Microsoft launches new cybersecurity skilling initiative with ICT Academy

higher education students

Microsoft India has launched the CyberShikshaa for Educators initiative to empower higher education students and educators with industry-relevant skills in cybersecurity.

Launched in collaboration with ICT Academy, the program will provide cybersecurity skills training to 400 faculty members across 100 institutions in the first leg. The trained faculty and ICT facilitators will further train 6,000 students from rural engineering colleges to build a career in cybersecurity via skills training, internships and job placement opportunities.

In its first year, the CyberShikshaa for Educators program will skill faculty and higher education students from rural engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Assam, Uttarakhand, Delhi NCR and Rajasthan.

"India is estimated to have 1.5 million job vacancies in cybersecurity by 2025. The CyberShikshaa for Educators initiative is a significant step towards creating a vibrant and diverse cybersecurity talent pool in India. Our intent is to take cybersecurity skilling to the grassroots and empower both educators and students with the skills needed to thrive in a digital economy," said Kate Behncken, Vice President, and Lead of Microsoft Philanthropies.

Microsoft said that the new CyberShikshaa for Educators program will ensure higher participation of women educators and women graduating students from rural geographies, to create an equitable and diverse cybersecurity talent pool.

"With the growing demand for women cybersecurity professionals in India, closing the demand-supply gap is the need of the hour. ICT Academy is on a mission to prepare youth for the future of work and is glad to partner with Microsoft in empowering educators and women in the cybersecurity domain," said Mr Hari Balachandran CEO, ICT Academy of Tamil Nadu.