CEOs and senior delegates from TasTAFE, TAFE Queensland,
TAFE NSW, Canberra Institute of Technology and other organisations around
Australia have signed
a National TAFE agreement to work together on a single national approach, led
by Victorian TAFEs, for tackling the cybersecurity skills gap. (TAFE or Technical
and Further Education institutions provide vocational tertiary education
in Australia).
The program will deliver common qualifications across the
country based on courses developed at Box Hill Institute in Victoria.
The Box Hill Institute has developed
a Certificate IV and an Advanced Diploma in Cyber Security to address
Australia’s critical cybersecurity skills gap, with funding support from the
Victorian Government. The Victorian Government invested AU$4.7
million from the AU$50 million TAFE
Back to Work Fund to support Box Hill to develop its cybersecurity
qualifications.
This solution has been developed in close partnership with
industry. Commencing in Term 1, 2018, the Cyber Security National Program will
partner with industry nation-wide to provide on-the-job experience for students
and address the national skills shortage in cyber security. The program will
give students access to accredited training provided by qualified teachers and
trainers, so they can get a job and help protect Australians online.
According to AustCyber
(the Australian Cyber Security Growth Network) and Alistair MacGibbon, Special
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Cyber Security, Australia requires an urgent
increase in the number and quality of cybersecurity specialists. Cybersecurity
graduates will play a crucial role in the fight against growing cybercrime,
which affected almost half of small and medium Australian businesses in 2015
and costs the nation’s economy about AU$17 billion a year. The problem requires
a single, standardised set of national training to meet the problem head on. The
CEO of AustCyber holds up this cybersecurity program as the exemplar.
The state TAFEs will lobby the Federal Government to fund a
national cybersecurity internship program and participating TAFEs will form
local industry reference groups to ensure delivery is meeting industry needs.
Minister for Training and Skills, Gayle Tierney, said,
“As more and more Victorians use the
internet to do their banking and shopping, it’s vital we have job ready
graduates to fight the increasing threat of cybercrime. Thanks to a government
that is getting it done and supporting TAFE, it’s no surprise other states are
looking to us on how to deliver high quality, industry aligned training that
leads to well paid, rewarding jobs.”
“Victoria is
leading Australia when it comes to cybersecurity – we’re attracting more
investment so Victorians are protected from cybercrime and winning a larger
share of the booming global cybersecurity sector,” Commented Minister
for Innovation and the Digital Economy, Philip Dalidakis.
Box Hill Institute Group CEO Norman Gray express excitement
on the prospect of Australia’s TAFEs combining their resources, saying “Within
our own jurisdictions, TAFEs are able to produce excellent training results.
But united, we have the opportunity to produce something really special. By
combining the strengths of our teachers and our facilities, we’ll develop a
training solution boosted by our combined development of resources and
synchronisation of the delivery of programs.”
“The Box Hill Institute Group is proud to be able to lead on
this National TAFE approach and I’m grateful for the support from our
colleagues around the country and from the Victorian and Federal governments,”
he added.