Normally in IT you can get hired if you have experience and your 4 year degree was in PE or anything non-IT related.
My advice - If he's looking at Cisco he's going to need to get certified, CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) and CCNP (Professional) are two of the certifications (There's one more that I can't think of off-hand, I think it's CCND).
Also advise to get knowledge in UNIX, most people who jump into the IT field go after the obvious (Microsoft - MCSE). Problem there is everyone and their mother is certified for Microsoft and thus the market is saturated.
Final advice - tell him to expect little at first and be happy with it, what he really needs is the resume building-experience that'll land him a nice jump in his next job.