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The Southwestern Illinois College Cisco Networking Academy was honored in July 2008 with the national award for Excellence In The Category of RELEVANCE by Cisco.
SWIC was one of only two academies nationwide to be honored at the Cisco U.S. Academy Recognition Awards program. Cisco identifies relevance as one of the components for a successful Cisco Networking Academy.
The award bestowed on the SWIC academy is defined on the Cisco Web site. “Relevance measures the extent to which education supports the career aspirations of students. In this category, instructors and academies recognize the connection between classroom learning and the skills students will need to succeed in IT and networking careers."
Matt Swinford, SWIC Network Design and Administration program coordinator, explained that the academy takes career aspirations seriously.
“In the past few years, SWIC has made significant improvements in its Network Academy,” he said. “To teach students about careers in the ‘real world’, students take field trips to a variety of businesses that employ Cisco-certified technicians. In addition, guest speakers visit the classroom to discuss future career opportunities, and as part of the academy, the college's Career Activities and Employment Center conducts workshops on resumes, interviews and other related skills.”
Providing hands-on experience through internships is another aspect of the program that helps students in the SWIC Cisco Networking Academy gain employment, Swinford explained.
“A substantial number of these internship locations regularly hire students for entry-level positions upon, or prior to, graduation,” he said.
RELEVANCE AWARD– Network Design and Administration Program Coordinator Matt Swinford receiving the national award for Excellence In The Category of RELEVANCE from Amy Christen,
Vice President of Cisco Networking Academy and Corporate Affairs Operations.