Cisco’s Networking Academy reaches 600 000 student milestone. (Image source: 123RF)
The Cisco Networking Academy has facilitated IT skills and career building training for 600 000 students in South Africa, to date.
This, as the US-based networking giant moves to finalise a partnership with the Northern Cape Department of Education, to set up academy courses in high schools in the province.
Cisco South Africa last week brought together stakeholders, industry partners and officials from the departments of higher education and training, communications and digital technologies, as well aspublic service and administration, to celebrate the training milestone.
US Embassy officials as well as the firm’s global leadership, including Francine Katsoudas, executive vice-president and chief people, policy and purpose officer at Cisco, joined to mark the milestone.
The academy is Cisco’s global skills-to-jobs programme, launched in 1997 in a bid to shape the workforce of the future. It aims to boost IT skills and career-building programmes for learning institutions and individuals worldwide.
According to Cisco, since 1997, the company has impacted over 28.6 million learners in 195 countries.
In South Africa, it has partnered with technical vocational education and training (TVET) colleges and other learning institutions, which have incorporated Cisco Networking Academy courses.
Anyone with any educational background can register with the academy, although some of the courses require students to have fundamental or basic IT skills. TVET college students are offered digital literacy and cyber security skills, CCNA and networking courses.
To further address the digital divide in South Africa’s underserviced communities, Cisco has also established learning hubs in libraries in those areas.
Smangele Nkosi, country manager of Cisco South Africa, revealed that out of the 600 000 trained students, 54% are women and 62% of the instructors are also women.
“Each year, we reach about 63 000 students in the TVET colleges. We’re also partnering with the Northern Cape’s smart-ready schools, with the ambition of connecting 235 schools where we will deliver digital technologies.
“The milestone is not a finish line because the [digital] skills gap remains a challenge in our country and so is youth unemployment,” she stated.
Nkosi called on industry players to deepen their collaboration with stakeholders and partners and not just train young people but connect them to real job opportunities and entrepreneurship. “Skills without opportunities is a promise that is half done.”
From left: US Embassy South Africa’s Stephanie Bunce, Cisco’s Francine Katsoudas, Northern Cape education MEC Abraham Vosloo, DCDT deputy minister Mondli Gungubele, Cisco South Africa’s Smangele Nkosi, DPSA deputy minister Pinky Kekana and Cisco MEA-TRC’s Shane Heraty.
According to the 2024 ICT Skills Survey, the country’s ICT sector continues to face a mismatch between graduate readiness and industry requirements, particularly in high-demand areas, such as artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security, cloud computing, DevOps and big data analytics.
Employers report that many ICT graduates lack practical, work-ready experience and often require additional in-house training before becoming fully productive, reveals the survey.
Katsoudas said the 600 000 students trained through the networking academy represent the journeys and examples of when opportunity meets determination, adding that no single organisation can reach such a scale without partnerships.
“Technology creates opportunity, but that opportunity is not distributed equally. The digital divide is ultimately an opportunity divide. When I think about South Africa, I think about a story of resilience, determination and progress, so it’s no surprise that this is the place where we have reached 600 000 students.”
Referencing a study conducted by Cisco together with Carnegie Mellon University Africa, Katsoudas said 75% of African youth plan to open their own businesses within the next five years.
The study also found that 78% of youth already use AI on a weekly basis, which is more than their counterparts in the US or Europe, she noted. “What we see on the continent is leadership and an opportunity to power these young people that see the power of education.
“This generation is not waiting for opportunity but they’re creating it. In the AI world, there is so much opportunity for good judgement, curiosity, creativity and empathy, which are all human skills. Talent and learning are an economic imperative.”
Northern Cape education MEC Abraham Vosloo added that he believes the imminent partnership with the Cisco Networking Academy will help shape the future of education in that province.
The partnership will see the province’s smart-ready high schools introduce and integrate Cisco Networking Academy courses, as part of the special schools’ programmes.
“The memorandum of understanding that will be signed between the Northern Cape Department of Education, Cisco Networking Academy and Henley Group Academy represents a shared commitment to prepare learners for the opportunities and challenges of the fourth industrial revolution.
“As a province, we recognise that traditional qualifications are no longer sufficient. Our learners need both academic knowledge and industry-relevant competencies that will enable them to thrive in higher education, entrepreneurship and the modern workplace.”
