As part of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore’s (CSA) three-year Cybersecurity Talent, Innovation & Growth (Cyber TIG) Plan, a tripartite Advisory Group will embark on a nine-month feasibility study, conducted through a series of consultations, to develop a professional framework for cybersecurity professionals.
OCBC Bank’s MD, Head Group Technology Information Security Office, David Ng, will co-chair the group.
In a LinkedIn post, Ng said CSA’s Director, Choon Bong Wong and Singapore Institute of Technology’s (SIT) Professor Steven Wong would be part of the advisory group, with each representing, the industry, government and academia.
Ng said for the industry sub-group he has invited SMRT’s Group Chief Information Security Officer, Shaofei Huang, Schneider Electric’s Asia Pacific Region Chief Information Security Officer, Andre Shori and ISACA’s Singapore chapter president, Jenny Tan to be part of the group.
The Cyber TIG Plan is a comprehensive approach to ecosystem development which consolidates and enhances CSA’s existing talent and innovation initiatives, the agency said.
It aims to support innovation efforts and companies with the potential to develop solutions and internationalise them, in partnership with other government agencies and the industry. It will also increase mid-career conversions into the cybersecurity sector and look at professionalising the cybersecurity workforce.
CSA will lead efforts to increase the quality and quantity of the cybersecurity workforce.
A new place-and-train mid-career conversion programme will be introduced to train more cybersecurity professionals to meet market demand, especially for roles requiring some years of experience.
With this, an estimated 100 more cybersecurity professionals will join the workforce every year for the next three years, contributing to the 1,000 professionals needed each year.
CSA will also make available training for non-cybersecurity professionals such as industrial system engineers to acquire relevant cybersecurity skills so that they can take on cybersecurity-related responsibilities within their existing roles, and in so doing support their organisational cybersecurity needs.
Investment
CSA will invest S$50 million over three years for the Cyber TIG plan. It said the plan was in line with the two foundational enablers in Singapore’s Cybersecurity Strategy 2021 – Developing a Vibrant Cybersecurity Ecosystem and Growing a Robust Talent Pipeline – for Singapore’s growing cybersecurity sector.
“A vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem and robust talent pipeline are critical for protecting Singapore from cybersecurity threats in the longer term. They also strengthen Singapore’s position as a trusted global business hub and provide economic opportunities for Singaporeans and Singapore-based companies,” CSA said in a statement.
A new programme, CyberBoost, will be established to help cybersecurity companies to develop, validate and scale their solutions from Singapore, the agency said.
These companies will be supported with training, mentorships, networking opportunities and more, which will help to grow a pipeline of companies to address present and future cybersecurity challenges.
CSA added that CyberBoost will work alongside the Cybersecurity Industry Call for Innovation (CyberCall) to enable cybersecurity companies to innovate with Critical information infrastructure owners (CIIs) and end-users in Singapore.
Targeting SMEs
CSA also plans to put in place an export programme called CyberGrowth, tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to help them learn about cybersecurity needs in overseas markets and identify opportunities for business expansion through webinars and overseas missions.
It noted that SMEs and start-ups in the cybersecurity sector often face challenges in understanding and gaining access to new markets, as well as acquiring in-market know-how and expertise. The CyberGrowth programme is meant to address these challenges.
CSA noted that this new initiative to support promising companies in venturing into overseas markets will complement a joint effort by CSA and tech industry association body, SGTech, on a Cyber Catalogue to showcase the cybersecurity capabilities of Singapore-based companies to potential global buyers seeking cybersecurity solutions.
The CyberSG TIG Collaboration Centre, established by CSA in partnership with the National University of Singapore (NUS), will play a key role in achieving the objectives set out in the Cyber TIG Plan, the agency said.
The centre will enable synergies between cybersecurity talent, innovation, and growth for industry, by serving as a national node to integrate and create relevant programmes for industry and talent development, it added.
