Intelligent CISO Issue 23 | Page 65

introducing more information security projects and courses into university courses including IT, software engineering, economics, finance, marketing and MBA programmes. The government should also consider raising the level of awareness around data privacy in general in schools from a social perspective, to make people aware of how to protect themselves. These can help to drive interest in the industry from a young age, helping to plug the gap in future generations and encouraging students to share their knowledge with relatives. www.intelligentciso.com | Issue 23 Investing in early STEM education (from the beginning of primary school) can help create a more diverse sector by engaging with children, for example, before they are influenced by popular media and peer pressure to see some subjects as ‘for boys’ and ‘for girls’. This happens as early as age six. In summary The cybersecurity skills gap is growing and now is the time to turn it around. An education is clearly needed on the skills that are required, but also on the industry itself as a viable career alternative. What’s clear though, whether it’s boosting skills internally or externally, is that there is still much work to do. u On the subject of awareness, as with anything, you’re only as strong as your weakest link. 65