Opportunities to Promote IT Careers

Cisco and Cisco Networking Academy Program partners are working together to promote IT careers in the United States. Click one of the following links to get started:

All Academy Day

All Academy Day is a competition that gives students the chance to show off the skills they have learned in the Cisco Networking Academy Program and explore career pathways by interacting with IT professionals.

Job Shadow Day

Job shadowing can be an important first step in encouraging students to consider IT careers. Learn about resources available to help you prepare for your own Job Shadow Day.

PacketVille

PacketVille is a public e-learning portal filled with interactive and educational resources that introduces students aged 8-14 to the world of IT. Lesson plans are ISTE aligned and include community service projects and career exploration.

Resource Center

Downloadable resources include brochures, newsletters, student and graduate success stories, articles, state overviews, videos, contact information, and related links, as well as course curricula and lab materials.

Virtual Field Trips

Virtual Field Trips help Networking Academy students and instructors explore and understand the landscape of IT and prepare for networking careers, all without leaving the classroom.

Why Promote IT Careers?

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 48 percent increase in jobs for computer software engineers and a 55 percent growth in jobs for network system and data communications analysts from 2004 to 2014.
• The share of incoming undergraduates planning to major in computer science dropped 70 percent from 2000 to 2005. IT enrollments continue to decline in the United States as programs are dismantled.
• A recent McKinsey survey of 251 CIOs and chief technology officers showed that "finding talent" was the managerial challenge that will likely have the most significant effect on strategy execution over the next five years.