ACT Govt launches program to boost cyber workforce
The ACT Government has launched a new program aimed at increasing the government’s cyber workforce by at least 100 people by next year.
The CYNAPSE (Cyber National Assessment Program for Skills and Employment) program is being backed by the federal government and led by FifthDomain, a sovereign cyber workforce management platform provider.
The program will standardise cyber skills assessments to help people from outside of the cyber domain transition into careers in the field, and will prepare candidates for working in security operations centres.
The FifthDomain platform will be used to supplement traditional recruitment techniques such as interviews with standardised skills assessments.
The program will also seek to improve diversity in the field by opening up opportunities for underrepresented cohorts such as women, neurodiverse individuals, Indigenous Australians, transitioning veterans and people who live in remote areas.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said he was proud yet another forward-thinking and inclusive initiative was born out of Canberra.
“Cybersecurity is one of the ACT’s, and Australia’s, fastest-growing sectors, and we know that ensuring it has the workforce it needs will be a key challenge in the years to come,” he said.
“It’s both encouraging, and no surprise, that innovative and inclusive solutions like CYNAPSE have been developed here in Canberra. Initiatives such as these will be essential to build the capable, skilled and diverse workforce the sector needs to continue its strong growth.”
FifthDomain has been awarded $3 million in grant funding for the program from the federal Department of Industry and Science’s Round 2 of the Cyber Security Skills Partnership Innovation Fund.
FifthDomain founder and CEO Matt Wilcox said he hopes the program will help students pursue a career in the field.
“There is a whole pool of people with untapped potential we could be hiring in cyber, and they currently experience barriers. For example, we know that some neurodiverse individuals have incredible abilities in this industry, but the thought of the interview process is daunting for them. CYNAPSE lessens that issue, providing the employer with their data sets of ability first,” he said.
“Unconscious bias is unfortunately a factor to consider in cyber. Women only make up around 17% of the industry, and we want to dramatically increase that. We want to remove biased recruiting and provide faster and better placements while de-risking hires.”
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