Ensign InfoSecurity, the Association of Information Security Professionals (AiSP), and Cyber Youth Singapore (CYS), have signed two Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) to provide more targeted skill-appropriate training and development opportunities for students in Singapore.
In an effort to groom youths who are interested in cyber security and who might consider pursuing a career in cyber security, the two MoUs will tailor programmes that will pair the right industry mentors with these youths.
Programmes under the two MoUs will be split into three broad categories:
- Beginner – Activities are focused on raising students’ cybersecurity awareness and giving them opportunities to explore the industry by exposing them to different cybersecurity roles. AiSP’s Student Volunteer & Recognition Programme (SVRP) is one example which allows participants to broaden their horizon through volunteering.
- Intermediate – Programmes are focused on students with good cybersecurity knowledge and technical skills. Activities, such as capture-the-flag competitions, are developed to test and hone industry-relevant skillsets. There will also be mentorship opportunities that can pair students with specific interest and skills, such as penetration testing of cyber defence, with a matching industry mentor.
- Advanced – Initiatives here are typically designed for students with good cybersecurity fundamentals. Students can participate in training programmes focused on subjects such as cybersecurity strategy and threat hunting. This will expose them to more real-world scenarios and deepen their experience while allowing them to acquire more industry-relevant expertise.
“When it comes to digital skills, especially for cybersecurity know-hows, we can no longer try to train students based on their education level. A secondary school student could be even more skilled in hacking and coding than a university student.
“Hence, customising training and development opportunities as well as pairing them with the most suitable mentors needs to be the approach the industry takes when nurturing the next generation of cyber defenders for our nation,” said Freddy Tan, Association of Information Security Professionals EXCO Lead for Student Volunteer Recognition Programme.
