Cisco Channel Partner Programme

In the new Cisco Channel Certification programme as well as having the three levels of certification (Premier, Silver and Gold) channel Partners are also required to qualify on a number of specialisations to achieve the certifications. Certification level directly reflects Partner’s technology skills breadth across key technologies and Certification is no longer based on a point’s model.  The key points of the programme are:

• Cisco Partners are required to meet specific Specialisation requirements based on their certification level (i.e. Gold, Silver, Premier)
• Specialisation requires a number of individuals to satisfy Job Role requirements (Account Manager (AM), Field Engineer (FE),  Sales Engineer (SE) )
• Job Roles require individuals to pass one or more Certifications and/or Cisco Qualified Specialists (CQS) Exam(s)
• Certifications and CQS's are made up of one or more courses that prepare an individual for one or more exams

Specialisation Levels
To support the certifications there are three specialisation levels:

Express Specialisation:
Two Express Specialisations are available to partners:

• Express Foundation Specialisation provides integrated training in routing and switching, wireless LAN, and security technologies. This training is required for all Premier and Silver Certified Partners.
• Express Unified Communications Specialisation qualifies partners in the area of converged data, voice, and video networking.

Advanced Specialisation: 
Partners can achieve Advanced Specialisation in four technology areas:

• Unified Communications
• Security
• Wireless LAN
• Routing and Switching

The number of specialisations required is determined by the Partners' required level of certification. 

Master Specialisation:
Partners with a highly qualified practice in a given technology can achieve Master Specialisation, regardless of certification level. This enables Partners to deliver more complex and specialised business solutions and provides greater opportunities for differentation.

Master Specialisation is currently only available in two technology areas:

• Unified Communications
• Security

When do the changes happen?

• Channel Partners can apply for, or renew existing qualifications in retiring specialisations until 14 June 2006
• During the first year of the transition (March 2006 to March 2007), certifications will be renewed under the current program, however Channel Partners can achieve new specialisations instead as their retired specialisations expire.
• From October 2006, new Advanced Specialisation discounts will be implemented, allowing six months for Channel Partners to qualify.
• Commencing 1 March 2007 the new certification & specialisation requirements will apply to Channel Partners on the next certification anniversary that falls on or after this date.
• By March 2008 all partners must be fully certified under the new programme.

Cisco Specialisation Training Tool
To help Channel Partners determine the exams and training required by Job Role for the selected specialisation Global Knowledge has developed the Cisco Specialisation online training tool.It’s easy. Simply select your specialisation area and job role and then view your training track with our easy-to-use training tool, visit: