In partnership with UCEN Manchester and the Open University, Cisco has mapped NetAcad content to the Digital T-Levels curriculum. Our goal is to support educators across England with free access to a range of high-quality and up-to-date tools, courses, and resources.
The aim of this page is to:
Outline the benefits of joining the Cisco Networking Academy programme (for free!)
Share how you can access the Cisco Networking Academy personally via this offering
Explain how you can become part of the Cisco Networking Academy community supported by UCEN Manchester
Each mapping document is a spreadsheet. Mapping covers both common content and also occupational standards. Please click on each of the below to download the relevant spreadsheets from DropBox:
In the UK, we use terminology such as learning outcomes. For Cisco, they follow very similar taxonomical principles, instead referring to these as 'scope and sequence'. Please click on the below, to access the relevant documents from Cisco:
Associated Cisco Scope and Sequence documents
Below, you will discover all of the badges (and therefore current courses) a student studying any of the mapped T-Levels may be able to earn from Cisco.
The Open University ASC has worked closely with Pearson to support the development of this comprehensive mapping of their T-Levels.
Pearson have agreed to endorse this mapping 'in principle' as the NetAcad content is a moving entity. Mapping is correct as of June 2025 and will remain valid for all of the 2025/26 Academic year.
You will discover that the mapping is extensive
Becoming an Academy is free and gives organisations access to a plethora of courses and resources, including virtual lab simulation tools, in a curriculum that spans Cybersecurity, Networking, Programming, and more. Benefits include:
Facilitate Teaching: Gain access to 1000s of hours of industry-aligned, vendor agnostic content. You can view the courses on offer here. Content delivery is flexible; self-paced, instructor-led, offered as a stand-alone course, or embedded into an existing course offering.
Practical Tools: Gain unlimited access to tools such as Packet Tracer; a state-of-the-art simulation tool through which students can build, manage, and troubleshoot networks. Practical tools also include self-assessment tools whereby students can check their understanding with correct/incorrect scoring. Teachers can launch customisable quizzes and view students' progress to help identify potential areas additional support is required.
Instructor Training: The Cisco Networking Academy UK & Ireland community, led by the Open University, offers free, self-paced, and online instructor training on a rolling basis. You can view this page to learn more.
Community: In becoming an Academy, you become a part of the Cisco Networking Academy community. As well as getting support from a dedicated Academy Support Centre, we run an Instructor Facebook Page for instructors to expand their network and share best practices, and events hosted by Cisco and NetAcad Partners.
Learn more here.
As outlined above, becoming a Cisco Academy presents a range of benefits, where you are able to gain support for free, and also access instructor training and access to certification ready courses (such as the CCNA).
To register you organisation to become a Cisco Academy you can follow this simple process:
Apply via https://www.netacad.com/become-an-academy.
Once your application has been approved, please follow the instructions within the email. These are to sign a membership agreement and to select an ASC.
We will then set up a call to help you get your Academy up and running.