Cisco equips 600K youth with digital skills

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.