Will Cisco’s Free Tech Training for 1.5M People Help Close EU’s Skills Gap?

Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness and Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins. Image: Cisco

Cisco recently announced its initiative to provide 1.5 million people in the European Union by 2030 free courses on basic digital skills. Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins said the plan also includes training 5,000 instructors in AI, cybersecurity, data science, and digital transformation to help professionals stay competitive in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

This skills training will be delivered through Cisco’s Networking Academy, which has been providing digital education for more than 27 years.

“Cisco is committed to supporting the EU and our education partners in developing the talent essential for thriving in an AI-driven future,” Robbins said in a statement announcing the program. “This new initiative strengthens our partnership to build a resilient and skilled workforce ready to meet Europe’s digital transformation and AI objectives.”

Building a future-ready workforce to meet European Commission targets

The Cisco courses will cover digital awareness, cybersecurity, data science, IoT, and AI, ensuring citizens gain foundational skills for the digital economy. The program aligns with the European Commission’s 2030 Digital Decade targets, which aim to boost digital literacy across the region.

Last year, Coursera said Germany, France, and Spain placed 3rd, 5th, and 7th, respectively, as the most technically proficient countries in Europe, with the U.K. placing 25th.

The academy has operated for more than 27 years and partners with over 3,000 institutions and more than 7,000 educators across the EU, Cisco said. Over 3.2 million learners in the EU have participated in courses the academy has offered since its inception in 1998, according to Cisco.

Other programs aim to bridge the digital divide

Here are similar programs being launched worldwide to address the digital skills shortage.

In the U.S., computer nonprofit Digitunity partnered with AT&T to provide digital training to 10,000 people across the U.S. in 2024.

In South Africa, Microsoft’s AI skilling initiative aims at empowering one million South Africans with growing in-demand digital skills by 2026.

In the U.S., the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recommended that more than $369 million be awarded to 41 organizations to support building digital skills across the country. The money is to be earmarked from the $1.25 billion Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, one of three Digital Equity Act grant programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

As AI and digital transformation reshape industries, these large-scale training initiatives highlight the urgent need to develop a future-ready workforce.