul 14 (MARKET WIRE) --
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today launched a new Workforce Retraining Initiative
(WRI) and pilot training program in Michigan that President Barack Obama
lauded in a speech at the Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan.
WRI, built on the Cisco(R) Networking Academy(R), is designed to create
new job opportunities for U.S. workers and support the country's ability
to innovate, compete and prosper.

Key Facts/Highlights

-- Cisco is partnering with community colleges, universities, health care
leaders, workforce development leaders, the medical community, and
certification associations to implement WRI.

-- WRI is tapping into the Cisco Networking Academy, which has an
extensive track record of providing high-quality education in support of
technology-based jobs. The program currently enrolls 128,000 students in
the U.S.

-- The WRI in Michigan will focus on broadband, network security and
health care information technology training -- key components of the
state's strategy for re-invigorating its economy and igniting the job
market and also critical components for economic growth nationwide.

-- In addition to the funds already allocated to the Networking Academy
and educational programs in Michigan, Cisco plans to invest several million
dollars over the next few years to implement WRI in the state.

-- Within one year, the program has the capacity to enroll 5,000 students
in Michigan.

Michigan WRI Pilot Program

-- WRI in Michigan will be available at all 21 community college and
university locations where the Networking Academy curriculum is offered
today. Courses leading to jobs in broadband, network security, and health
care are scheduled to be available this September.

-- WRI in Michigan will also include a new healthcare IT course that
focuses on practice management, electronic health records, telemedicine,
mobility, telephony, and the use and integration of information.

-- The healthcare IT course will be piloted in three Michigan community
colleges and one university initially (Henry Ford Community College,
Oakland Community College, Macomb Community College, and Davenport
University), with some able to enroll students as early as January 2010.

-- For the WRI courses, Cisco will supply the curriculum content, the
infrastructure and the community support for its delivery.

-- Michigan is planning to expand its broadband infrastructure with the
hope of bringing broadband to every corner of the state.

-- Employment opportunities for graduates of the WRI broadband curriculum
may include jobs in cabling support and fiber termination, ISP
installation, help desk installation, and Internet Protocol telephony.

-- Graduates of the WRI network security curriculum could be qualified for
jobs as network security specialists, security administrators and network
security support engineers.

-- According to "The Economic Impact of Health Care in Michigan," a June
2008 report by the Michigan Health and Hospital Association and the
Michigan State Medical Society, health care is Michigan's largest single
source of jobs in the private sector and will be a significant source of
new jobs in the coming years.

-- Graduates of the WRI health care IT curriculum could seek work as
network administrators and electronic health record technicians for
physicians' offices, third-party contractors, hospitals, and application
providers.

Supporting Quote:

-- "Cisco is committed to helping our country address the current economic
challenges by focusing on innovation, new opportunities and jobs," said
John Chambers, Cisco chairman and CEO. "Collaborative technologies will
not only drive the next phase of economic growth for our future, but the
need for a uniquely skilled workforce. We have a strong track record of
successful public-private partnerships that have used technology to
transform communities, cities, countries and individual lives. The
Workforce Retraining Initiative will serve an important role by expanding
training for well-paid, high-demand technology-based jobs."

Supporting Resources:

-- Cisco Networking Academy: http://www.cisco.com/go/netacad

-- Workforce Retraining Initiative:
http://www.workforceretrainingus.com

-- Executive Q&A: CEO John Chambers explains how the company is
partnering with government, nonprofits and educational institutions to
develop job skills programs in broadband infrastructure, network security
and healthcare information technology:
http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2009/ts_071409.html

-- Join the discussion! Technology plays an ever important role in
education and the classroom, but how can it be best utilized for job
training and retraining? Visit PasstheBall.com and help brainstorm
even more great ideas on how technology can help train workers or upgrade
skills. Don't have an idea? Rate or comment on ideas that are already
there: http://passtheball.com/jobtraining.

Technorati Tags: Cisco Workforce Retraining Initiative, Michigan
WRI, Talent Development, Networking, Cisco, Cisco Networking Academy,
WebEx Pass the Ball.

About the Networking Academy

Cisco Networking Academy is an innovative education initiative that
provides students with critical IT and networking skills to design, build,
and maintain the infrastructure highway that both the public and private
sector depend on.

-- Established in 1997 in the United States, the Cisco Networking Academy
has partnered with educational institutions, national, state and local
government, and community-based organizations.

-- The Networking Academy currently serves more than 128,000 students in
more than 2,200 U.S. educational institutions.

-- In total, the Networking Academy reaches more than 750,000 students
each year in more than 165 countries; more than 2,500,000 students have
participated since 1997.

About Cisco Systems

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms
how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco
can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to
http://newsroom.cisco.com.

Cisco, the Cisco logo, Cisco Systems, and Networking Academy are
registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its
affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other
trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their
respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a
partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This
document is Cisco Public Information.

For direct RSS Feeds of all Cisco news, please visit "News@Cisco" at the
following link:

http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/rss.html

Press Relations:
Robyn Jenkins Blum
Cisco
408-853-9848
rojenkin@cisco.com

Investor Relations:
Carol Villazon
Cisco
408-527-6538
carolv@cisco.com

Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

-0-