Microsoft expands cybersecurity training programme

The programme aims is to reach 45,000 women and underserved youth with technical skills for a career in cybersecurity and provide internships or job opportunities for 10,000 learners in the next three years. 

Microsoft has announced the expansion of its CyberShikshaa programme in association with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), Tata STRIVE, and ICT Academy. The aim is to reach 45,000 women and underserved youth with technical skills for a career in cybersecurity and provide internships or job opportunities for 10,000 learners in the next three years. 

5,000 underserved youth trained in cybersecurity beginners modules 

In order to build a strong pool of diverse cybersecurity talent in the country, CyberShikshaa launched by Microsoft and DSCI in 2018, has trained 1,100 women and employed more than 800 women through multiple training batches. More than 5,000 underserved youth have also been trained in cybersecurity beginners modules. CyberShikshaa for Educators with ICT Academy, the latest addition to the CyberShikshaa portfolio launched in June 2022 for providing cybersecurity training to 400 faculty members, will help build cybersecurity careers for 6,000 underserved students across 100 rural technical institutions and facilitate job opportunities for over 1,500 students. 

In its fifth year, CyberShikshaa will focus on scaling the programme, leveraging industry partnerships, and conducting specialised training for careers in the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) industry. Expanding its reach into semi-urban and rural locations of the country, the programme will offer artificial intelligence/machine learning training for cybersecurity product development and enable cybersecurity certifications through an enhanced cybersecurity beginners programme named ‘Ready4Cybersecurity’. More than 10,000 rural underserved youth will be enabled with Ready4Cybersecurity certifications. 

CyberShikshaa training curriculum  

The CyberShikshaa training curriculum comprises intensive training for more than 400 hours in several modules, including information security, application security, cloud security, cyber forensics, cryptography, and network security, among others, along with crucial employability skills such as workplace communication, email etiquette and interview preparation.  

CyberShikshaa trainings are conducted in more than 100 centres across India, including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi-NCR, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal.  
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