The Cisco Networking Academy, a partnership with schools around the world, announced last week a new CCNA security course to help students prepare for the Cisco IOS Network Security exam. This exam (number 640-553) is intended to help students authenticate the skills they need to be a network security specialist, or to function in a similar role.

According to the press release:

"Security and risk-management skills are among the most sought-after skills in networking, and global demand continues to grow. Organizations around the world are experiencing a shortage of qualified ICT (information and communications technology) candidates with the specialized knowledge and skills needed to administer devices and applications in a highly secure infrastructure, to recognize network vulnerabilities, and to mitigate security threats."

More information can be found here.