In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, providing access to quality education and workforce readiness is more than a mission—it’s a global responsibility. Since 1997, Cisco Networking Academy has been at the forefront of this mission, equipping tens of millions of students worldwide with essential IT, AI, cybersecurity, and networking skills. But how do we truly measure the impact of this initiative? And how can we ensure it drives sustainable change for those who need it most?
As the Head of Business Insights for Cisco Networking Academy, my role involves building a robust framework to assess the program’s impact. This framework goes beyond counting class enrollments and students earning badges and certifications; it’s about understanding how we engage, empower, and elevate students globally.
Engage: Reaching Students Where They Are
Impact starts with engagement. It’s about meeting students in their communities—whether in rural schools across Africa and India, vocational centers in Latin America, community colleges in the United States, or wherever our independent learners call home. Cisco’s partnerships with local educators, non-profits, and governments create a tailored approach that bridges the gap between learners and learning opportunities.
Education research shows that engagement is most effective when it includes hands-on learning experiences, high-quality interactions with educators, and localized resources and support networks. Through our global partnerships, students receive the reliable quality of Networking Academy courses developed by experts around the globe, delivered in their own communities. This focus on local engagement ensures that students aren’t just participants but active, supported learners.
Empower: Building Skills That Matter
It’s not enough to engage students; we must empower them with skills to meet real-world demands. Cisco Networking Academy’s curriculum is designed with direct input from industry experts. This ensures our students gain the skills that companies are actively seeking. To illustrate, according to our recent outcome surveys, 98% of students viewed the skills they learned through Networking Academy as important to their career, and 96% said they regularly use the skills they learned in their daily lives.
Cisco Networking Academy further empowers learners by supporting agency and self-determination. We have designed our learning offering, pathway, delivery, and certification options specifically to create opportunities for students to personalize learning goals and outcomes. Indeed, our students report compelling courses, customizable learning, and the ability to self-pace among the top drivers of their success in the program. As Networking Academy helps individuals explore and understand their learning opportunities, we are helping them explore and understand themselves—and to make professional aspirations, once undreamed or considered out of reach, a reality.
Elevate: Creating Agents of Change
When learners are engaged and empowered, they are prepared to elevate beyond their new skills and ready to take flight. We measure success by how well students can leverage their new skills to drive positive change for themselves and in their communities. For many learners, this starts with job placement. For others, the confidence gained through the Networking Academy opens doors to entrepreneurship, leadership roles, and further education.
These job opportunities mean more than a paycheck—for many of our learners, they represent a pathway out of poverty and a step toward long-term career growth, with 80% of students saying that taking our courses helped them improve their financial standing.
The ultimate goal, however, is to empower students to become change-makers. For example, former students in India are using their skills to improve local infrastructure, while alumni in Africa have launched tech startups that hire within their communities. And 90% of our students tell us they have made a positive impact on their communities, often through knowledge and resource sharing. This ripple effect—where empowered students create opportunities for others—is the essence of sustainable impact.
“My aim is to create sustainable and impactful solutions that improve people’s lives, like developing renewable energy sources or designing more efficient ecosystems.” -Kishan, West Bengal, India
A Data-Driven Approach to Impact
Our work at Cisco Networking Academy is guided by rigorous research and a data-driven approach to impact assessment. By continually evaluating our engagement strategies, empowerment processes, and elevation outcomes, we aim to refine our framework and ensure it remains effective and inclusive. And while our framework helps us measure impact, the real success stories are those of students whose lives are transformed—one skill and one opportunity at a time.
As we look to the future, I invite fellow educators, policymakers, and business leaders to join us in expanding this impact.
Are you ready to be part of this journey?
The Networking Academy is more than an educational program; it’s a catalyst for global change. By engaging students where they are, elevating their skills, and empowering them to lead, we can create a more inclusive and skilled workforce. And as we continue to gather insights and refine our framework, we remain committed to making a tangible difference for the communities we serve.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, all metrics are derived from the fiscal 2024 Student Outcome Survey, focusing on respondents who have completed at least one Networking Academy course.
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