Extreme Networks, Inc. announced it will offer a second Extreme Academy Live training course beginning April 1. The eight-week course will focus on wireless networks, covering their importance, how they function, and design best practices for a secure, robust network. All Extreme Academy Live courses can be streamed entirely for free and are accessible to all regardless of networking experience or location, further democratizing access to technology training and helping to address the networking skills shortage.

Extreme Academy Live Course 1 covering networking basics is recommended ahead of registering for Course 2. The free curriculum is available on-demand via Extreme's YouTube channel. Students who complete the courses can earn key accreditations and certifications, including an Extreme Networks Associate-level qualification. Nearly 10,000 students are currently enrolled in Extreme Academy Live.

Key Facts

• The IT skills shortage is one of many problems facing enterprises exacerbated by the digital divide. Many are not equipped to address the financial and accessibility barriers that stand between prospective students and professional technology training. Yet the demand for education is clear: Course 1 of Extreme Academy Live, which covers the fundamentals of networking technology, wireless communication, and the Internet, has been viewed over 25,000 times and streamed for 15,000 hours in only three months. Accessible training like Extreme Academy is key to narrowing the digital divide and building a stronger workforce for tomorrow.
• Extreme Academy is an academic curriculum designed to educate experienced and aspiring IT professionals on networking, security, and cloud fundamentals, as well as machine learning and artificial intelligence. Extreme Academy Live is geared toward those looking for an entry-level introduction to the networking industry and is offered at no cost to participants as part of Extreme's efforts to bridge the digital divide. Many established IT professionals have also joined the Extreme Academy Live sessions, taking advantage of the opportunity to refresh their skills and share their knowledge with new students.
• For colleges, universities, and businesses, Extreme Academy can be integrated into existing curriculums or taught alongside current coursework and training. Extreme Academy's flexible lesson plans are accessible via virtual classrooms or can be structured for live instruction, fitting into the hybrid model many schools have adopted following the pandemic. Partnering schools and businesses receive teaching resources, state-of-the-art lab equipment, and a diverse training portfolio. For more information about bringing Extreme Academy to your school, contact Extreme Networks via academy.extremenetworks.com.

"Though the technology industry has taken steps to address the digital divide, there is still much work to be done to ensure equitable opportunities for all who want to pursue a technology career. The only way for us to reach this goal is by expanding access to training that will provide a foundation for the highly in-demand IT skills businesses need to move forward in our increasingly distributed learning and working environments. We are proud to provide Extreme Academy and we are excited to continue to expand the program and reach our goal of training 50,000 new cloud networking engineers." -- Ed Meyercord, President and Chief Executive Officer, Extreme Networks