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A new federal government-backed program designed to bolster the cyber workforce has been announced in Canberra.
CYNAPSE (Cyber National Assessment Program for Skills and Employment) was launched by ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr this morning (6 April) and will aim to create more inclusive opportunities for potential future cyber experts by standardising the assessment of cyber skills.
Led by Australian cyber security firm FifthDomain, the program hopes to bolster and diversify the cyber workforce by at least 100 people by 2024.
We are thrilled to launch the CYNAPSE, Cyber National Assessment Program for Skills and Employment. Thank you to ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr who joined and launched the event. Thank you also to our partners and to everyone who attended. It was a fantastic event. #CyberSec pic.twitter.com/BeO5w6wp7f
— FifthDomain (@fifth_domain) April 6, 2023
“Cyber security is one of the ACT’s, and Australia’s, fastest-growing sectors, and we know that ensuring it has the workforce it needs will be a key challenge in the years to come,” said Minister Barr.
“It’s both encouraging and no surprise that innovative and inclusive solutions like CYNAPSE have been developed here in Canberra. Initiatives such as these will be essential to build the capable, skilled, and diverse workforce the sector needs to continue its strong growth.”
The cyber security industry is suffering from a major skills shortage, at a time when supply chain attacks and malicious cyber activity is at an unprecedented high.
By replacing interviews and other traditional recruitment techniques with standardised assessments, skills can be proven while removing the chance of unconscious bias based on name, location, gender and more.
FifthDomain founder and chief executive Matt Wilcox said that he hopes the program can help diversify the workforce while assisting employers in strengthening their cyber teams.
“There is a whole pool of people with untapped potential we could be hiring in cyber, and they currently experience barriers,” he said.
“For example, we know that some neurodiverse individuals have incredible abilities in this industry, but the thought of the interview process is daunting for them. CYNAPSE lessens that issue, providing the employer with their data sets of ability first.
“Unconscious bias is, unfortunately, a factor to consider in cyber. Women only make up around 17 per cent of the industry, and we want to dramatically increase that. We want to remove biased recruiting and provide faster and better placements while de-risking hires.”
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