Article from Silicon Republic, August 2020

The specialist six-week course is aimed at women looking to develop skills in cybertech and infosec.

Today (17 August), the Smarttech247 Women in Cybersecurity Academy was launched by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath, TD.

Cork-headquartered managed security services provider Smarttech247 said its programme will offer women an “intensive course” in cybertech and security skills.

The six-week programme will give participants access to expert knowledge and industry experience. It will also expose them to relevant technologies and to work alongside Smarttech247’s analysts, penetration testers and threat hunters.

The course will be run remotely out of the company’s offices in Cork, Bucharest and Krakow. Participants will complete an end-of-term assessment, after which the top performers will be offered year-long placements with Smarttech247.

‘Cybersecurity needs more diversity in thought and action to help drive innovation’
^{– RALUCA SACEANU}

Raluca Saceanu said the course was partly inspired by her own experiences as a woman in cybersecurity.

“Men outnumber women three-to-one in the cybersecurity sector, which means that the industry has a wide pool of untapped talent as we face an increasingly sophisticated level of threat from our adversaries,” she said.

With this programme, we want to demonstrate to young women that many opportunities await them.”

The need for ‘more diversity in thought’

Applications are now open and the first course intake is planned for autumn 2020. It is open to women who have relevant experience or a degree in computer science, information security or network engineering.

Women already working as threat hunters or testers are as welcome as those who are recent graduates.

Students will be given assignments and projects to complete in their own time. Therefore, the course is open to a wide pool, “from a student in final year to a parent or carer at home who’s considering a return to the workforce, or someone working in the sector who’s looking for a new challenge”.

Saceanu added: “Cybersecurity needs more diversity in thought and action to help drive innovation, improvement and resilience, especially now as the coronavirus pandemic raises significant risks in unprecedented ways.

“We look forward to seeing graduates playing their part in the fight against cybercrime activity.”

McGrath said that the initiative is “a positive example of a company playing their part in establishing a more gender-balanced working environment”.