Bridging the digital abilities hole within the age of AI
In right now’s quickly evolving financial panorama, digital abilities have grow to be the first driver for achievement throughout the USA and Canada. As industries bear a profound transformation pushed by the disruptive energy of synthetic intelligence, the demand for a workforce that isn’t solely technically proficient but additionally adaptable has by no means been greater.
AI is reshaping job roles at an unprecedented tempo, making a important want for steady studying and strategic upskilling. On this atmosphere, Cisco Networking Academy stands because the definitive companion for organizations and people alike, offering the strong framework, curriculum, and international group essential to navigate this new digital frontier.
A legacy of impression and alternative
The 2026 Cisco Networking Academy Companion Convention, held in Atlanta, Georgia, served as a robust testomony to this mission. Since its inception, the NetAcad program has reached 3.4 million college students throughout the USA, Canada, and the Marshall Islands, with 17 p.c of these college students figuring out as feminine.
Extra importantly, the impression is tangible. Ninety-six p.c of scholars who accomplished Cisco Networking Academy’s certification-aligned programs have secured a brand new profession or academic alternative. By creating deep connections between academic establishments and trade leaders, our program continues to bridge the digital divide and supply the instruments required for long-term skilled resilience.
Tales that matter: The human legacy of Networking Academy
Whereas metrics inform a narrative of scale, the true impression of our program is discovered within the private {and professional} journeys of our instructors and their college students. These tales are the heartbeat of Cisco Networking Academy, serving as a profound supply of inspiration for us all.
Take, for instance, Sharon Angus, an teacher on the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Applied sciences (SIIT) in Canada. Rising up with Plains Cree and Mohawk heritage, Sharon started her journey as a single mom, instructing herself to repair her personal laptop computer. That preliminary spark of self-study led her to a CCNA certification and ultimately to a profession as an teacher, the place she now empowers her college students to succeed, frequently discovering new methods to use her studying and construct the following era of Indigenous tech expertise.
Equally, we’re moved by the dedication of educators like our colleague, Dr. Jon Duffee, at Tulsa Tech, who brings 30 years of instructing expertise to the classroom. He has remodeled the adult-only Enterprise Community Applied sciences program right into a high-impact launchpad, rising to the each day problem of serving to veterans and career-switchers steadiness the calls for of full-time work with the trials of technical coaching.
With thousands and thousands of such tales throughout our area, each particular person expertise reinforces why we do what we do.
Celebrating excellence: Our Premier+ companions
The 2026 NetAcad Companion Convention was greater than only a gathering; it was a celebration of the companions who function the spine of this ecosystem. We have been honored to acknowledge those that have demonstrated distinctive dedication to development, high quality, and group impression.
Our Premier+ companions, who characterize the highest 5 p.c of our Tutorial Assist Facilities and Teacher Coaching Facilities, set the usual for excellence:
- Schooling Service Heart Area 11 (Texas)
- META Options (Ohio)
- Stanly Group Faculty (North Carolina)
- Western Academy Assist and Coaching Heart (California)
Honoring innovation and group management
Past development, we celebrated the spirit of inclusion and innovation by way of our “Be the Bridge” awards. Recipients included the CyberNet Coaching Heart and Skilled Service in Canada for his or her tireless help of the French-speaking teacher group, and Algonquin Faculty in Canada for his or her transformative Girls in Tech and Trades program.
Lastly, we have been proud to current the celebrated “Golden Bridge Award” to Philotimo LLC in the USA. As a newly onboarded companion, Philotimo LLC has already made a profound impression by advancing teacher coaching and increasing moral hacking readiness throughout our group.
Constructing the long run collectively
As we glance towards the long run, these partnerships stay our best asset. By working collectively to develop entry to high-quality schooling and digital abilities, we aren’t simply getting ready college students for the roles of right now—we’re equipping them to steer the improvements of tomorrow.
We prolong our deepest gratitude to all our companions for his or her unwavering dedication to constructing a extra inclusive and technologically empowered future for the USA and Canada.
