TecnoLab
Spain
TecnoLab’s main focus is to provide employable skills and resources, using a digital maker approach, to young participants who are …
Good practice
Imported
★ 76
★ 72
★ 76
★ 72
NetAcad for Refugees
Germany · Berlin · National · See the Germany profile · See the Berlin profile
Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 82% 52/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice
The main goal of NetAcad is to increase the employability of refugees through their acquisition of digital skills. The aim is to accelerate labour market integration of refugees by providing solutions to entry barriers through language, certifications and partner networks. Cisco
402 million EUR
Public funding received by Cisco Networking Academy
100%
Refugees improving language and digital skills
90%
Refugees gaining labour-market integration tools and employment
75%
Refugees reporting improved integration
35000
People reached
177675
People targeted
Details
- Maturity
- Discontinued
- Promoter
- CISCO Networking Academy — website
- Type
- Policy
- Status
- Ended
- Target groups
- Unemployed and those facing social problems, Migrants
- People reached
- 35000
- People targeted
- 177675
- Period
- 2016-05-02 – 2019-12-31
- Region (NUTS)
DE30- Keywords
- migrants, digital skills, training, employability, high competences
Context
NetAcad for Refugees, run by Cisco Networking Academy in Berlin, Germany, addresses barriers to labour-market integration for refugees, who are typically barred from working while awaiting asylum decisions and often lack local-language knowledge or recognised qualifications.
Objectives
To increase the employability of refugees by helping them acquire digital skills, enabling career-ready industry certifications and accelerating their entry into the EU digital workforce.
Activities
Digital-skills training is delivered through both self-paced online courses (using the standard Networking Academy curriculum) and in-person courses at local education institutions for hands-on experience, covering networking, security/cybersecurity, IoT and programming. Delivery involves stakeholders including All Digital, CyberPatriot, the European E-skills Association, ITU, US-AID and UN-Women. Cisco Networking Academy has received EUR 402 million in public funding.
Results
Self-reported programme outcomes: 100% of participating refugees improved their language knowledge and acquired digital skills; 90% gained labour-market integration tools and employment; 75% reported feeling more integrated and having a new life.
Conclusions
The programme reports improved integration, improved digital competences and a new economic status for refugees; it has since ended.
Implementation
- Indicative cost
- Very high (> €5M)
- Time to results
- Medium (1–3 years)
- Staffing & skills
- 2,799 operational staff (Cisco Networking Academy)
Conditions for success
- Blended online (self-paced) and in-person, hands-on learning
- Industry-recognised certifications aligned to labour-market needs
- Partnerships with All Digital, CyberPatriot, European E-skills Association, ITU, US-AID and UN-Women
Commonly funded by
Own resources / municipal budget
Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.
Do you run this practice? Claim it — verified implementers get a public contact pathway and can propose corrections.
Data sources
Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.
- MEDICI / Digital Inclusion Atlas — accessed 2026-06-14
- Practice website — accessed 2026-06-14
- Information source — accessed 2026-06-14
Attachments
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