The Jamaica Observer posted an article on October 14, 2020, about a shortage of skilled workers in Cyber Security. Below are some key highlights:
- For every 100 job openings in the cybersecurity field, there are only 48 qualified applicants,” says the report.
- If the Caribbean is to make the envisaged conversion, a tremendous revolution in education is required.
- The key stakeholders must focus on the implementation of a dynamic plan if we are to achieve the key goals.
- A suggestion, Emsi says, is that “companies in need of cybersecurity talent should re-skill existing employees rather than recruit outside their walls for talent that is already extremely hard to get”.
- The Emsi findings highlight the role of employers who “should invest time and money
- The report identifies roles for colleges, universities and other training organisations who “can focus on the key skills needed at the local or regional level and help upskill the many working adults who might be looking for new employment, plus a generation of new grads hungry for good opportunity in a disrupted labour market”.
- The Emsi report is instructive for Caricom member states which, the report says, have a major role to play “in addressing the crisis as they broker between local businesses and higher education to fill the talent gap.” The power of collaboration among these stakeholders is the key to solving the cyber talent gap, Emsi says.
- “Working together, employers, workforce development organisations and higher ed institutions can reduce the cost of cybersecurity certifications,” says the report.
- Our regional educational systems, forced into retooling in the wake of COVID-19, have a golden opportunity to ensure that curricula reflect the focus on training and developing more workers who are skilled in technology.
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