New cyber security training centre to open in St Albans

More than 11,000 jobs will be created in Australia in cybersecurity over the next 10 years and students in Melbourne’s west will have access to some of the best training. Here’s what’s on offer.

The new Cyber Security Operations Centre at VU Polytechnic’s St Albans campus will train students for a job of the future.

Cyber-savvy students in Melbourne’s west looking to train for “jobs of the future” will soon have access to affordable tertiary training closer to home.

A report by AustCyber and Cybersecurity Ventures reveals Australian employers will need at least 11,000 more employees skilled in digital trades over the next 10 years.

And Victoria University Polytechnic and multinational tech giant Cisco have joined forces to build a $700,000 hi-tech Cyber Security Operations Centre at its St Albans campus, which will give students in the west an edge into the market.

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The TAFE’s vocational education and pathways pro vice chancellor Dianne Semmens told the Wyndham Leader students would get training from industry experts to ensure they were ready for jobs in one of the fastest growing sectors when they graduated.

“The whole world of digital technology has turned on its head and there are no job opportunities we never thought would exist,” she said.

“Breaches in cybersecurity are one of the largest threats to any business using computers — from the extreme examples of cyber terrorism through to the legal and ethical ramifications.

“As we’ve seen from Facebook, there are so many ethical issues around how you can use and store people’s information.”

And while the course is already on offer at the TAFE’s Footscray Nicholson campus, the swish new centre in St Albans is due to open in August.

“Cybersecurity is about so much more than computer skills and IT, it requires curiosity, an analytical mind, critical problem solving skills and lateral thinking,” Ms Semmens said.

“The course is aimed at school leavers, as well as people looking to change careers or return to the workplace.”

Several information sessions will be held for potential students and there will be several intakes throughout the year.

The program is included in the 2019 list of Free TAFE courses, which gives eligible students access to tuition-free learning in fields where there is high demand from Victorian employers.

Cisco Australia and New Zealand general manager Reg Johnson said there was “no shortage of career opportunities” available to people skilled in digital trades.

“We recognise that digital trades are critical to Australia’s economy as well as the economy of the western suburbs,” he said.

Mr Johnson said embedding these training opportunities in the west would support higher levels of workforce participation and reduce unemployment in the region.