Microsoft has launched CyberShikshaa for Educators, aimed at equipping students and faculty in rural academic institutions with cybersecurity skills. In the first phase, the programme will be rolled out in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Assam, Uttarakhand, Delhi NCR and Rajasthan.

Being launched in association with ICT Academy, the programme will upskill over 400 faculty members in 100 rural institutions in different cyber security tools. “Through the trained faculty and ICT facilitators, the initiative will further train 6,000 students from rural engineering colleges to prepare them for a career in cybersecurity,” a Microsoft official said.

Microsoft and ICT Academy will work with other partners to find placements or internships for over 1,500 students. “The programme has been designed to ensure higher participation of women educators and women graduating students from rural areas to create an equitable and diverse cybersecurity talent pool,” he 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,” said, Kate Behncken, Vice-President and Lead of Microsoft Philanthropies

Growing demand

“As the cyber landscape becomes more complex, investing in cybersecurity upskilling and preparing the next generation of security leaders has become more important than ever,” she said in a statement here on Friday.

“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,” Hari Balachandran CEO, ICT Academy of Tamil Nadu, said.

Microsoft launched CyberShikshaa in association with Data Security Council of India (DSCI) in 2018.

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