Computing teams up with QA Training to combat growing cyber security skills gap

Securing Talent campaign aims to raise awareness of growing need for professionals with IT security skills

It is now well accepted that the UK has an IT security skills gap - there are simply not enough skilled people to fill the positions available in the industry.

Consulting firm Frost & Sullivan recently found that the number of security professionals globally was around 2.25 million in 2013, but we will need 4.25 million IT security professionals by 2015. At present it's hard to see where these extra two million skilled professionals will come from.

Enterprises, vendors, recruitment companies and the government have all acknowledged the skills gap, but little has been done to fill it, beyond an acknowledgment that there are not enough routes into the cyber security profession.

Computing is delighted to team up with QA Training to create the Securing Talent campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the growing need for professionals with cyber security skills in industry and government, and for clearer pathways into the cyber security profession.

As part of the campaign, Computing will speak to experts from QA Training to get an insight into the skills that organisations require, as well the ways in which these skills can be obtained. We will also be speaking to senior IT security professionals to get their views on the cyber security skills gap, and offering advice to aspiring cyber security professionals. We'll analyse why there is a problem, and what kinds of ways government and industry can fill the gap.

QA's technical director and cyber security expert, Bill Walker, said, "We're excited to partner with such a reputable technical IT magazine that also recognises and shares our concern with the skills gap in cyber security. We hope over the next few months that not just technical users, but the wider businesses begin to consider how cyber threats can also affect them."

QA Training will also be offering the chance for a lucky professional to win a free training course - the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) course - which gives the individual the platform to receive certification in a core area of IT security. Stay tuned to the Computing website and the @Computing_news and @QATraining Twitter handles for more details of this in due course.

For more information about QA and cyber security training, please visit www.qa.com/cybersecurity or email [email protected].

To follow the latest coverage of the Securing Talent campaign, please click here.