After several years of events that have changed the world, it's easy to overlook the good news. News such as an additional 800 million people connecting to the internet around the globe between 2019 and 2021, bringing new opportunities, particularly in developing countries.

And while figures for developed countries such as the United States- appear static, (internet usage only increased by one percent of the population between 2016 and 2021), they are anything but: Internet traffic per capita more than doubled in the US during that time.

Everywhere across the globe the talent to build and maintain networks to carry this traffic is in demand, and Cisco Networking Academy is at the forefront of training that talent.

Our partners are integral to delivering this training, and Cisco Networking Academy Be the Bridge Awards celebrate the efforts of partners who have elevated their dedication to student success.

I'm thrilled to announce the partners who are deserving recipients of Be the Bridge Awards for this Cisco financial quarter (Q3) of financial year 2022 (FY22).

I'd like to thank these amazing partners for their extraordinary work, and trust that this recognition encourages more such inspiring efforts.

Institution Awards

EdCreate Foundation -India
Stellar performance in driving the NetAcad Skillathon 2022 Program in India-a collaboration between EdCreate, state governments and academies to impact more than 20,000 students in Cisco Certified Training (CCT), Career student participants (SP) and Explore courses.

Association of I.T. Leaders in Education-Hong Kong SAR
Innovative approaches to learning for High School students in Hong Kong during an early summer holiday (due to the pandemic) with exciting results, through a Skills Competition focused on IT Essentials and Internet of Things and a Learnathon focused on Python and Cybersecurity courses.

National Telecommunication Institute -Egypt
Engaging in national initiatives across six public universities in Egypt to enable youth and fresh graduates to qualify for Cisco Certified Training (CCT) tracks, in particular in CCNA and Cyber Ops. The quality of the training and instructors speak for themselves with more than 95 percent completion rates.

eForHum -Italy
Leading innovative hybrid learning approaches for student success in Italy, challenging them with network, cybersecurity and software development tasks with exposure to Cisco Sales partner opportunities, and empowering students for job placement.

Merlin Data Technology -Per