EU Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) currently offer over 128 cybersecurity academic programs, as identified by ENISA (CyberHEAD), JRC (ATLAS), and various reports from pilot projects like Sparta, CyberSec4Europe, ECHO, and CONCORDIA. However, these programs have static curricula that do not meet the dynamic needs and emerging skills required in the market. The digital transformation necessitates HEIs to play a more significant role in preparing the new generation of cybersecurity professionals and upskilling the existing workforce to address the ever-growing cybersecurity challenges, including massive AI attacks.
To address this gap, fourteen HEIs and thirteen security companies from sixteen EU countries propose the agile CyberSecPro professional cybersecurity training program. CyberSecPro will complement and enhance existing academic programs by fostering collaboration between innovation, research, industry, academia, and SMEs. It aims to provide practical and hands-on training, bridging the divide between degrees, real-world work, and marketable cybersecurity skill sets. The goal is for CyberSecPro to become the best practice model for all cybersecurity training programs, aligning with the digitalisation efforts and industry demands.