Funding to design, pilot, test and promote a national, self-sustaining, Cyber Security industry professionalisation scheme

The Growing and Professionalising the Cyber Security Industry grant opportunity provides funding of $1.9 million to design, pilot, test and promote a self sustainable, industry professionalisation scheme which will reduce barriers for industry entry and create clear pathways of education and skills for employees and employers in the industry.

The Growing and Professionalising the Cyber Security Industry Program (the Program) was announced as part of the 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy (the Strategy).

In response to industry calls for greater clarity around how cyber security qualifications and skills map to industry requirements, this grant program will provide $1.9 million in funding to design, promote and pilot a professionalisation scheme for Australia’s cyber security workforce. Funding will be provided over 2 years from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

The scheme will provide employers and businesses with assurance that the cyber security professionals they hire have the necessary skills and training. It will support applicants to enter and progress within the sector through horizontal and vertical avenues.

The scheme will engage with existing skills frameworks and professional accreditation streams to maximise interoperability with industry and across jurisdictions. It will foster growth of the domestic cyber workforce and remove barriers to entry for job seekers, existing professionals, and minority groups. A consultative, industry-led approach will inform design.

The objectives of the grant program are to:

• establish a pilot industry-led cyber security professionalisation scheme
• provide clear career, skills and education pathways for cyber security professionals, and quality assurance for employers about professional qualifications and cyber security experience of job seekers
• reduce barriers to entry into the cyber industry
• attract and retain diverse talent, and foster inclusive
• enhance domestic cyber capabilities through professionalising the cyber security workforce
• increase industry and business confidence in Australia’s cyber security workforce.

The intended outcomes of the program are:

• a pilot Cyber Security Professionalisation Scheme and standards developed in collaboration with industry
• a pilot Cyber Security Professionalisation Scheme that provides clear career skills and education pathways for workers in, and those seeking to enter, the cyber security workforce
• guidance for employers and employees regarding skills expectations for accredited professionals
• an evaluation of the pilot scheme
• a plan to scale the scheme after the pilot that includes:
  • a strategy to increase industry uptake and participation in the scheme
  • an independent funding mechanism to sustain the program following the pilot, that doesn’t introduce further barriers to entry into the cyber industry.