Microsoft has announced that it will expand its cybersecurity skills campaign to an additional 23 countries, including India, with new targeted investments, in order to close the skills gap in the field of cyber security.
According to Microsoft, India along with these countries, has a elevated cyberthreat risk, as well as a significant gap in their cybersecurity workforces, both in terms of the number of professionals employed in cybersecurity vs. demand, and a lack of diversity.
Microsoft said “In India, we’re building off our existing CyberShikshaa programme, which is helping break down the gender divide in the cybersecurity field,”
India’s cybersecurity sector is expected to have 1.5 million employment openings by 2025. According to the country’s Labor Bureau, this represents a 42% talent shortfall, despite the fact that cybersecurity job growth is expected to expand by 32% by 2028.
Microsoft said “The demand is there, but more must be done to meet it; most higher-education and technical institutes do not offer cybersecurity courses,”
“Since 2018, we have helped young women with technical training in cybersecurity with mentoring from industry experts, especially from women leaders in the field, followed by job placement assistance with leading companies,”
Cybersecurity is still a priority for governments, businesses, and individuals all across the world.
According to Cybersecurity Ventures, there will be 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs open globally by 2025, a 350% increase over the previous eight years.
Microsoft said “The number of cybersecurity attacks around the world is increasing every day, and increasing in complexity as cybercriminals continue to escalate their activity,”