Saudi Arabia reaches the top 20 countries worldwide with female participation in Cisco Networking Academy. The academy was started in 2000 in Saudi Arabia and has seen more than 274,500 students who have been trained and upskilled through this program and out of those about 34% of these learners are female.
More than 64,000 students registered in Cisco Networking Academy courses in Saudi Arabia alone during Cisco’s fiscal year 2022. More than 470 instructors supported these students in 120 different academies throughout the Kingdom.
Salman Faqeeh, Managing Director, Cisco, Saudi Arabia said “Having one of the youngest populations in the region, we are very proud of the Cisco Networking Academy’s achievements in upskilling the next generation of IT talent in Saudi Arabia. One of the highlights of the academy’s success in the Kingdom is the female participation, which is among the highest globally.
Learners in the country have demonstrated their enthusiasm to gain the necessary skill sets required to be a part of the workforce of the future. As digitization continues to become a reality, we’re constantly working with the national leadership, industry, and academia to expand Cisco Networking Academy’s reach to unlock the full potential of talent in Saudi Arabia.”
Earlier this quarter, Cisco announced its goal to provide digital skills training to 25 million learners globally over the next ten years through its Cisco Networking Academy program. By 2025, 97 million new jobs are expected to be created worldwide due to advances in technology and automation, and Cisco is helping millions of people around the globe gain access to these expected jobs by empowering the workforce of the future with education and career opportunities through its Networking Academy.
Celebrating its 25th year since its founding in 1997, Cisco Networking Academy is one of the world’s oldest programmes for matching IT skills to employment. Through a learning platform, Cisco Networking Academy offers top-notch IT courses, learning simulators, and practical learning experiences to help teachers and engage students in 190 different countries. More than 17.5 million students from around the world have completed courses from the Cisco Networking Academy to date. In addition, 95% of students who have attended Cisco certification courses have assisted them in finding employment or educational opportunities in fields of interest.
As Cisco Networking Academy continues to grow and promote new training and education opportunities, it will leverage the latest programs 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 program 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 U.S. 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.
