President Bensaid and Finatech Chairman and CEO Omar Lataoui, AUI Alumni GE 1999 and Masters CS 2000, launch an innovative program to accelerate the technical skills of SSE students seeking advanced careers in networks and systems integration.
CEO Lataoui explained "I remember my days at AUI. I was a student 28 years ago in Dr. Bensaid's Fortran class. He inspired me to pursue my career in technology. Today, I am honored to lead Finatech in Casablanca, a leading innovator in IT Systems integration. We are glad to offer the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) program so that AUI's engineers can continue to be Top Of Class in the Moroccan and global markets."
The CCIE certification exists around the globe but is rare in Morocco with only few engineers currently known as achieving this high level of expertise. This program will require two years of CISCO courses and exams, plus six to nine months of hands-on practical experience at Finatech.
Finatech will sponsor 2 AUI Sophomore Engineers to begin the program in January 2024, covering all CISCO costs and expenses related to taking the written online exam, as well as the Lab exam in Brussels, Belgium, in 2026.
As a co-curricular program, students complete the CCIE certification in 2 phases while completing their bachelors degree in engineering:
Phase I - Complete three semesters of CISCO online training, in tandem with completing the junior and senior year of AUI's undergraduate classes. Students will be supervised by experts from Finatech and will be offered the possibility to join the Finatech co-op to work in Casa during the student's winter and summer breaks gaining practical, hands-on experience with the network methods of CISCO. Students will have to pass the written CCIE online exam to move on to phase 2.
Phase II - Complete the SSE Capstone-Internship at Finatech applying the CISCO methods to a real life problematic, in preparation for the final CCIE Lab exam.
Upon completion of AUI's Bachelors program and passing the CISCO CCIE Lab exam, graduates are awarded the coveted CCIE certification and receive a guaranteed job offer from Finatech at the market rate for CCIE, estimated to be at least two times more than the base salary of bachelors' engineers.
This innovative AUI-Finatech CISCO CCIE program launches this month at SSE with a call for applications from all Sophomore SSE students who want to pursue the CCIE certification. The Office of E+E Chair Deborah Bartlett will lead the application and selection process with SSE Dean Salah Al Majeed. Information sessions will launch beginning next week to communicate program details to all eligible students with Finatech and CISCO managers online to answer detailed questions from students. The selection process will conclude in late December with two chosen engineers announced in January 2024.