Cisco and HECTEN: a partnership of excellence to train 200 students in France in cybersecurity!

Press release

January 8, 2024

Cisco and HECTEN: a partnership of excellence to train 200 students in France in cybersecurity!

Cisco and HECTEN are delighted to announce a new partnership of excellence to help our young people succeed, in response to growing needs in cybersecurity and the training of qualified personnel to better understand the challenges of the digital world.

Cisco, an internationally recognized player in digital innovation, and HECTEN, the new École supérieure d’informatique that will welcome its first class at the start of the 2024 academic year in Paris, with Full Stack and Cybersecurity programs in particular, are thus embarking on a collaboration that will focus on 5 areas:

• The integration of Cisco’s expertise into HECTEN Business School’s training courses, notably through the Cisco Networking Academy;
• Promotion of the “Skills for all” platform to HECTEN Business School students;
• Close cooperation on the development of training courses at HECTEN Business School, in line with the changing needs of cybersecurity players;
• Supporting companies in cybersecurity with the help of Cisco ;
• A course dedicated to people undergoing professional retraining.

This ambitious partnership testifies to our joint determination to invest in the field of education in order to better train our students in the challenges of cybersecurity, enabling them to make a lasting impact in the French and international professional world.

For Christophe Dolinsek, Director of the Cisco Networking Academy, “this partnership demonstrates Cisco France’s ambition in terms of education and professional training. By teaming up with higher education players such as HECTEN Business School, we hope to be able to put our expertise at the service of innovative training programs, adapted to the realities of the field”.

Luc Frébourg, Deputy Director of HECTEN, commented: “The fact that Cisco, an internationally recognized digital player, has chosen HECTEN as its preferred partner is a real honor. This partnership demonstrates the credibility and seriousness of the training courses that will be offered to our students, in the service of their success”.

A favorable context for cybersecurity training

This Cisco-HECTEN partnership comes at a particularly promising time for cybersecurity in France. With over 15,000 vacancies in the sector and annual growth of 9%, job opportunities have never been so plentiful for young graduates.

French companies are investing massively in the protection of their digital infrastructures, creating an explosive demand for qualified profiles. This HECTEN cybersecurity training course is a direct response to these market needs.

Training tailored to professional realities

The program developed jointly by Cisco and HECTEN covers the full range of skills sought by employers: network security to protect IT infrastructures, threat analysis to detect and respond to cyber attacks, incident management with crisis procedures and business continuity, as well as regulatory compliance including RGPD, ISO 27001 and other security frameworks.

Guaranteed employability and salary prospects

The 200 students trained under this partnership benefit from easier professional integration. Careers include SOC analyst, cybersecurity consultant, incident response expert and information systems security manager (RSSI).

Salaries in the sector are particularly attractive: junior profiles start at between 35,000 and 42,000 euros a year, with rapid progression to 55,000-65,000 euros after 3-5 years’ experience. Senior experts can reach 80,000 to 100,000 euros, depending on their specialization.

Educational innovation and cutting-edge technologies

This Cisco HECTEN collaboration is distinguished by access to state-of-the-art equipment and innovative learning platforms. Students work on concrete business cases and take part in cyber-attack simulation exercises.

The partnership also includes preparation for internationally-recognized Cisco certifications, veritable passports to employment in a sector where recognition of technical skills is essential.

Partnership development prospects

On the strength of the expected success of this first class, Cisco and HECTEN plan to extend their collaboration to other areas of IT, and to increase the number of students trained from 2025, confirming their shared commitment to the excellence of cybersecurity training in France.

Read more :

Cisco Networking Academy: https://www.netacad.com/fr