UKFast partners with Cisco in IT training scheme

Managed hosting provider and networking giant look to educate students across the north west of England with new training initiative

Managed hosting provider UKFast has partnered with Cisco to provide training and resources to schools in the north of England in a bid to address the digital skills gap.

The scheme, part of Cisco's Net Academy initiative, has seen 73 schools in the north west of England sign up since a launch event at UKFast's London campus last week.

UKFast CEO Lawrence Jones said: "Everyone is talking about the skills shortage in technology, and there's no way we can combat that shortage if we don't give the teachers the tools to deliver cutting-edge digital training.

"Technology is evolving so quickly that we need to focus on supporting teachers and keeping them up to speed with the latest developments.

"It's something we've been doing at UKFast for years and we're seeing amazing results. You can see from the incredible uptake for the scheme from schools and colleges that it's something they're crying out for."

Education institutions looking to access the programme's resources can apply through UKFast to gain access to technical experts and curriculum resources, with courses available in networking, security, operational systems and digital foundations.

Nuno Guarda, UK and Ireland head of corporate affairs at Cisco, said: "It's critical for us to have strong partners like UKFast and the Open University because they bring amazing value to the curriculum and help deliver it to local schools.

"This has been Cisco's flagship CSR [corporate social responsibility] programme since 1997 and we're aiming to help everyone, not only IT professionals, become more confident in their use of technology and help them understand how it fits in the world that surrounds them."

The Cisco Net Academy works with 9,500 education providers worldwide, while UKFast works with more than 40 schools and 57,000 across Manchester.

Andrew Smith, senior lecturer in networking at the Open University, said: "It's a fascinating opportunity to work with UKFast and Cisco delivering training and resources to schools and colleges.

"Developing our workforce and developing skills in the networking and cybersecurity sectors is critical as our digital economy grows.

"This programme allows young people to become more tech savvy and more employable."