Cisco has introduced an entry-level qualification for engineers wanting qualifications in installing and maintaining its routers.

To qualify as a Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician (CCENT) you will need to pass a five-day course. Cisco said the changes reflected a continuing skills shortage - IDC predicts a 40 per cent gap between demand and supply of networking engineers by 2012.

CCENT is an optional stage on the way to CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate), followed by CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) and CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert). The curriculum in English will be released later today, with other languages to follow after exams in August.

CCNA qualifications have been widened to include more networking topics and more performance-based skills.

Cisco is also "localizing both the curricula and certification exams".

Successful CCNET candidates will be able to configure and verify small-routed and switched networks, use basic security measures and configure IP addresses.

More details from Cisco here.®