Jacqueline Kehoe
Project Manager, Cyber Skills
Technology professionals are being urged to upskill in the fight against ever-increasing cybersecurity attacks that rapid digitalisation has brought along with a widening skills gap.
In a world where cyberattacks are on a constant rise, with one occurring every minute, industries and organisations must take protective measures now. The need for Information Computer and Technology (ICT) professionals with cybersecurity skills is more urgent than ever as the speed of digitalisation has led to an ever-widening skills gap across the globe.
In turn, this has opened up a huge number of job opportunities and enhancements for those seeking careers in the field of cybersecurity — or indeed those already working in ICT and looking to upskill or re-skill.
More jobs and opportunities for IT professionals
In the 2022 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, it was found that 3.4 million more skilled cybersecurity professionals are currently needed globally. Moreover, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates ongoing technological advances will radically transform 1 billion jobs in the coming decade.
According to Cyber Skills, Ireland’s leading experts on cyber security education, the country currently has a ‘critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals, which is placing its digital economy at risk.’
The initiative, funded by Ireland’s Higher Education Authority (HEA), is a collaboration between three of Ireland’s top universities — Munster Technological University, University of Limerick and Technological University Dublin — which are providing job role-specific pathways and micro-credentials to address the skills shortages in the area of cybersecurity.
Ongoing technological advances will radically transform 1 billion jobs in the coming decade.
Flexible courses for upskilling and re-skilling
Jacqueline Kehoe, project manager at Cyber Skills, says: “We are offering a wide range of flexible, online courses to enable people already in the workforce to upskill or re-skill themselves.
“We have designed these courses together with our industry partners for specific job roles. Currently, we are seeing the biggest gap in secure, software development and systems architects.”
Creating innovative, enterprise focused and research informed cybersecurity courses.
Participants can gain Special Purpose Certificates or micro-credentials — smaller, academic credits — all accredited by the universities through online courses. “They can take a single subject micro-credential or study up to four modules for a pathway. It’s up to the individual how they want to achieve the qualifications,” Kehoe says.
A cybersecurity academy has also been established to encourage interest and raise awareness of security careers through technical training aimed at young people aged between 16 and 18. “It’s important to understand how cybersecurity affects us all and how much safer we can make our digital lives if we train and upskill,” concludes Kehoe.
