Microsoft expands CyberShikshaa programme to upskill 45,000 students; offer jobs to 10,000 learners

NEW DELHI: Microsoft announces expansion of CyberShikshaa programme in association with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), Tata STRIVE, and ICT Academy. The programme aims to reach 45,000 women and unreserved youth with technical skills and job opportunities or internships in cyber security for 10,00 learners in the next three years.

Microsoft and DSCI launched the CyberShikshaa programme in 2018 aiming to build a diverse pool of cybersecurity talent. The programme 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.

Launched in June 2022, CyberShikshaa for educators with ICT Academy is the latest addition to the CyberShikshaa portfolio. It provided cybersecurity training to 400 faculty members and help build cybersecurity careers for 6,000 underserved students across 100 rural technical institutions and facilitate job opportunities for over 1,500 students.

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This year, CyberShikshaa will be focusing on scaling the programme, leveraging industry partnerships, and conducting specialised training for careers in the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) industry. The programme will expand its reach into semi-urban and rural locations.

It will offer artificial intelligence and machine learning training for cybersecurity product development and enable cybersecurity certifications through an enhanced cybersecurity beginners programme -‘Ready4Cybersecurity'. More than 10,00 rural unreserved youth will be given Ready4Cybersecurity certifications. CyberShikshaa aims to meet the two objectives of addressing the gender divide and empowering underserved communities through technical training, mentoring internships, and employment opportunities.

CyberShikshaa training curriculum and initiatives

The curriculum consists intensive training for more than 400 hours in several modules including artificial intelligence. application security, cloud security, cyber forensics, cryptography, and network security among others. It plans on delivering employability skills such as workplace communication, email etiquette and interview preparation.

There are a total of 7 learning initiatives under this programme.

• CyberShikshaa programme, in partnership with DSCI and Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA), an initiative of Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) provides training to young women and girls from tier II and III towns for careers in cybersecurity through training partners like Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) .
• CyberShikshaa+, in partnership with Tata STRIVE, Tata Consultancy Services and Tata Communications trains young women and girls in rural colleges for cybersecurity jobs.
• CyberShikshaa for educators was created for skilling faculty members and students from rural technical institutions for internships or job opportunities in cybersecurity.
• Ready4Cybersecurity is an awareness programme for beginners in rural colleges and higher education institutions that are linked with industry certifications and internship opportunities.
• CyberShikshaa mentorship is offered by security experts in Microsoft security and provides girl students with opportunities to improve technical knowledge, industry exposure and employability skills.
• CyberShikshaa customer partnerships with corporate organisations and industry bodies are created around employment, internship, and industry exposure sessions towards creating diverse industry-ready cybersecurity talent pool.
• Finally, CyberShikshaa women in break is a training programme on data privacy for women looking to restart their careers after a break.

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CyberShikshaa trainings are conducted in more than 100 centers across India, including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi NCR, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and West Bengal among others.

ICT Academy, CEO, Hari Balachandran, said: “On a mission to prepare youth for the future of work, ICT Academy is glad to partner with Microsoft in empowering educators and women in the cybersecurity domain. Often, the lack of technical training or formal certifications is the barrier for any woman to begin a career in cybersecurity. Reaching out to rural students, creating awareness among women, and helping them learn at their convenience will create more aspirants and generate more women professionals in the field. Empowering the educators will also create sustainable impact in developing skilled professionals.”