HITS

The University of Luxembourg and Cisco announced the opening of a Cisco Networking Academy on the University campus, the first Networking Academy in a higher education institution in the country. Opening this Networking Academy is an important step towards increasing digital literacy and specialized IT knowledge in the Grand Duchy. The modernization of the education system with new technologies and curricula is an important part of the Country Digital Acceleration program the Luxembourg Government and Cisco recently announced.

Cisco Networking Academy provides a broad and deep IT curriculum for students of all backgrounds, teaching the hands-on technical and business skills they need to succeed. Additionally, with many industries experiencing a shortage of IT talent, Cisco Networking Academy seeks to give students the skills most in demand worldwide and helps create a trained, diverse workforce for the digital economy.

The core focus of the curriculum stays true to Cisco’s expertise in networking and security, while it also offers coursework in emerging fields such as Internet of Things and data analytics in alignment with the future of education and business trends. The Networking Academy learning experience includes an e-learning curriculum, personalized assessments and hands-on opportunities such as labs, networking simulation software, competitions, and hackathons. First courses at the University of Luxembourg will start in September 2018.

Over the past 20 years, Cisco Networking Academies educated 7,8 million students in 170 countries.

Chuck Robbins, Chairman and CEO of Cisco, commented: “Luxembourg’s workforce is central to accelerating the country’s vision to be a digital leader. As rapid technological advancements open up greater opportunities and create new markets, new roles will emerge across industries. Helping people develop the skills they need to benefit from the digital economy is essential, and Cisco is proud to partner with the University of Luxembourg to open a Cisco Networking Academy to provide the digital skills needed to enable both people and businesses to succeed.”

Professor Stéphane Pallage, Rector of the University of Luxembourg: “Partnering with Cisco opens a world of opportunities for our university. Education is one of the cornerstones of the country’s Digital Acceleration Program and we are proud to play an active part in it.”

Research into digital education of the future
The opening of the Cisco Networking Academy is part of the University’s strategy to test new technologies and learning methods for future education in the Grand Duchy. On its new campus, the University of Luxembourg has built a user lab and a learning center where it will develop innovative teaching and learning methods for primary, secondary, higher and adult education. With that, the university wants to further optimize the learning experience of students and lecturers in the light of the broad digitization of our society.

Romain Martin, Vice-President for Academic Affairs at the University of Luxembourg: “Digitization does not only mean that we offer learning material in digital form or communicate with students through digital channels. Digital learning goes beyond the classroom. New technologies and collaboration tools enable combining traditional forms of education with, for example, peer learning, to create new learning experiences. We can best achieve this in collaboration with strong technology partners such as Cisco. And with Networking Academy, we provide extra transferable digital skills in the country as outlined in the government’s plan Digital Lëtzebuerg.”