New entrants and mid-careerists aspiring to join the cyber-security field will now have clear guidance on the industry-relevant training they need to undergo, and the type of certification they have to acquire.
A structured career pathway for the sector was launched by the Singapore Computer Society (SCS) – an infocommunications and digital media society for industry professionals, leaders, students, and tech enthusiasts – in its role as skills development partner appointed by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).
Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing announced the new Skills Pathway for Cybersecurity at the SkillsFuture Forum 2024 on July 9.
He said that with the new cyber-security pathway, 13 employers, including ST Engineering and Temasek, will offer internship and job interview opportunities to individuals who have attained selected industry certifications.
Said Mr Chan: “This will give individuals looking to transit into the cyber-security sector a clear signal of the skills and certifications they need to acquire, and opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities to companies through internships and interviews.”
He added that participating employers also benefit by having access to a wider pool of talent to meet business needs.
He was speaking at the SkillsFuture Forum, which was held at the Lifelong Learning Institute in Paya Lebar.
The one-day forum, which focused on recognising skills and building careers, was organised by SSG and supported by The Business Times and SPH Media.
An advisory committee comprising the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, SSG, Association of Information Security Professionals and 13 founding employers, including Synapxe and Singapore Airlines, will identify essential skill sets for the cyber-security sector and ensure the relevance of the certification provided.
Mr Alan Goh, assistant chief executive of Synapxe, told ST that as Synapxe is a national healthtech agency, cyber security is of the utmost importance.
As one of the 13 participating employers in the new cyber-security skills pathway, he said that the intent of participating in the curation of certification and training programmes is to better match entrants who come into the cyber-security field.
“There is quite a broad range of disparity in terms of how well qualified someone is. So many people have also crossed over into this industry from other fields,” said Mr Goh.
He added that there is a need to standardise some of these skill sets so that they better match what employers are looking for without having to go through many candidates to find a suitable one.
This new initiative will prepare individuals for four entry-level job roles in cyber security – cyber-security operations centre analyst, cyber-incident response and forensics analyst, cyber-threat intelligence analyst and cyber-penetration tester.
The cyber-security skills pathway is structured into two levels – apprentice and entry-level job.
At the first apprentice level, learners will gain fundamental knowledge for entry into the cyber-security sector, and may be considered for internship opportunities with industry employers.
At the second level, learners who earn level two certification and acquire more than three months of relevant work experience will be considered for interview opportunities for in-demand cyber-security roles.
Learners do not need to complete the apprentice level to move on to the second level.
There are 19 level one and 24 level two employer-curated courses and certifications.
SSG will support the Skills Pathway for Cybersecurity by enabling individuals to offset out-of-pocket fees for the training courses and examinations by tapping SSG’s funding support, like SkillsFuture Credit.
This is part of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore’s national initiative to develop a professional framework for the cyber-security workforce.
The list of courses and certifications will be progressively added to SSG’s MySkillsFuture website, where individuals can search and apply for their preferred courses and certifications.
Mr Tan Kok Yam, chief executive of SSG, said that it will work with other potential collaborators and skills development partners to tailor similar solutions for their industry sector, as SCS has done with the cyber-security skills pathway.
Said Mr Tan: “When industry is clear about its skills needs, Singaporeans will have more confidence to pursue upskilling.”
Source: Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited | Reproduced with permission.
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