Microsoft Launches Cybersecurity Skilling Initiative with ICT Academy to focus on Higher Participation of Women Educatio

By: WE STAFF | Friday, 24 June 2022

Microsoft India has launched the CyberShikshaa for Educators initiative to empower higher education students and educators with industry-relevant skills in cybersecurity. The company said that the program will emphasize on having higher participation of women educators and women graduating students from rural areas. The objective of the initiative is to create an equitable and diverse cybersecurity talent pool.

The CyberShikshaa for Educators was launched in collaboration with ICT Academy. The initiative intends to provide cybersecurity skills training to 400 faculty members across 100 institutions in the first leg. The trained individuals will further upskill 6,000 students from rural engineering colleges. The initiative’s end goal is strengthen career opportunities for participants in cybersecurity via skills training, internships and job placement opportunities.

In its first year, the CyberShikshaa for Educators program will be implemented in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Assam, Uttarakhand, Delhi NCR and Rajasthan.

Kate Behncken, Vice President, and Lead of Microsoft Philanthropies said, "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.”

"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.