Cisco, a worldwide leader in technology, announced that it aims to train 6.7 million people in Asia-Pacific in digital and cybersecurity skills over the next 10 years. The skills will be imparted through its Cisco Networking Academy.
The number of people to be trained in the Asia-Pacific region are part of Cisco’s aim to train 25 million students worldwide over the next 10 years through the Networking Academy, a flagship program that is celebrating its 25th anniversary globally this year.
In the Philippines, Cisco’s Networking Academy has onboarded over 557,000 students since its inception in 1998. It has also provided a clear skills-to-job pathway for learners. Since 2005, 98% of Networking Academy students were able to land employment and/or educational opportunities after completing their training.
The speed of technology innovation, and scale of its adoption, has accelerated immensely in recent years. Technology is deeply now ingrained in how we live, work, and interact with one another. This has enabled many digital-first experiences and opened new areas of growth. At the same time, it has also resulted in growing demand for digitally skilled talent at almost every level of organizations across Asia-Pacific, echoing a trend seen across the world.
A report by Oxford Economics and Cisco found that the productivity gains from adoption of AI-enabled technologies will displace 28 million jobs in ASEAN by 2028[1]. While the competing effects of job displacement and creation will offset each other, many jobs are likely to be created in areas which mean that talent in the region including the Philippines will have to adapt their skills and forge a new career path to remain productively employed in the labor market.
In the race to digitalize, not all companies are keeping pace, with 14% of SMBs in the Philippines identifying talent scarcity as one of their barriers to digitalization. Cisco aspires to help millions of people around the world to access those jobs by empowering the workforce of the future with educational and career-oriented opportunities through Networking Academy.
“Digital transformation and technology adoption are transforming economies across the globe. For countries and businesses to fully harness the opportunities that are being created, they need a workforce with adequate skills. As such, building a local pool of next-generation talent is critical to long-term social inclusion and economic resilience,” said Guy Diedrich, SVP and Chief Innovation Officer, Cisco.
“To achieve this, it takes an entire ecosystem working together in lockstep. At Cisco, we are proud of the role that we have been playing with our unmatched network of partners. Through Cisco Networking Academy we have helped transform the lives of 17.5 million students over the past 25 years by leveraging the power of education and technology. Through our courses, learning paths, network of employers, and partnerships with government, academic, and industry leaders, we are not only helping train the workforce of the future, but also empowering the most disadvantaged and underrepresented to level the playing field,” he added.
Building bridges to career opportunities and transforming lives
Cisco Networking Academy is one of the world’s longest running skills-to-jobs program of its kind, offering technology education through strong public-private partnerships, a high-quality curriculum, and inclusive workforce development programs.
Globally, the program has reached 17.5 million students across 190 countries. Since starting operations in Asia-Pacific, the program has spread to 34 markets and trained nearly 4.5 million students through 1,950 partnerships with institutes of higher learning and organizations offering Networking Academy courses. In the Philippines, it has partnered with 125 partner organizations in to offer training under the program.
In partnership with educational institutions, government leadership, and community-based organizations around the world, Cisco Networking Academy leverages Cisco’s industry expertise to deliver information and communications technology (ICT), cloud-based curriculum, and tools, focused on technologies shaping the future such as security, networking, collaboration, and Internet of Things (IoT). Courses are designed with a learning science foundation, integrated with gamification, assessments, and problem-solving to support learner success.
Supporting a continuum of learning, from curiosity to careers, courses align to industry-recognized certifications and prepare learners with transferable, vendor-neutral, job-ready skills. Over the years, 97 percent of students surveyed in the region who took Cisco certification-aligned courses obtained a job and/or educational opportunity.
Cisco Networking Academy has a long history of promoting diversity in the tech field and providing learning opportunities to students of all backgrounds. Across APJC among all students trained by Networking Academy since it started its operations in the region, 30 percent have been females. It is the same proportion among students who are currently undertaking Networking Academy courses across the region.
The program supports Cisco’s purpose to power an inclusive future for all and its commitment to positively impact 1 billion people by 2025. Beyond building digital skills and expanding access to quality education and promoting STEM led by Cisco Networking Academy, Cisco is focused on crisis response – supporting programs and solutions focused on disaster relief, food insecurity, housing, clean water, and economic empowerment – investing in technology solutions that help underserved people gain financial independence.
[1] Technology and the future of ASEAN Jobs, Oxford Economics, Sep 2018
