In February 2019 we’re launching New Zealand’s first Cyber Prep Academy (CPA) in partnership with managed security services provider SecOps NZ. The course is designed to address New Zealand’s cybersecurity skills shortage and will provide hands-on training and practical experience for junior ICT professionals.
It’ll be run at the CPA training centre in Newmarket and will complement existing foundation security experience and formal ICT qualifications.
“Awareness of the cybersecurity skills shortage is growing globally and we’re working with industry partners to address this through the creation of a highly skilled and employable workforce,” said Dila Beisembayeva, Acting Head of Computer Science. “Students are often not considered for roles or struggle to get to the interview stage due to their lack of real-world security experience. The Cyber Prep Academy provides students with the opportunity to gain essential, hands-on practical experience to greatly assist them in securing those roles.”
The 12-week short course will provide training in areas such as asset discovery and classification, patch management, vulnerability management, applications discovery and whitelisting, credentials management, authentication methods, centralised logging, endpoint, perimeter and cloud security technologies and effective use of AI and machine learning in security operations. It’s also designed to assist participants in finding employment, with one day each week dedicated to industry-based training.
Dermot Conlon, director of SecOps New Zealand, said “We want to make upskilling at the Cyber Prep Academy accessible to all New Zealanders. This will lead to greater diversification within the cyber security field and help reduce the skills shortage in this country.”
Training will be provided by experienced industry professionals with expertise in the ISO 27001 standard for information security management systems.
The Cyber Prep Academy website shares further information about the course.