Networking Jalisco

Networking Jalisco (NWJ) was a two-year initiative funded by three major Mexican donors: Becalos, Promotora Social Mexico (PSM), and Nacional Monte de Piedad (NMP). NWJ’s objective was to help increase the employability of 1,500 youth in the Jalisco region by training them in competencies relevant to the IT industry.

The initiative worked toward this goal by: 1) Transferring a highly valued curriculum (Cisco CCNA) to teachers and students in select general and technical schools (COBAEJ and CECYTEJ) in Jalisco, 2) Equipping young people with opportunities in formal, well-paid, and professional jobs within the IT industry, and 3) Linking graduates to relevant careers in the IT field.

This project achieved substantial results, including:

• 10 campuses transformed into Cisco Networking Academies with industry standards laboratory equipment (routing and switching) installed
• 8 municipalities in the state of Jalisco reached
• 48 professors trained on specialized IT curricula
• 1,539 young people trained (M=59%; F=41%)
• 82.6% average score for participants
• 55% graduate employment rate achieved