Every year the Cisco Networking Academy program and our learning partners help millions of students gain technical skills through a broad set of curriculum. Our comprehensive courses include the foundational skills most needed in the technology world today, such as cybersecurity, networking, programming, and Internet of Things.

While completing education is an important first step, gaining hands-on experience and finding a job to build a meaningful career is where the journey really starts.

Technology is a competitive market and without any prior professional experience it can get challenging for students to transition from academia into a career, and stand out to potential employers.

This is why Networking Academy provides a suite of programs that help prepare students for professional careers, connecting them to relevant job opportunities anywhere in the world.

Cisco Networking Academy Talent Bridge: connect to job opportunities

The Cisco Networking Academy Talent Bridge program provides valuable free resources for students as they transition from academic learning to professional careers. These resources include a unique online matching engine, career advice, virtual employer events, a LinkedIn Alumni network, and experience-building opportunities such as the Dream Team.

Our AI-based Talent Bridge Matching Engine provides students and graduates a consolidated view of jobs from major Cisco partners around the world that are looking to hire workers with specific Cisco technology training, skill sets or other requirements.

Our global 2020 Talent Bridge student survey showed that Talent Bridge has helped over 30,000 Networking Academy students find a job.

June 30: Launching the Talent Bridge Virtual Career Fair in North America

This year, Cisco takes one more step in bringing jobs and candidates together in one central digital place by launching the Talent Bridge Virtual Career Fair in partnership with Cisco gold partners CDW and Red River, distributor Ingram Micro, and our own business unit, Cisco Meraki.

It is a free, online event available to both Networking Academy and non-Networking Academy students that brings together top tier technology companies with skilled talent from across the United States and Canada.

Cybersecurity will be the focus of the first session, as there are currently over 500,000 open jobs related to cybersecurity and nearly 1 million cybersecurity experts in the United States today, but predictions indicate that the world will have 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs by the end of 2021.

Attendees will hear directly from a panel of cybersecurity professionals, who will share insights into the latest trends and skills needed to fill the current demand for cybersecurity talent.

Register for the Cybersecurity Tech Talk and Virtual Career Fair.

In part two of the webinar, our partners CDW, Ingram Micro, and Red River will connect with students looking to kick-start or evolve their professional careers, and share more about the technical roles they are currently hiring for.

Networking Academy students who attend will be able to apply to CDW