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Australia’s cyber security minister has partnered with Australian software company ESET to launch the 2024 Women in Cyber Security Scholarship competition.
Released in line with International Women’s Day, the third iteration of the program has seen ESET join forces with Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security Clare O’Neil to encourage young women to follow careers in cyber security and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) industries.
“Our cyber security workforce has never been more important,” said O’Neil on Linkedin.
“And to protect Australians from new and emerging cyber threats, we need a diverse cyber security workforce.
“We need all types of people from different life perspectives thinking innovatively, stopping threats, and advocating for security.
“And while the number of women in cyber security is growing, it’s not fast enough.”
As part of the scholarship, one young female cyber or STEM graduate or undergraduate student will receive a $5,000 grant. Additionally, O’Neil is inviting the scholarship recipient an exclusive chance to come to Parliament House during a sitting week for a meeting, exposing them to the political ongoings in Australia’s cyber defence.
“We are embarking on a new era of cyber security capability in this country and are aiming to be a world leader in cyber security by 2030,” said O’Neil.
ESET APJ president Parvinder Walia said the cyber security industry is male-dominated, and female professionals only make up a small part. She hopes that the scholarship will drive a new generation of young women to seek careers in the cyber security field and that having O’Neil as a partner will inspire them.
“We believe this initiative, and our alignment with Minister O’Neil, as a leader for Australia’s cyber security portfolio, will inspire more women into the IT security sector,” said Walia.
At this stage, only 15 per cent of the STEM-qualified workforce is women. Additionally, Australia is suffering a shortage of cyber security professionals, with many industry workers getting increasingly burnt out without reinforcements to help them in the fight against cyber criminals.
It is estimated that by 2026, Australia will need at least another 16,000 skilled workers in the industry, and ESET believes that encouraging women to seek STEM careers will assist in filling this requirement.
“Eradicating cyber crime needs a global army of passionate cyber security evangelists with different perspectives,” said Walia.
“The increase of women coming into this robust workforce adds to the [industry’s] strength and diversity of expertise.”
This is the second time that Minister O’Neil has partnered with ESET for the scholarship competition. The previous scholarship winner was Shradha Angrish in 2023, who is studying for a double degree for a bachelor of engineering (honours) (mechanical) and a bachelor of mathematical and computer sciences at the University of Adelaide.
“Being awarded this scholarship is an honour and a privilege that inspires me to do more … It’s an incredible reminder that there are people and support systems that want me to succeed,” wrote Angrish.
Cyber Daily caught up with Angrish last year, discussing her personal journey and her thoughts on the challenges faced by today’s cyber security industry.
The 2022 winner, Alaina Lawson, is now working at a cyber security firm in an engineering role, having studied a bachelor of IT majoring in cyber security at Australian National University.
Scholarship applications are open now and will close on 1 May, with the winner being announced on 21 May 2024 on World Day for Cultural Diversity.
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