This post was written by guest blogger Emma Reid, marketing manager for Cisco's Social Innovation Group, Asia-Pacific region 

Today's Cisco Networking Academy students will become tomorrow's IT professionals, using technology in innovative ways to solve social problems around the world.

On Tuesday, about 500 of those students will attend Cisco Live in Melbourne, Australia, where they'll have the opportunity to network with and learn from industry professionals as part of the Find Yourself in the Future Summit.

We want to inspire and encourage our Cisco Networking Academy students to understand and embrace the technology that will shape our future and advance economies across the Asia Pacific region.

Right now, local companies here in Australia are finding it difficult to recruit the technical professionals they need to be successful in today's ever-changing business environment. These careers fuel the local and global economies, and Cisco Networking Academy students have the combination of technical and soft skills to thrive and create social change.

At Cisco Live, they'll have the chance to meet cool people - technology professionals who have helped build communities and transform nations around the world. Through the power of technology, these guest speakers are working to find solutions for climate change, health care, critical human needs, disappearing habitats, and other social issues.

The students will also learn about technology trends. You only need to look around to see how much technology has improved our lives in the last ten years. The growing connection of people, processes, data, and things to the Internet is opening up opportunities for local companies -opportunities to build smart cities and take advantage of the explosion of data.

In addition, 10 university students will get some hands-on experience shadowing members of Cisco's IT, security, and experience marketing teams, and filming and managing Social Media for Student Summit.

A few of the guest speakers and session highlights:

• Semra Barutchu, Australian Vice President, Senior Practice Engagement Manager, Infosys, will tell the students which technologies will create new opportunities in the world and what skills they'll need to succeed in the connected economy.
• Bonnie Shaw, Head of Digital and Community, The Foundation of Young Australians, will share how students can turn their innovative networking ideas into start-up companies.
• Mark Phillips, Marketing Manager -Africa and Oceania, National Instruments, will demonstrate the importance of robotics and how they can be used to improve business practices.

Cisco Networking Academy students will have exciting and rewarding careers as future technology professionals. We look forward to meeting them in Melbourne and giving them ideas and inspiration for their careers in IT. We are counting on them to keep Australia and other countries competitive in our connected world.

Session recordings and presentations from theFind Yourself in the Future Summitwill be available after March 20.