IN collaboration with the Global Services Sector (GSS) Project, HEART/NSTA Trust has launched the Cisco Certified Cybersecurity Training Programme to train 500 individuals.

Offered in various cohorts, the programme targets in its first phase of execution individuals attached to a firm that is a member of the Global Services Association of Jamaica or Jamaica Technology & Digital Alliance. Individuals selected for the programme will be exposed to courses in Introduction to Cybersecurity and Cybersecurity Essentials. With Cisco certification received upon successful completion of the programme, participants will also be certified and recognised internationally.

The programme, which will run for 12 weeks, is being offered by the HEART College of Innovation and Technology. Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting networks, systems, hardware, and data from digital attacks. The programme offering comes in a time where cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important for all users of digital platforms. This collaboration represents the Government of Jamaica’s commitment to focusing on the needs of the industry and using that insight to determine the skills development programmes supported by the GSS Project and the human capital development partner – HEART/NSTA Trust.

Marjorie Straw, programme director for the GSS Project, is adamant about the need for programmes such as this one.

“Learning and employing proper cybersecurity procedures and systems will be crucial in protecting data as we advance in the use of technology. Cyber attacks are becoming more frequent, and this is an area in which we need to become more skilled.”

As the GSS Project seeks to upskill and reskill employees in the global services sector as part of its skills development initiative, this partnership with HEART /NSTA Trust is key in delivering the training programmes that are necessary to reach this objective.

Novelette Denton Prince, managing director (acting) at HEART/NSTA Trust agrees.

“The human capital development agency is pleased to provide timely response in upskilling and building a resilient cadre of professionals in the GSS to understand current and evolving threats. The novel coronavirus pandemic has presented the need to strengthen the capacity, reconfigure and transform Jamaica’s workforce in this digital age,” she noted.

“The HEART College of Innovation and Technology via its partnership with CISCO will continue to support the skill needs of an evolving sector”.

In addition to cybersecurity, the HEART College of Innovation and Technology offers courses in graphic design, animation, software programming, network engineering and more. This progress towards digital and technology-based courses is in line with their mandate to build and sustain a globally competitive Jamaican labour force, responsive to the demands and complexities of the modern workplace.

The cybersecurity training programme is also endorsed by the Global Services Skills Council (GSSC), an industry-led body with the mandate to identify and articulate the sector’s skills needs, engaging employers in skills development and influencing skills policy. The GSSC helps to set standards and chart career pathways for the GSS, allowing for a more responsive provision of talent supply to meet the needs of the sector and investors, thus facilitating growth and expansion.