CYBERSECURITY TECH AND RESEARCH IN CANADIAN STUDENTS’ HANDS
Canadian universities are gearing up to develop a new wave of cy ber security experts.
Cybersecurity threats and privacy intrusions now make headlines across the globe, pitting Canadian industry and universities in a race to close a talent gap for innovative solutions.
The federal government in Ottawahad this in mind when it announced a multi-pronged strategy it coined the National Cyber Security Action Plan that would run from 2019 to 2024. It also recently re-launched its Cyber Security Cooperation Program, with $10.3 million in funding over five years to foster improved collaboration on special projects.
Universities are also doing their part in educating and training the next wave of cybersecurity experts. This includes courses and research in areas like computer science, engineering, mathematics, cryptography, and quantum-computing.
Training for the future
“Canada has the opportunity to position itself as a trusted global leader in cybersecurity,” says Florian Kerschbaum, Executive Director at the University of Waterloo’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute. “We’re already ranked among the top 10 cybersecurity research groups in theworld, and our goal is to improve this position to be the most respected source an organization reaches out to for knowledge and expertise.”
To achieve thisambitious goal, newgraduate degree executive training programs and “world-leading” research and technology will need to be part of the mix, he adds. Students exposed to the newest technologies could be poised to shape the field and become future leaders in the space.
“They can become inventors, developers, or engineers who actually develop the next generationof cybersecurity products incanada for the world,” says Kerschbaum.
Canada has the opportunity to position itself as a trusted global leader in cybersecurity.