The times are a-changin' and that's especially true right now in the communications industry. We're witnessing a paradigm shift where technology is no longer just a business tool but the very foundation of a transformative global digital economy. While today's service provider and enterprise decision-makers are responsible for building communications networks that are flexible and scalable enough to support myriad social, mobile, analytics and cloud-based services, many have found themselves at an internal skillset impasse.

One service provider that's been aggressively transforming its network and re-skilling its workforce to handle the changes underway is AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) In fact, it's requiring its workforce to adapt, according to Randall Stephenson, the chief executive and chairman of AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T). "There is a need to retool yourself, and you should not expect to stop," he told New York Times. Those that don't re-skill themselves "will obsolete themselves with the technology," he said.

In the same vein, John Donovan, chief strategy officer and group president of AT&T Technology and Operations, told Light Reading's Founder and CEO Steve Saunders at the Digital Operations Transformation Summit that AT&T has to change as rapidly as its customers and its non-traditional competitors for "survival," and that "speed is not just advantageous, it's an absolute necessity." (See CEO Chat With AT&T's John Donovan.)

Here at Light Reading, we don't want you become obsolete or overwhelmed by this sea-change so today we are excited to announce that we've teamed with Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) to bring you Upskill U, a free, online learning environment where you can upskill yourself on a variety of hot topics such as NFV, SDN, the Internet of Things, cloud, cyber security, 5G, open source, analytics and more.

To lead these courses, we're bringing in expert lecturers from leading service providers, enterprises, analyst firms and top educational institutions to help you gain the business and technology know-how you need to stay relevant in a virtualized, software-defined world. Our goal is to help you not only know how to architect next-gen networks -- but monetize them as well.

During each live, 45-minute course, you'll hear directly from an expert lecturer in the industry, and you'll have the opportunity to ask questions and collaborate with industry peers via online discussions. But the dialogue doesn't stop there -- seminars are archived and online educational discussions take place round the clock.

Take a look at the exciting line-up of courses we have in store for April:

So now's your chance. Don't get left in the dark or become obsolete -- let Upskill U be your guiding light.

Register today and if you complete three courses, you'll receive an Upskill U headlamp because hands-free is the only way to be!

— Kelsey Kusterer Ziser, editor, Upskill U