Today is Safer Internet Day, and\u00a0it’s never to early in life to get youth involved with initiatives to protect themselves and their work online.<\/p>\n
Palo Alto Networks,\u00a0British Columbia\u2019s Ministry of Education, and IBM Canada have\u00a0come together to bring the\u00a0Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy to high school students in B.C. in an effort to prepare students for careers in cybersecurity.<\/p>\n
High school students will now be able to receive\u00a0hands-on training to understand cyber threats and the best ways to handle or neutralize them. The courses will focus on areas including\u00a0network security skills, including firewall installation, antivirus software and zero-day vulnerabilities, and when students complete the 12-month program, they will be eligible for a cybersecurity associate certification.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents today are increasingly tech-savvy and connected now more than ever before,”\u00a0said Rob Fleming, minister of education for British Columbia. “With the frequency of cyber attacks increasing, targeting both institutions and individuals, it is critical that we prepare students with the knowledge and skills to protect themselves and their data against such threats.”<\/p>\n
There are currently more than 450 Palo Alto Networks cybersecurity academies in over 55 countries so far, but\u00a0in order to launch in Canada, they worked with IBM and the Ministry of Education to pilot\u00a0the program in order to ensure both technical and non-technical staff could adequately roll the initiative\u00a0out across the province. One of the largest needs that arose during the pilot was a lack of resources, so Palo Alto Networks rolled out more than 20 virtual labs for students to learn about networking systems and installing firewalls.<\/p>\n
\u201cProviding these students with foundational cybersecurity knowledge and skills will give them a leg up when applying for an entry-level IT position and the opportunity to grow from there,\u201d said Dan Myers, senior manager of\u00a0the Cybersecurity Academy at Palo Alto Networks. \u201cWhile we can\u2019t close the cybersecurity workforce gap overnight, we\u2019re dedicated to helping students of all ages understand the cyber risks out there and educating them on the best ways we can all protect our way of life in the digital age.\u201d<\/p>\n
Courses are offered both in class and through\u00a0a blending online experience.<\/p>\n