Akamai Technical Academy and Coursera: A Year of STEM Education Success

From its start in 2016, Akamai Technical Academy has aimed to help shape a diverse and inclusive tech workforce. It was designed to give underrepresented students access to top-notch professional development with hands-on learning from Akamai experts.

For its first six years, ATA was an in-person program — six months of in-class training on STEM disciplines, followed by six months of contract work with Akamai project teams. But by 2022, our leadership team realized that to have the impact we really wanted from ATA, it needed to be scaled globally. And that meant going virtual.

Our partnership with Coursera removed the geographic barrier of classroom-based learning, opening up high-quality learning opportunities to students around the world. It enabled us to help build the talent pipeline the tech industry needs by implementing project-based learning and 21st-century pedagogy to teach critical thinking and problem-solving skills to the next generation of STEM professionals.

ATA’s success led to an invitation for our team to visit Harvard Business School and discuss ATA as a case study. At Harvard, our team  explored Akamai’s need to scale ATA from an on-site program to a global virtual classroom to “build a robust and diverse global talent pipeline, as well as promote inclusion and diversity in the global technology industry” and meet both internal and industry demands for new talent.  

And in December 2023, the Akamai Technical Academy program won the Women in Tech ERG & Corporate Initiative of the Year Award, which honors “outstanding efforts of employee resource groups and corporate initiatives that have made a significant impact in advancing the representation, growth, and success of women in the tech industry.”

As we reflect on this year’s revamped ATA program, we want to share some impressive milestones.

• Teaching thousands of learners: Since partnering with Coursera, more than 8,600 learners have enrolled globally in both professional certificate programs (Network Engineering Professional and Customer Consulting & Support Professional). Nearly 200 of those completed their certificates during the first year. 

• Awarding almost 500 scholarships: To promote educational equity and expand opportunities for underrepresented groups in tech, we work to remove finances as a barrier for prospective students.

• Receiving high marks from our STEM students: Both of the professional certificate programs have earned a 4.8 out of 5 rating on Coursera, as scored by the learners who have taken them. That’s what comes from offering real-world skills in an equitable learning environment. 

• Priming the job pipeline: By instilling foundational STEM skills, our professional certificate programs feed the ongoing global demand for qualified tech workers.

• Finding future talent: Our in-house Talent Acquisition team has built relationships with many of our certificate completers for future entry-level jobs, and two of this year’s ATA students have already been hired into our internship program.

• Connecting learners to mentors: We also launched an engagement program that offers learners live sessions with Akamai business leaders and provides insights on Akamai’s culture.

• Teaching valuable job search skills: The program also offers live sessions to help learners navigate the job market, sharing insights about resume writing, interviewing, and personal branding.