Allectum announced that it has worked with the SANS Institute to successfully graduate 18 of Australia’s newest cyber security professionals. On 17 June and held at the Australian War Memorial, 18 veterans and spouses of veterans successfully graduated Australia’s first ever Veteran Cyber Academy. The gradation was hosted by Brigadier Robert (Doc) Watson Director-General, Joint Information Warfare and Major General (rtd) Dr Marcus Thompson, AM, Phd. The ceremony featured graduate profiles and quotes highlighting their service history and what the training has meant for them.
This pilot academy has shown that a diverse range of ADF veterans with no cyber security experience and in some cases some no technical background at all, can be provided real, industry-recognised training and certifications, soft skills, and engagement with employers which has resulted in real-world cyber security careers. Over the last 4 months, graduates have undertaken and completed certifications in:
- SEC275: Foundations – Computers, Technology, and Security
- SEC401: Security Essentials: Network, Endpoint, and Cloud
- SEC504: Hacker Tools, Techniques, Exploits, and Incident Handling
They have had their CVs reviewed and improved, participated in soft skilling sessions on interview techniques, had industry briefings on the current state of cyber security and most importantly, attended careers fairs with opportunities to engage directly with employers. Some students are already in employment as a direct result of being students in the Academy. The Academy has shown that it can help stem the cyber skills shortage by enabling veterans to reskill and continue to serve the security of the nation in the cyber world.
Nathan Heberley, co-founder and Director of Allectum said “this Academy has shown there is a huge potential to support our post service veteran community by reskilling and deploying them into the cyber security arena.”
While part-time, the academy is an intensive and rigorous program which has required the graduates to apply the same grit and determination displayed while in uniform.