Getting started in information and communication technology (ICT) can be challenging. Entry-level jobs in today’s economy are scarce, but certified ICT candidates have a leg up on the competition. With that in mind, Cisco has partnered with educational programs in 165 countries to create the Cisco Networking Academy.
Cisco Networking Academy Overview
The Cisco Academy works with learning institutions, non-profits, nongovernmental organizations, governments, and community centers to create what they call “the world’s largest classroom.” These entities provide classroom space, computer lab equipment, and qualified instructors, while Cisco provides online curricula, teacher training and career development for instructors. The result is an environment where more than a million students worldwide can get the hands-on experience and professional certification needed for entry-level jobs in the information and communication technology industry. Students can also use their experience at the academy as additional training and education for a career they already have.
Created to address the shortage of human resources needed to design, build, and maintain communications infrastructure in an ever-expanding global economy, the Cisco Networking Academy provides business and, at times, even life saving, solutions to the increasing demand for network communication, particularly in emerging countries, where such networks aid in economic growth and development.
Graduates of the Cisco Academy will not only leave their respective institutions with the information and communication technology expertise industries demand, but also the skills we all need to build a successful career. Problem solving, collaboration, critical thinking; Cisco Academy graduates will possess all these things, giving them an edge with prospective, and existing, employers.
Since its establishment in 1997, the Cisco Networking Academy has prepared over four million students for information and communication technology careers in industries of every size and focus. Some graduates have even coupled the skills they developed at the Cisco Academy with their own entrepreneurial drive and used them as a springboard to start their own businesses and create new jobs.
Cisco takes its corporate responsibility to benefit people, and the planet, with its operations and methods seriously. The Cisco Networking Academy is a realization of that responsibility. It is a conduit to empowerment not only for those who attend its classes and gain the skills they provide, but also to the communities around its graduates, who are brought closer together and made stronger as a result.
