• Federal government grant will foster Charles Sturt University collaboration with the cybersecurity industry
• The program will be open to second- and third-year Charles Sturt University information technology and computing students
• Students will study new micro-credential courses and compete for paid work placement with cybersecurity industry partners

Charles Sturt University has received an Australian Government grant of $756,000 to help boost the cybersecurity workforce in Australia.

The federal government Cybersecurity Skills Partnership Innovation Fund (Round Two) program funding aims to increase the quality and quantity of cybersecurity professionals in Australia. The grant encourages collaboration between industry and education to improve Australia’s cybersecurity capabilities.

Course Directors and Senior Lecturers in Computing in the Charles Sturt School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering Dr Jason Howarth (pictured, inset) and Dr Sabih Rehman said the project funding assists the University to work with industry partners, ITIC Pty Ltd and Yarnlab Pty Ltd, to create industry-focused micro-credentials and a micro internship preparation subject.

Dr Howarth said there are three elements and two stages to the ‘Cybersecurity Micro-Credential and Employment-Ready Program’ they designed and were funded to deliver.

“Second- and third-year Charles Sturt University information technology and computing students will be selected to go through the pilot program in which they will study the micro-credential subjects along with work placement and further industry training with ITIC Pty Ltd,” Dr Howarth said.

“We have scope to put 40 students through this part of the program, including five First Nations students who will be supported by a scholarship as part of this initiative by program partner Yirigaa Pty Ltd.

“Then the best five students from the micros and work placement part of the program will be selected to undertake a nine-month paid internship with Yarnlab Pty Ltd, a telecommunications software company.”

The primary focus of the program will be on cybersecurity and to be eligible for selection for the program Charles Sturt students must be enrolled in the Bachelor of Information Technology and Bachelor of Computer Science.

Applications for the 40 places in the program will open in June 2023 for expressions of interest from all second and third-year information technology and computing students who are making good progress in their studies.

The program will be ready for enrolment in the second session starting in July 2023, and students of this program will complete modules from the Successful Graduate platform at csu.successfulgraduate.com .

“We will select students based on academic merit,” Dr Howarth said.

“Five of these 40 students will then be selected for a paid internship with Yarnlab Pty Ltd which will run for nine months and will commence during the period November 2023 and February 2024

“If the pilot is successful, we hope to make this a fixture of these courses and include additional industry partners in the scheme.”