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NIL Learning with New AI Training and New CCIE Certification Program

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8 April 2025

For the first time ever, a structured program is available that includes all the necessary components to prepare for the CCIE exam and which boasts a high pass rate.

In the last two years, artificial intelligence (AI) has brought major changes to the world of IT. Among other things, it is gradually making inroads into the education process. “It can be an assistant in finding answers to specific questions, a consultant in selecting learning content, a tool for teachers or instructors, but it can also be the content of education itself,” says Elizabeth Di Rocco, NIL Learning Programme Manager at Conscia Group, an international provider of cyber security and network solutions, of which the Slovenian company NIL is a part.

“At NIL Learning, we have developed some courses and content that touch on the very last point – how to build and maintain the infrastructure for AI to work,” she explains.

There’s no better teacher than real-life experience

AI is also increasingly becoming a tool for learning and developing new educational content, Elizabeth says. It can be an assistant for finding information, writing texts and designing graphics. “But it is still not without a human or expert to check the correctness and accuracy of the data and suggestions, because for now AI is still fallible,” she points out, adding that expert lecturers are still the only ones who know how to adapt the content to the learners, to answer complex questions or to use a different way of explaining things if necessary. “It is still the case in IT that we learn the most when we set things up, do things or troubleshoot problems ourselves. There is no better teacher than real experience with a given technology.”

Portrait of Elizabeth Dafne Di Rocco.
Elizabeth Di Rocco Program Manager
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Interest in AI education is growing

As AI is a completely new industry, there is a significant shortage of staff with the right skills. “Companies need to invest in new skills today so that it will bear fruit in the coming year. Those who take this step will have a time advantage over competitors who may still be waiting to see what and when the ‘right moment’ will be,” Elizabeth points out.

At NIL, we expect to see more and more interest in AI training, and as this is a new industry with constant innovations, the development of learning content is also growing. Soon, all industries will have a need for staff with AI skills, whether they are users, developers, environment maintainers or other profiles.

Neutral certifications are increasingly in demand

Another area where a shortage of staff has long been observed is cybersecurity. The role of innovators in this field is mainly played by criminals, while on the other hand, security methods are also being developed. AI is an effective tool for finding vulnerabilities and correlating data from different sources. The range of technologies for security is very large due to the many types of cyber-attacks. The number of courses required for an engineer in this field is therefore large and varied.

Portrait of Elizabeth Dafne Di Rocco.
Elizabeth Di Rocco, Program Manager at NIL Learning

IT basics courses are still relevant

Courses covering the basics of IT are always relevant, and interest in them is not slowing down. “New, young people are entering IT jobs. Some staff are also retiring, so we need to find and train new candidates with ‘old content’ too,” says Elizabeth Di Rocco.

NIL Learning keeps abreast of changes in the industry and works with its technology partners to develop new content and offer modern learning methods. They successfully deliver courses both virtually and live in classrooms, with slightly different approaches and tools.

What’s new in NIL Learning?

“We are trying to not only follow but also set new trends in IT education,” emphasizes Elizabeth Di Rocco. They have recently redesigned their website, simplifying the course search engine and adding new, up-to-date content.

And in February this year, at the Cisco Live conference in Amsterdam, they premiered a brand new program for Europe, which provides preparation for the highest level of Cisco certification – CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert).

This is a structured, mentored program that takes the candidate from the “professional” level to the “expert” certification level in a year. For the first time in the history of this prestigious certification, a structured program is available that includes all the necessary components to prepare for the CCIE exam and make a significant difference in exam performance.

The 525 was originally developed for the South African market. Initial statistics show remarkable results – more than 70% of candidates achieve CCIE certification.

Due to the good experience in Africa, they have decided to offer Project 525 in the European market, where the need for new CCIE-certified staff is increasing dramatically.

Elizabeth Di Rocco, NIL Learning Programme Manager at Conscia: “It is rarely enough for a cyber security engineer to know one technology and one vendor. Increasingly, we are looking for people who know multiple technologies from several different vendors or hardware/software manufacturers.”

Formal education programs lag slightly behind

The rapid advances in IT technology make it difficult for formal education or schooling to prepare students for all jobs and all fields. A university education equips students well with a basic knowledge of various subjects and arms them with methods that can be used later to improve their skills in their chosen field. But it is rare for a student to get a job directly from university without further training from an employer. This is a widespread challenge faced by all countries, NIL Learning notes.

More flexible university programs offer better preparation because components can be added or combined between different programs and faculties. Some educational institutions offer courses in cooperation with companies, which contribute their own experts, software and equipment to the learning process.

“Basically, our formal education programs are world-class, but they are a bit slower to adapt. This limits interdisciplinarity and slows down the addition of new content to the curriculum. Change and progress are happening, but not always at a fast enough pace,” adds Elizabeth Di Rocco.

The interview was originally published in Slovenian in the Finance newspaper.