Cisco announces its goal to train 2.6 million people across the European Union (EU) in digital and cybersecurity skills over the next 10 years, through theNetworking Academy. Cisco's announcement comes as the Union kicks off its European Year of Skills, announced by President Ursula von der Leyen in her latestState of the Union address.

Currently, 54 percent of Europeans aged between 16 and 74 have basic digital skills. By 2030, the EU aims to equip at least 80% of its citizens with basic digital skills and have at least 20 million information and communications technology (ICT) specialists employed. I am proud to see how Cisco actively supports the EU and its member states in meeting their digital skills targets.

From our partnership with Randstad, to our dedicated program for Ukrainian refugees, and our policy recommendations to bridge the skills gap, here are some of the areas we will focus on to contribute to building a stronger digital Europe.

Partnerships to Deliver Results at Scale

The Cisco Networking Academy has one of the most diverse and developed partner ecosystem in the industry that can help deliver results at scale. To this end, we are launching a partnership with Randstad, a global leader in the HR services industry, to help talent develop their digital skills, preparing them to navigate the rapidly digitalizing labor market.

Cisco and Randstad will work together with the aim to reskill and upskill 300,000 people in areas such as cybersecurity, programming and infrastructure automation across Europe. The partnership is currently running in The Netherlands and Italy with more countries to follow through in 2023.

"We are very proud to partner with Cisco to equip the talent of tomorrow with the skills they need to succeed in a fast-changing world of work. Through partnerships such as this one we are supporting talent to turn the skills they gained into opportunities, by combining skilling with access to the labor market."
-Chris Heutink, Randstad's COO

With the Cisco Networking Academy, we have provided digital skills across Europe, with many successful projects training women, unemployed people, and groups at risk of digital social exclusion with digital skills. In Spain, we collaborate with Escuela de Organizaci