Learning and digital skills
We're providing global and inclusive access for all people to participate in the evolving digital workforce.
We're providing global and inclusive access for all people to participate in the evolving digital workforce.
Cisco Networking Academy is one of the longest-standing IT skills-to-jobs programs in the world. We aim to transform the lives of learners, educators, and communities through the power of technology, education, and career opportunities to power an inclusive future for all. We work to bridge digital divides for underrepresented communities, opening them up to a world of opportunities in the evolving digital economy.
Cisco Networking Academy’s impact is the result of collaboration with our unmatched ecosystem of partnerships, including governments, academic institutions, and nonprofits. In honor of our 25th anniversary, we set a ten year goal to provide digital and cybersecurity skills training to an additional 25 million people by the end of fiscal 2032, with regional targets around the world. Examples of our goals for Cisco fiscal years (noted below) include:
We’re proud to have reached over 20 million learners around the world who have participated in Cisco Networking Academy courses since 1997 through one of our academies or directly through Skills for All. Our emphasis on providing equitable access to education and inclusive workforce development has led to women representing 27 percent of students since the program began. Additionally, 187,500 students have declared a disability since self-reporting began in fiscal 2019.
Our students tell the story best. Between fiscal 2005 (when exit surveys began) and fiscal 2023, the program helped 3.57 million students who participated in Cisco career certification or IT Essentials courses obtain a new job. Among students who participated in Cisco certification coursework, 95 percent obtained a job and/or educational opportunity, according to these same surveys.
Career resources from the Cisco Talent Bridge program are a powerful way to connect learners to jobs globally, preparing them no matter where they are on their journey with resources like:
We also introduced a new category of courses focused on Professional Skills. These practical, interactive courses complement technical training and equip learners with essential interpersonal skills for success in the workplace. Learners can earn a digital badge to showcase their skills on their resume and online profile and validate their skills to employers.
“This would not have been possible if I had not decided to upskill and I will always be thankful to Cisco Networking Academy, to my faculties for their guidance and to EdCreateFoundation.”
-Kishan,
Java Developer and Cisco Networking Academy Alum, West Bengal, India
Partnerships with governments, academic institutions, NGOs, and other organizations make the Cisco Networking Academy program possible. We continue to grow this network. Some of our academies support underrepresented communities, including women, rural populations, people with disabilities, veterans, and persons within the justice system. Our ecosystem of partners helps to grow skilled workforces to power a competitive digital economy. To help ensure inclusive access, Cisco Networking Academy’s curriculum and tools are free to eligible education partners.
For example, we signed a memorandum of understanding in 2019 with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for Digital Transformation Centers to train underserved communities with digital skills. See more on our global impact.
Skilled and passionate instructors are essential to Cisco Networking Academy’s success. We offer comprehensive professional development and training for our instructors throughout the year. The Instructor Professional Development program is designed to help ensure our instructor community is well-trained on the latest Cisco Networking Academy curriculum while being up-to-speed with the most relevant technological advancements in areas such as networking and automation, cybersecurity, data science, and programming. Instructors have access to a variety of communities within Cisco where they interact directly and share insights with product teams and peer experts. Additionally, feedback from instructors on program direction and enhancements is collected through surveys and instructor advisory boards around the world. This data collection also helps us understand the impact of Cisco Networking Academy on instructors’ lives and careers.
1 Based on Instructor Survey participants in fiscal 2023 who were actively teaching
“I recommend Cisco’s networking fundamentals training to anyone who wants to work in the field of IT, and CCNA Routing and Switching and Cisco security training to those who want to work in the field of networking or cybersecurity.”
- Cihat Emlik, SOC Continuous Security Monitoring Team Leader and Cyber Security Incident Responder, Bachelor of Management Information Systems, Master of Computer Forensics, Cisco Networking Academy Instructor, Turkey
Our technology and education experts design skills-to-jobs curriculum and experiences to support people on their learning journeys, from curiosity through career development. We continue to innovate to keep our curriculum relevant as industry needs evolve and learning technology enables new ways to facilitate effective learning.
As a leader in technology, Cisco brings our industry expertise in areas like networking and automation, cybersecurity, data science, and programming to develop high-quality learning backed by learning science. Courses are developed with the end in mind: the skills to get jobs. We translate those skills into learning objectives and then build purpose-driven, practice-oriented courses aligned to industry-recognized certifications to prepare learners with transferable, vendor-neutral skills. For example, learners get practical experience through leading-edge remote and hands-on learning with physical equipment and the powerful network simulation tool Cisco Packet Tracer.
The program is available to a range of learners—from young adult to lifelong learner—including those pursuing higher education, seeking a new career path, or wanting to gain tech skills. It is delivered through universities, colleges, high schools, NGOs, governments, and directly to learners through our education platforms, allowing the program to reach diverse learners in 190 countries. With 34.5 percent of our 3.7 million participants in fiscal 2023 from the Americas, 28 percent from APJC, and 37.5 percent from EMEA, Cisco Networking Academy is making major strides to help address the global technology skills gap. The program is:
“Our Cisco Networking Academy global partner system creates unmatched breadth and depth to reach millions of learners who might not otherwise have access to technology education. The combination of our partners’ reach, resources, and proximity to students is a unique and powerful approach to powering an inclusive future for all.”
- Laura Quintana, Vice President and
General Manager,
Cisco Networking Academy
We continue our innovation on Skills for All with Cisco Networking Academy, a free learning platform scaling access to education with mobile-first design. Our mission is to empower people worldwide with career possibilities. Skills for All makes learning more broadly accessible and relevant for new types of learners, new approaches to learning, and new types of education partners. It is now available in five languages: Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
The educator experience now provides class management features, a learner adaptive assessment tool (My Knowledge Check), and a Resource Library to equip instructors with supplemental tools, files, and resources. And Academies have more flexible course delivery options, including self-paced and instructor-led options for many courses, to support in-person, remote, and hybrid learning.
As part of Cisco’s purpose to power an inclusive future for all, Cisco Networking Academy strives to broaden web accessibility. Our design vision is that all students should be able to access all web content, and we continue to make enhancements across Skills for All that align with the standards of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
As a part of Cisco Networking Academy, Skills for All also provides connections to entry-level jobs and comprehensive career resources through Cisco Talent Bridge.
The Women Rock-IT program encourages girls and women to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM). It highlights the various opportunities that technology careers can offer, particularly in shaping a young person’s future. Established in 2014, the program has reached a global audience of over 2 million people, featuring 156 female speakers, 91 live TV broadcasts, and 78 blogs. As a result, more than 974,000 people have enrolled in a Cisco Networking Academy course.