Barbadians are expressing great interest in job opportunities in the cybersecurity field.
Since the advent of the Cyber Nations Training Initiative in January last year, about 250 people have earned a certificate in this field of study.
After a graduation ceremony at Mahogany Ridge in Plum Tree Road, St James on Wednesday, the programme director for Cyber Nations in Barbados Dr Rick Huijbregts said many people were interested in the training initiative because they were immediately given job placements with a competitive salary.
“We’re super proud of what we’re accomplishing together with the students,” he said. “We started a year ago with the first cohort. We had about 130 students graduating. They’re all currently gainfully employed in cybersecurity roles. And today, a little bit over 100 more students graduated and over the next few months, we will work to find placements. So they get to put what they have learned into practice. And that really helps them round out to become entry-level talent into a very fast-growing global cybersecurity marketplace.”
In January 2023, Barbados and Cyber Nations entered an arrangement that would see 1 500 Barbadians being trained in cybersecurity. The programme was created in Canada to train 100 000 people in the Caribbean and Africa to become cybersecurity operations analysts, incident responders and cyber literacy coordinators.
For the most part, the graduates will be working remotely for companies across the globe but some have also been contracted to work with local firms, Dr Huijbregts said.
“We’re working with some companies in Barbados [as] the need for cybersecurity is great here as well. And in the region, the roles are mostly remote roles where they get to support organisations across the world. The most companies today engaged with us are in North America and those are organisations that have just either very little or no cyber protections and, frankly, need this incredible talent to start to provide monitoring and support and protection of their businesses,” he explained.
As it relates to compensation, the workers receive $60 000 annually – $5 000 monthly – at an entry-level rate. They are contracted for one year and from there, they have to look for additional opportunities.
Huijbregts said this was a competitive package as it did not require people to have a background in cybersecurity at all.
The Cyber Nations Training Initiative is being facilitated through the Student Revolving Loan Fund, with trainees receiving a free laptop and a $14 000 loan to complete a four-month online course.
The third cohort of the training programme will start later this month. Each cohort is made up of approximately 100 people.
Programme instructor Roger Blenman admitted that the course could be daunting at times, adding that “if it wasn’t difficult, it probably wouldn’t be worth doing”.
“What it calls for is commitment from the person. A number of people doing the course were family-oriented people. So what helps is to have a very good support system. If you have a support system at home and a support system within your group, you will be successful,” he added.
The cybersecurity analyst encouraged interested people to give the programme a go as it opened a world of possibilities.
During the ceremony, valedictorian LaWayne Bennett said he felt grateful and appreciative of the opportunity and felt a sense of accomplishment after a journey of late-night studying and completing assignments.
“Our collective experiences have moulded us into resilient, innovative and diverse group individuals. Our newly developed skills and talents will play a pivotal role in securing digital futures of many within the cyber landscape as Barbados and the wider world progresses through the process of digital transformation,” he said.
“In the spirit of reflection, let’s acknowledge those who have been our pillars of support throughout this journey – our instructors and special presenters. They have not only imparted valuable knowledge and information to us but have also instilled in us a passion for learning, a thirst for discovery, professional growth and expansion.”
(SZB)
