Updated Engineering Training Options for Acquiring Highly Sought-After Skills
In an increasingly digital world, businesses are grappling with a pressing issue: the shortage of skilled engineers, particularly in the field of cybersecurity. This challenge is not new, but it has grown more critical in the post-COVID-19 era, where flexible, efficient, and secure environments are paramount for technical teams.
Recognizing this need, two updated programs have been developed to help organizations meet their engineering talent goals. These programs, the result of deep customer, industry, and market research, focus on honing must-have skills like cybersecurity, which is a top investment priority for leaders.
The cybersecurity talent shortage is severe, with approximately 4 to 4.8 million roles globally unfilled and around 570,000 vacant in the U.S. alone. This gap is expected to persist and even worsen, given the projected 33% growth in cybersecurity jobs by 2033, particularly for roles like IT security analysts.
Key in-demand cybersecurity skills include security analysis and threat detection, cloud security expertise, incident response and remediation, penetration testing and ethical hacking, risk management and compliance, and knowledge of AI/GenAI tools. Companies are addressing these shortages primarily through a mix of upskilling existing employees via training and certifications and strategic talent acquisition, often incorporating technology such as generative AI to support cybersecurity functions.
Businesses are implementing several strategies to close these gaps. Upskilling through training and certification programs is a popular approach, with many organizations investing in targeted employee development programs. Companies also utilize GenAI and automation to perform routine security tasks, enabling leaner teams to cover more ground.
Relaxing rigid job requirements, expanding talent acquisition globally, and focusing on critical skill areas beyond general IT are other strategies employed by businesses. The move to a fully remote workforce has increased the likelihood of malware and phishing attacks, making it crucial for businesses to address these challenges head-on.
In conclusion, the cybersecurity field faces one of the largest skill shortages globally. Businesses are responding by combining upskilling efforts, embracing AI-enabled tools, broadening hiring criteria, and evolving recruitment to overcome critical shortages in high-demand skill areas such as threat detection, cloud security, incident response, and compliance management. This approach aims to keep pace with rapidly expanding cybersecurity threats and job growth projections through 2033.
Originally published by Kate Braner at GA, this call to action serves as a reminder that the future of cybersecurity is in our hands, and the time to act is now.
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The first program focusing on honing must-have skills like cybersecurity is helping organizations meet their engineering talent goals, as the global cybersecurity talent shortage is severe and expected to persist, with approximately 4 to 4.8 million roles unfilled.
To keep pace with rapidly expanding cybersecurity threats and job growth projections through 2033, businesses are responding by combining upskilling efforts, embracing AI-enabled tools, broadening hiring criteria, and evolving recruitment strategies in online-education and self-development platforms.
