Nortel Networks South Africa, supported by the company`s UK office, has initiated an extensive training programme to meet future needs for the networking industry. Nortel Networks has appointed international partner IMS Africa to cover the intelligent Internet area and local partner Grintek Telecom for voice network training.
David Fraser, Service Account Manager of Nortel Networks South Africa, explains the company`s commitment to ensuring that world-class training is available for local network engineers.
"The rapid pace of development in network technology creates a demand for ongoing improvements in training. We need to ensure that our people keep up with the latest developments from overseas and apply the technological advances in the local market.
"Ultimately, this supports our own needs for highly qualified engineers as well as the ongoing initiative in both the public and private sectors to maintain the country`s skills base," says Fraser.
Both companies chosen have a long history as Nortel Networks partners in local and overseas markets. Grintek Telecom is a leading provider of voice networks and IMS Africa (Information Management Systems of Atlanta) is a global training partner for Nortel Networks, specialising in Internet networking skills.
Grintek Telecom has developed locally since 1976 to become a leading local company with extensive overseas commitments and IMS Africa established a local office in 1999 and has stated its core values as being focused on providing the skills transfer necessary to keep Africa competitive with the rest of the world.
Grintek Telecom, a division of the Grintek Group, has established expertise in voice technology, data, voice over IP and wireless local loop networks.
"Our strategy is to partner with best of breed international telecommunication equipment suppliers," says Gerard Rebelo, group executive product management at Grintek Telecom, "and Nortel Networks was one of our first partners. We have a proud history in voice telephony networks, based on the Nortel technology and expertise. We made a conscious decision to ensure that the necessary transfer of this expertise occurred. The company`s long involvement with Nortel Networks, has enabled Grintek to offer voice network training at our facilities in Centurion."
IMS Africa has been an international partner of Nortel Networks for many years and the local operation is fully behind initiatives by the government and the ICT industry in general to support skills training. "Our focus on high-speed, switched Internet networks means that IMS addresses all the needs of IT professionals, network and systems engineers in areas of advanced technology which are continuously developing," says Kenneth Jones, IMS Africa.
"The company has a systematic approach which is based on years of experience, as well as the flexibility to offer its globally recognised training in either traditional or Web-based courses. IMS also offers combinations of the two approaches to suit the needs of its clients," says Jones.
Fraser concludes: "We are certain that the new arrangement will achieve our goals of providing the best training in the latest systems, with equal benefits for Nortel networks, its customers and the industry as a whole."
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Nortel Networks is an industry leader and innovator focused on transforming how the world communicates and exchanges information. The company is supplying its service provider and enterprise customers with communications technology and infrastructure to enable value-added IP data, voice and multimedia services spanning wireless networks, wireline networks, enterprise networks and optical networks. As a global Company, Nortel Networks does business in more than 150 countries. More information about Nortel Networks can be found on the Web at www.nortelnetworks.com.
IMS Africa
IMS Africa will provide the training to SITA and arivia.kom network engineers, managers and end users in the technical and productivity implementation of this new consolidated virtual private network.
IMS Africa is committed to empowerment and skills transfer and will be using this opportunity to subsidise three previously disadvantaged individuals who will join the SITA group of engineers in the training programme. All these engineers will be qualified NNCSS for the passport product line after their training programme.
Grintek Telecom
Grintek Telecom, a division of JSE-listed Grintek Ltd, is one of SA`s leading empowerment IT and telecommunications solutions and integration companies. Grintek Telecom provides tailored and innovative IT solutions from initial project and business requirement consulting, through to implementation, integration and ongoing support.
The company`s telecommunications solutions have been implemented in more than 500 top South African companies and it provides solutions, services and maintenance in 23 African countries. Over 24 international vendors have selected Grintek Telecom as their local service provider and partner.
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