Wiley Edge partners with Cisco Networking Academy to train job-ready tech talent

Emerging talent and reskill training provider Wiley Edge has partnered with Cisco Networking Academy to train graduates in the latest tech skills. The new partnership will ensure Wiley Edge Alumni are upskilled and ready to kickstart their careers.

Wiley Edge’s latest Diversity in Tech report found a skills gap between university education and the working world, with 45% of businesses stating that candidates for entry-level tech roles often lack core technical skills.

Tackling this challenge head on, Wiley Edge will incorporate Cisco Networking Academy’s customisable, real-world curriculum, which evolves as new technology trends emerge, into several of its training courses. This will expand Wiley Edge’s offering to provide trainees with additional high-demand skills in cybersecurity, networking, programming, data science, the Internet of Things and infrastructure automation.

Wiley Edge follows the ‘Hire, Train, Deploy’ model with its Alumni programme, which helps companies to eliminate risks associated with emerging talent and ensures graduates can add immediate value to teams, meanwhile building diverse talent pipelines of talent. Aligned with this ethos, Cisco Networking Academy offers skills-to-jobs training focused on engaging underserved people and marginalised populations. This new partnership will see the organisations work together to drive forward their shared aims and provide greater career opportunities to underrepresented groups.

With around 95% of Fortune 500 companies using Cisco technologies, the partnership will help graduates learn the skills these businesses require to stand out in a highly competitive field.

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.”

For more information about Wiley Edge, please visit https://www.wiley.com/edge