2007 Corporate Citizenship Awards:
International Community Service Award

Winner: Cisco

KPMG Foundation's Bernie Milano (l.) and Fairmount Minerals'
Chuck Fowler (r.) presented the award to Scott Blacklin, Cisco.

Cisco is being recognized for its partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations Development Program, and the United Nations Volunteers to promote socioeconomic development through the Least-Developed Countries initiative (LDCi).

LDCi leverages the Cisco Networking Academy® program to help bridge the divide and promote development through greater access to education. The program uses a blended online and classroom learning model to deliver training opportunities in networking and IT.

As one of the first public-private partnerships of its kind, this initiative provides an example of how businesses, international organizations, and governments can work together to meet the urgent needs of least-developed countries, promote digital opportunities, encourage female inclusion in the IT industry, and contribute to the advancement of developing nations.

Cisco donates the curricula, e-learning infrastructure, and lab equipment, while USAID, UNDP, and ITU provided funding for instructor training and support. Through the partnership with UNV, volunteers have been trained to promote female recruitment and sustainable practices within the program.

The LDCi partners also developed the PLAN-IT Toolkits for Sustainability that provide resources in the areas of financial sustainability, workforce development, and gender inclusion to encourage the long-term success of academies in developing nations.

Evaluation results show that the Cisco Networking Academy is having a strong, positive impact on LDCs by supporting the development of IT career skills, improving job opportunities, promoting self-confidence among women who are entering the IT field, and raising the overall education level within LDC communities.

Due to the emphasis on gender inclusion, the average female participation rate is 29% in LDC academies, which far exceeds the global average of 17%.

Nearly two-thirds of the students who participated in the survey reported that they found jobs after completing the program, and three-fourths of those employed obtained jobs that require networking skills. More than one in 10 students who were surveyed also started their own businesses after completing Networking Academy courses.