Intelligent CIO North America Issue 14 | Page 48

COUNTRY FOCUS : CANADA
Cisco Canada and its partners are working to build a talent pipeline of skilled workers for the cybersecurity industry in New Brunswick and beyond .

Securing the future of Canad

Saint John , New Brunswick , Canada

Cisco Canada , New Brunswick ’ s Department of Education and Early Childhood Development , and CyberNB are partnering to deliver cybersecurity skills education and training to upwards of 1,500 high school students over the next three years .

The program will help solidify New Brunswick as a leading center for cybersecurity in Canada and enable the province to keep up with the growing demand for cybersecurity jobs and address a digital skills gap that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic .
As Canada moves into the next era of economic growth , the need to equip Canadians with the right mix of digital skills has never been greater . The Information and Communications Technology Council ( ICTC ) estimated that employment in the digital economy will grow to over two million by 2022 .
The need for a skilled workforce is even more evident in the cybersecurity space , where demand for cyber talent is growing 7 % annually across the country , but without enough skilled professionals to fill the roles .
“ We live in a fast-paced world where innovation and technological progress are constant . Demand for cybersecurity talent is growing and our students need to be prepared to join technology-based workforces
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