To help take care of the skill gap in the field of cyber security, Microsoft has decided to skill 45,000 women under its CyberShikshaa programme.
The initiative will provide technical skills to 45,000 women and underserved youth over the next three so that they can be employed in the field of cyber security. This will also be a step towards ensuring diversity in the cybersecurity workforce of the country.
The CyberShikshaa programme involves a tie-up with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), Tata STRIVE and the ICT Academy.
The programme will also offer internship or employment opportunities to about 10,000 learners.
Data reveals that in the next three years, about 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs will be available for the taking, worldwide. This is because companies, startups as well as governments across the world are feeling the need to protect their data.
It is predicted that India will witness 32 per cent growth in cybersecurity jobs in about six years time. However, there will not be enough talent available for these jobs as the talent pool will see a shortage of about 42 per cent.
The Cybershikshaa programme has managed to successfully skill 1,100 women and help more than 800 of them find jobs in the last four years.
With further expansion of the programme, with focus on specialised training for particular sectors, the existing skill gap in the cyber security space will be bridged.
