Cisco, the hero behind the scenes who helps turn good thoughts into good deeds

People often have good intentions in their hearts, but they always face various obstacles in the process of turning good intentions into good deeds: lack of technology, insufficient scale, lack of support, etc.

This is where Cisco comes in. Corporate social responsibility is an important part of Cisco's corporate culture and global business strategy. Cisco inspires innovation through products, solutions and expertise, builds connections between people, technology and opportunities, collaborates with our customers, promotes solutions to global issues, and turns more and more good intentions into good deeds, benefiting humanity, society and the environment.

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When it comes to connectivity, Cisco has an unparalleled advantage and has been committed to empowering global problem solvers through its world-leading technological strength, deep accumulation of connectivity, and unique insights, thereby removing many obstacles in the process of turning good intentions into good deeds.

Cisco empowers future global problem solvers through professional technical training, helping them improve their personal abilities, seek employment opportunities, create career development, and build connections between people and opportunities. Just as doing good cannot be done by one person alone, but requires the efforts of many people, Cisco builds connections between people through products and solutions, making communication between global problem solvers and those being helped more convenient. In public welfare, technology will be transformed into a powerful resource advantage. With the support of Cisco, people and technology are connected to each other, and the influence of global problem solvers can be continuously expanded. In the Internet era, Cisco is committed to the integration and connection between technologies, providing collaborative services for global problem solvers, and making more good intentions more efficient.

As Cisco's largest and longest-running corporate social responsibility program, Cisco Networking Academy provides IT-related skills and career training by combining effective classroom learning with innovative cloud computing-based courses and teaching tools. Cisco Networking Academy provides more than 1 million students with cutting-edge technologies such as network technology, security, and the Internet of Things each year, and has trained nearly 8 million graduates to date. 70% of students who pass the CCNA certification have found new jobs or new opportunities for career development. By the end of fiscal year 2017, Cisco's equivalent education investment (networking academy courses, teacher training, teaching platforms, laboratories, etc.) for global network academies reached US$2.6 billion, helping 180 countries around the world solve the talent problem of economic development.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Cisco Networking Academy in China. Currently, Cisco has nearly 500 active Networking Academy in China, covering all provinces in the country, providing training for thousands of teachers, and teaching students the most cutting-edge knowledge and practical IT courses, aiming to cultivate global problem-solving experts for China. In China, more than 60,000 students study in Cisco Networking Academy every year, and a total of more than 360,000 students have been trained.

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Chen Liangliang is just one of the more than 360,000 students. Through his hard work at Cisco Networking Academy, he has transformed from a rural teenager to a professional IT practitioner, and through his own efforts, he has bought a car and property for his parents and family. Chen Liangliang admits that the skills he acquired at Cisco Networking Academy not only helped him find a job and changed his life trajectory, but also enabled him to provide a better living environment for his wife and children, and to repay his parents' kindness as soon as possible. (For more details about Chen Liangliang's personal story, please visit the Cisco Networking Academy website.)

In recent years, Cisco and the Ministry of Education have jointly promoted the planning and implementation of multiple projects, including the university computer public basic course reform project, the industry-university cooperation collaborative education project, and the innovation and entrepreneurship project. Focusing on deepening cooperation with Chinese universities, Cisco is committed to cultivating innovative and entrepreneurial talents and technical and skilled talents that are urgently needed to serve China's economic and social development, in order to support the implementation of national strategies such as "Internet+", "Made in China 2025", and "One Belt, One Road". In June 2017, Cisco and the Ministry of Education jointly signed a memorandum of cooperation on the cultivation of digital innovative talents in Beijing. Cisco plans to invest about RMB 500 million in courses, teacher training, teaching software, teaching platforms, and hardware laboratories in China's education in the next three years, and cultivate up to 400,000 digital innovative talents.

Going the right way does not take one day. In the future, Cisco will continue to uphold its firm commitment to China, work with customers and partners, and make continuous efforts in giving back to society, promoting industry innovation, digital transformation and sustainable development through continuous business innovation, so as to contribute to the further development of society, economy and environment.