From classroom to profession: Ghana’s new gateway to tech success

At Cisco, we care deeply about innovation and sensible effectiveness. When responding to social challenges, we wish to be a part of options that work—and that always means drawing nimbly, as one Cisco, from our complete organizational toolset, no matter division or area throughout the firm.

By listening to our nonprofit collaborators after which choosing from our suite of confirmed interventions as we assemble a personalized help package deal, we will empower our social impression companions to assist extra folks, extra effectively, in a extra sustainable means. We search for measurable outcomes, and we like to see our grantees utilizing expertise to alter extra lives for the higher.

Uplifting communities by digital skilling

The Chorkor Digital Lab, a venture run by Cisco social impression accomplice BASICS Worldwide, exemplifies our integrative and results-oriented strategy. BASICS gives training, meals, and healthcare for youngsters in the neighborhood of Chorkor and surrounding areas in Ghana, West Africa—serving to complete communities rise out of poverty. Their new lab is making ready previously underserved college students for dynamic careers in cybersecurity, networking, and extra. Supported by Cisco Networking Academy in addition to our Expertise Grant Program, the lab provides a hub for studying, collaboration, and creativity, the place college students study cutting-edge abilities that can assist them flourish within the digital economic system.

Find out how college students in Ghana put together for thrilling tech careers on the Chorkor Digital Lab.

BASICS Worldwide CEO and founder Patricia Wilkins notes that Chorkor’s fame as arduous to assist was precisely what impressed her to dive in and start unlocking the potential of the neighborhood. “We at all times felt we wanted to provide kids entry to expertise,” she mentioned. “After we discovered about Cisco’s program, the place they meet college students the place they’re, and provides them the technical abilities and pc abilities that they want, we received on board.”

Sharing Cisco’s trusted curriculum and expertise

Wilkins additionally manages the BASICS Cisco Academy, guaranteeing that college students get full entry to Cisco’s trusted curriculum as they work in direction of the certifications that can unlock higher jobs and futures upon commencement. Cisco Networking Academy is a world, IT skills-to-jobs program, providing digital abilities coaching to arrange college students for industry-standard certifications and careers in networking, cybersecurity, and associated fields.

“For over twenty years, BASICS Worldwide has believed in supporting the entire youngster—combining training, diet, mentorship, and life abilities to assist younger folks thrive and lead change of their communities.” —Patricia Wilkins, CEO and founder, BASICS Worldwide

Cisco’s Expertise Grant Program gives our personal expertise to qualifying nonprofit organizations to assist them notice vital positive factors in productiveness, safety, scalability, and price effectivity. For the Chorkor Lab, a Expertise Grant was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the Networking Academy.

Patrick Verret, who managed the expertise grant, explains, “We helped them set up a safe and steady community for college students to entry Cisco Networking Academy, make the most of different on-line studying supplies, and collaborate with others throughout the web. Because of our Meraki firewalls, switches, and entry factors, college students can hook up with the community all through the constructing, through each wired and wi-fi connections.”

Dreaming of—and dealing in direction of—careers in tech

Already, the Lab is altering lives. “I needed to do pc science, however I couldn’t get an opportunity to do it, as a result of the charges that you need to pay are very excessive. It has been my dream for therefore lengthy,” mentioned scholar Joyce Banahene, who’s aiming to search out work as a community engineer when she completes her certification.

Additionally feeling impressed, scholar Pleasure Adevu famous, “I’ll be working in any tech firm. In all probability Cisco, Apple, Samsung—any of them!”

Associated hyperlinks

Share: