Global ICT solutions and services provider Dimension Data and Deakin University are partnering in an initiative designed to further build Australia’s cyber security capabilities and boost the stocks of security professionals to meet future demands.
The Victorian Government and two of Australia’s major banks — the NAB and ANZ — have also teamed up with Dimension Data and Deakin to support Deakin’s new Bachelor of Cyber Security degree.
The degree includes industry certifications and internships, which are designed to ensure students are job-ready as soon as they graduate.
Up to 50 of the first cohort of graduates will be get the chance to work at Dimension Data, Deakin, NAB or ANZ as organisations in Australia and around the world work to combat cyber crime, which is one of the biggest threats to organisations globally.
{loadposition peter}Under the partnership, the Victorian Government is providing funding for four industry certification licences for each student undertaking Deakin’s Bachelor of Cyber Security, bringing to $1 million its total investment in the qualification.
The announcement is the second stage of the partnership on the cyber-security degree originally made last year.
According to Dimension Data, in conjunction with Box Hill Institute’s Certificate IV in Cyber Security and the new Advanced Diploma of Cyber Security, Deakin’s Bachelor of Cyber Security provides a strong pathway to higher education in the rapidly developing field.
Deakin University head of the School of IT, Professor John Yearwood, said the new course had been designed to ensure students were job-ready upon graduating.
He said the course would strengthen cyber security capabilities to help address the current and future challenges across Australia and the world, while also boosting the innovation capabilities of organisations.
“Our new course, and this partnership, will help build confidence for businesses, consumers and the Australian economy, knowing that cyber resilience is being taught at the highest level, with Deakin providing world-class content.
“It will enhance cyber security collaboration between the government, education and industry sectors in Victoria and create jobs for the digital economy, which depends on the right security for public and consumer services to be safely accessed in today’s globalised digital world.”
As part of the partnership, Dimension Data, ANZ and NAB have contributed to the course curriculum and will undertake ongoing reviews to ensure the curriculum remains relevant to industry requirements.
They will also provide professional insights to students, advise them on what is needed in the industry and what’s on the horizon, as well as providing 12-week internships for students.
Duncan Brown, director of the Strategy and Innovation Office at Dimension Data, said the company was excited to be able to offer a pathway to employment as part of the guaranteed job places.
“Collaborating on Deakin’s Bachelor of Cyber Security degree takes our longstanding partnership with the University to the next level,” he said.
“This initiative will help launch Australia’s future cyber experts into the workforce, ready to go at a time when cyber security expertise has never been needed more. It’s been well documented that there’s a global shortage of cyber security professionals. At the same time, employers often report that candidates for cyber security roles are not ‘work-ready’ at the time of hire.
“We believe a holistic approach to education and training will help address these challenges and ensure that the next generation of graduates are set up for success from their first day in the cyber security arena.”