Cisco is undertaking a series of dedicated CSR initiatives designed to help boost the future outlook of young women throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With a focus on equipping female students with Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) skills Cisco is imparting vocational training to prepare them to become members of the global 21st century workforce.

ICT Training for Female Students at KSU

Last week, senior Cisco Executives from around the globe, hosted a group of 20 senior female students from King Saud University ( KSU ) all majoring in IT related disciplines in Cisco's offices in Riyadh in sessions designed to share knowledge, experiences and success stories of female leaders at Cisco. The agenda comprised sessions on how Cisco technology solutions are changing the future; setting goals, planning, and future success as woman in working in a corporate environment. The students also received demos of some of the Cisco solutions before participating in an interactive Q&A session via Cisco TelePresence® with senior women in leadership and technical roles from Cisco's global employee network.

"The ICT sector in Saudi is dynamic, swiftly growing and changing. Societal change and innovation is advancing at about the same pace as people's adoption and use of ICT in everyday life and work. This has created 21st century ICT occupations that are incredibly diverse and include a wide variety of options. We are delighted that Cisco is working with us to help create opportunities and build ICT skills for our female students to be able to seize the growing job opportunities opening up for them in the Kingdom," commented Ms. Aseel Alturki, Instructor at KSU . "In large emerging countries and economies like Saudi Arabia the conventional ICT sector is very much a growth sector, offering employment and income opportunities for skilled and qualified women," Ms. Alturki concluded.

Cisco Supports 'Girls in ICT Day' in Riyadh

Cisco also hosted a 'Girls in ICT' Day last week where 36 female students from secondary schools and universities were invited to spend the day with Cisco Saudi leaders at the Al Faisaliah Hotel to gain an understanding of the opportunities the ICT sector holds for their future and a deeper insight into professional fields and courses of study that may be overlooked when choosing a career.

In 2010, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) members agreed to recognize Girls in ICT Days on the 4th Thursday of every April. Now in its 3rd year, Cisco has been participating in this initiative from the very beginning. Guest speaker was businesswoman Summer Nasief, a senior Director at IBM. Other sessions were delivered via Cisco TelePresence by female and male leaders at Cisco who shared their background and experiences and discussed how they developed their careers to reach leadership positions. The ladies also had the opportunity to test their skills, ask questions, network and get to know Cisco employees in person.

Dr Tarig Enaya, Managing Director, Cisco, Saudi Arabia commented, "Mentoring and training programs aimed at young talented females in the Saudi Arabia are going to be vital to help our young workforce of the future to be able to adapt and secure career opportunities in the global 21st century workforce. The Kingdom's growing youth population needs to be equipped with the right skills to help them thrive in this ever changing world."

"Our goal is to provide talented young women with a sense for how technology can help to widen their opportunities as well as open a window to the world and give them the opportunity to be inspired by role models who are already enjoying career success. This way they will feel more comfortable with technology as a means to advance their career prospects and at the same time. Our activities around the annual Girls in ICT Days, for example, aim to provide a platform for young female students to learn, create bonds, as well as network and share best practices," Enaya concluded.

Increasing ICT Job Opportunities for Women at Cisco

Today, approximately 20 per cent of Cisco's current workforce in Riyadh is female with the company offering a variety of flexible working conditions to suit their varying needs and provide adequate work-life balance.

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Contact Information:
Rose Bambi
Cisco
+44 7770 751107
rbambi@cisco.com

Sharon Robinson
Cisco
+27 21 413 4577
sharobin@cisco.com

Matt Hardwick
Cisco
+44 20 8824 1970
mahardwi@cisco.com