Cisco has announced its goal to provide digital skills training to 25 million learners globally over the next ten years through its Cisco Networking Academy programme.
By 2025, 97 million new jobs will be created due to advances in technology and automation. Cisco is helping millions of people around the globe gain access to those jobs by empowering the workforce of the future with education and career opportunities through its Networking Academy.
Founded in 1997, Cisco Networking Academy is celebrating its 25th anniversary and continues to be one of the longest-standing IT skills-to-jobs programmes in the world. Cisco Networking Academy provides high-quality IT courses, learning simulators and hands-on learning opportunities via a learning platform to support instructors and engage learners in 190 countries.
To date, over 17.5 million global learners have taken Cisco Networking Academy courses to gain digital skills. Additionally, 95% of students that have taken Cisco certification-aligned courses have attributed obtaining a job or education opportunity to Cisco Networking Academy.
Cisco Networking Academy’s impact across the Middle East and Africa
Since the introduction of Cisco Networking Academy in the Middle East and Africa, more than 2.68 million students have been trained and upskilled, of which 33% are female. Out of the top 10 countries for female participation globally since the programme’s inception, six are located within the Middle East and Africa.
During Cisco’s 2022 fiscal year alone, more than 706,000 students were enrolled in Cisco Networking Academy courses across 67 countries in the region. These students were supported by approximately 4,500 instructors, working across 1,770 academies in the Middle East and Africa.
Reem Asaad, Vice President, of Cisco Middle East and Africa, said: “We are very proud of Cisco Networking Academy’s achievements in the region, which would not have been possible without the support of the academies and instructors. Across the region, students have demonstrated their enthusiasm to gain IT skills and benefit from such lifelong learning opportunities to get prepared for the future of work.
“As the pace of digitisation accelerates across the Middle East and Africa, we’re constantly working with national leadership, industry and academia to expand Cisco Networking Academy’s reach to upskill future generations and unlock the full potential of the region.”
As Cisco Networking Academy continues to grow and promote new training and education opportunities, it will leverage the latest programmes and partnerships that are essential in building necessary digital skills and an inclusive future, including:
- The recent launch of Skills for All, a free, mobile-first programme that delivers leading-edge learning experiences, including self-paced courses, interactive tools and career resources that are designed by industry experts
- A new cybersecurity learning pathway culminating in an entry-level certification to provide learners with skills to earn entry-level security jobs in the fast-growing security industry sector
- Continued development of partnerships with governments such as Cisco’s commitment at the National Cyber Workforce and Education Summit in July 2022 to train an additional 200,000 students in the US over the next three years; as well as partnerships with non-profits and academic institutions to bring more courses and opportunities to learners around the world