Preparing for the first graduation of MII Cybersecurity Academy

On Monday 19’th of September, in a glittering off-campus graduation ceremony, and which will include the ABSA Group CEO, Arrie Rautenbach, the first 20 MII students will graduate from the 3-year ABSA Cybersecurity Academy. The Maharishi Institute in partnership with ABSA have over the past 3 years embarked on giving now 70 MII students across Johannesburg and Cape Town, the opportunity to gain highly sought-after skills in Cybersecurity. Together with our IT training division, Digital Youth ICT Academy (DYICTA), we have developed world-class curricula and training that meets the technical skills required for our learners to become Cybersecurity professionals. We are proud of the achievements of the trainers of DYICTA that MII owns together with Afrika Tikkun. Alongside world class technical skills, the program has a strong and unique focus on the consciousness and personal development of the students. Here is why a career in Cybersecurity is so desirable:

Scarce skills in high demand

Cybersecurity jobs are in high demand and virtually no one in cybersecurity is unemployed. NORTHPORT, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, November 11, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Over an eight-year period tracked by Cybersecurity Ventures, the number of unfilled cybersecurity vacant jobs grew by 350 percent, from one million positions in 2013 to 3.5 million in 2021. For the first time in a decade, the cybersecurity skills gap is levelling off. Looking five years ahead, we predict the same number of openings in 2025. READ THE CYBERSECURITY JOBS REPORT Governments and companies across the world are in a race to close this skills gap. The same article says that “Cybercrime, which is predicted to cost the world $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, up from $6 trillion in 2021, will continue generating a number of new jobs roughly equal to those being filled over the next 5 years.” South Africa, Cape Town, 6 September 2021 /cyber-security-a-critical-risk-thats-only-set-to-get-worse/ - The recent hack at Transnet is an alarming reminder of how cyber security has elbowed its way near the top of the list; and given our ever-growing reliance on technology, it’s one that’s not going anywhere. Ransomware attacks are the fastest growing form of cybercrime, where malicious software infiltrates a computer or network and seeks to limit or restrict access to critical data by encrypting files – effectively locking them – until a ransom is paid. One happens every eleven seconds globally – roughly every time you finish reading one of these paragraphs. This growing phenomenon will ensure that there will always be a need for cybersecurity professionals.

High Earning Opportunities

Competent Cybersecurity professionals earn extremely high salaries. Entry-level cybersecurity jobs pay much higher than the median fulltime employment. Not only is this field very rewarding when it comes to the type of work that you do, but it is also nice that the pay is equally rewarding. /za.talent.com/

The 3-Year Cybersecurity Curriculum:

MII/ABSA Cybersecurity Academy provides industry aligned, fully accredited national and international training that provides our learners with the necessary skills to step into the job market. Our students write both national and international exams, equipping them to work anywhere in the world. Students do a Level 4, Level 5, and Level 6 qualification through the MICT SETA, alongside numerous international professional industry certifications, like A+, N+, S+, CCNA, CCNA DevNET, Python Programming, AWS Security and Cloud Engineering and a host of others.

Comments from MII Students in Cybersecurity:

Rafiek Jacobs, a current Year 2 learner had this to say: “I never imagined myself in the IT industry; I was always someone whose interests were scattered until I fell in love with programming (DevNet). As we enter the fourth industrial revolution, which will be ruled by technology, I want to be a part of the fight for a safer online future. About programming. I can create applications, write scripts, and deploy inventions that are intended to simplify life and make our daily tasks easier. The fact that we are building apps for a guy in a wheelchair and a star athlete, for shy people who want to express themselves and for the outspoken to have their own platform, is what draws me into programming and development. This field not only integrates APIs, but also an entire IT community. I can share my creations and work on my dreams as well as the dreams and aspirations of others to build a better future together. I am a team player, and this field is definitely made for me; I get to build a brand new world with people from all over the world, not just the ones around me; I am willing to take on any challenge that will allow me to grow with my ideas, dreams, and aspirations for a future run by underdogs and people behind the screen who do not receive recognition for all the change they brought into this modern world.”

Women in Cybersecurity

We will be graduating our very first group of learners this year on Monday 19’th September, and 85% of our first graduating class are women. Only 25% of the total workforce in Cybersecurity are women. This is a big up to MII and ABSA for helping right the gender imbalance in the Cybersecurity field. Deloitte Cyber recently introduced a global awareness and recruitment campaign to attract more women with diverse skill sets and backgrounds into the cyber profession. We are looking forward to more young women entering this field and being part of the growth of women in Cybersecurity but don’t just take our word for it that this is an exciting career with global opportunities. Memory Nyathi, 3rd Year Cybersecurity learner says: “My experience over the last three years has been both difficult and immensely rewarding. Back then, I was a big fan of free public Wi-Fi; I would do anything to get free internet. However, during the program, I learned various ways in which Personal Identifiable Information (PII) can be stolen and maliciously used. I was able to improve my self-esteem and learn to believe in myself due to the continuous focus on consciousness development using TM and TM-Sidhis and personal development lessons we received during the program. I was able to excel in all my work and that is due to my determination and insatiable appetite for learning. I look forward to being part of a team of talented professionals to find security solutions for the sector. As a woman working in cybersecurity, I feel like the world is my oyster.” To put in the words of a Year 2 learner, “Growing up I always wanted to be a superhero. To fight crime and help people in need. That dream quickly faded once I got an age where I realised that superheroes don’t exist. I then found myself studying CyberSecurity to my surprise my goal of being a superhero wasn’t as far-fetched as I thought. The career in Cybersecurity holds the same honour as a superhero because you are protecting innocent people from one of their most important assets. Their hard-earned money” We congratulate the first 20 Cybersecurity superheroes graduating on Monday 19’th September 2022. Written by: Chantel Klinck, Cybersecurity Academy Coordinator (based in Cape Town): 19 August 2022.