York College awarded Cisco Networking Academy status for Digital Technologies students

From September 2025, anybody who is enrolled on our new-look Foundation Degree in Digital Technologies (Cybersecurity) will have the option of also gaining industry-recognised qualifications from Cisco – a long-established world leader for networking products.

Course leader Richard Hind first used Cisco hardware during his College lessons back in 1998 and is pictured above with that still fully-functional piece of kit, donated to him by a former employer.

Now, though, thanks to the new partnership, Richard’s students will be able to replicate real-life cybersecurity working scenarios on Cisco’s ultra-modern Packet Tracer simulation tool.

Outlining the “exciting opportunities” Cisco Networking Academy status will open up for our University Centre students on the Institute of Technology-backed course, Richard said: “Cisco’s qualifications have been regarded as one of the gold standards for professionals for a long time but, even as recently as 10 years ago, there was a high cost associated with that and you could only go to certain places that would teach the qualifications. 

“The exams were very expensive but, hats off to Cisco, because they have realised that, if we want to develop the next generation of network administrators and cybersecurity experts, they have to support schools and colleges, so they’ve made a commitment to make these courses more available and that’s a real boon for us because it will lead to lots of exciting opportunities for our students. Starting with our 2025/26 cohort, our Foundation Degree students will have the opportunity to finish the course having not only gained an academic qualification but also a practical industry qualification as well.

“Once they have passed a Cisco course, they will then get a certified badge that will appear on their LinkedIn account, which would represent a really good start to their career.

“However, this opportunity is not limited to our HE (Higher Education) students, we will also be delivering elements of the Cisco Academy courses to our new T-Level (Cybersecurity) students, beginning this September. I also anticipate opportunities for other Digital Technologies students to access these fantastic resources.”

Cisco constantly revise and update their qualifications to keep pace with new product lines and technological advancements.

On the benefits of the Packet Tracer simulation tool, meanwhile, Richard added: “It creates an interactive, virtualised environment that allows students to drag and drop components and build a virtual network on screen. All the configuration and everything is as if they were sat at a real device, but without the expense of the hardware and security risks.”

The newly accessible Cisco resources are not only limited to networking and cybersecurity, either, with plans for a Python programming course to support our first T Level cohort of Cybersecurity & the Digital Environment students, starting next month.

On the new partnership, Elizabeth Barr, Head of the Cisco Networking Academy UK & Ireland, declared: “We are delighted to be launching a Cisco Academy at York College, with the support of The Open University Academy Support Centre.

“At the York College Cisco Academy, students will have the opportunity to gain industry-aligned, hands-on skills and experiences and work towards industry certifications that employers value. The Cisco Networking Academy is all about setting students up for success in the workplace and helping them to explore career pathways into tech.”

Commenting on the value of College’s Cisco Networking Academy status, Andrew Smith, Senior Lecturer in Networking at the Open University, added: "From our experience of working with Further and Higher Education, we are impressed how York College, with the support of the Yorkshire and Humber Institute of Technology, is seeking to embed industry accreditations into their Further and Higher Education programmes. It is an essential part of any computing or cybersecurity programme, ensuring the employable prospects of all students."

Information on our new-look Foundation Degree in Digital Technologies (Cybersecurity) for 2025/26 will be released during the next academic year.

For details on our new T Level in Cybersecurity & the Digital Environment, click here

You can also find out more about our full Digital Technologies offering and meet tutors at our next Open Event on Tuesday 8th October from 5.30pm to 8pm.

Register a place by clicking here