Wiley Edge has formed a partnership with Cisco Networking Academy to enhance the technical skill sets of its graduates. This collaboration aims to bridge the gap identified in Wiley Edge’s latest Diversity in Tech report, which highlights a skills mismatch: 45% of businesses reported that entry-level tech role candidates often lack essential technical skills.
To address this discrepancy, Wiley Edge plans to integrate the adaptable and up-to-date curriculum from Cisco Networking Academy into its training programmes. This enhancement will broaden the scope of Wiley Edge’s training, equipping learners with sought-after abilities in areas such as cybersecurity, networking, programming, data science, the Internet of Things, and infrastructure automation.
The company adopts a ‘Hire, Train, Deploy’ strategy within its Alumni programme, which aims to mitigate risks associated with new talent, ensuring that graduates can immediately contribute to teams and foster diverse talent streams. Cisco Networking Academy aligns with this strategy, providing skills-to-jobs training with an emphasis on reaching underserved and marginalised groups. The partnership is set to advance the mutual goals of both organisations and increase career prospects for underrepresented demographics.
With approximately 95% of Fortune 500 companies utilising Cisco technologies, this alliance is poised to equip graduates with the skills required by these major businesses, thereby enhancing their employability in a competitive industry.
Dennis Bonilla, Vice President and Dean of the Wiley Edge Academy, said: “Our partnership with Cisco Networking Academy helps us provide ‘real world’ training to graduates through a customisable curriculum that evolves with emerging technology. It will help ensure our Alumni are fluent in the latest cybersecurity and tech skills that are essential in today’s market.
“Our client organisations will benefit from a diverse pipeline of graduate tech talent trained with their business needs in mind, without the risks associated with sourcing and training emerging talent in-house. Wiley Edge’s Alumni add immediate value to the teams they join from day one of their placements, with the vast majority becoming permanent employees at the end of the programme.”
Elizabeth Barr, Head of the Cisco Networking Academy UK & Ireland, said: “Cisco Networking Academy and Wiley Edge are aligned on the importance of opening access to technology education and promoting inclusive workforce development. Through our partnership, more graduates will be trained in Cisco-related skills, which are in high demand due to our trusted position as a leader in the IT network market.
“With our accreditation, employers can trust Wiley Edge Alumni to be invaluable additions to their teams who will start work equipped with the latest cybersecurity knowledge and skills to enrich and futureproof company practices.”
