At the APRICOT 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Alexis Bertholf emphasized the pressing need for the networking industry to adopt hands-on training akin to traditional apprenticeships to remedy its ongoing staff shortages. She observed that the perception of networking has diminished—once considered a pioneering field, it is now overlooked as companies embrace cloud-first strategies. This shift has resulted in elongated career pathways that hinder early-career tech professionals due to a lack of meaningful entry-level roles in network engineering. With senior engineers retiring, the industry faces a critical skills gap that demands urgent reform.
"The networking team went to their leadership and said: 'Hey, where are we going to put the network gear?' The CIO said 'Why do we need a wiring closet, we're a cloud first company'."
"Skills shortages show that career structure has not served the industry well and that change is needed, and fast, because the cohort of senior engineers who joined the field when it was cool are starting to retire."
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