Kyndryl: Powering cyber skills for all
Kyndryl is committed to closing the cybersecurity skills and talent gap in the European Union. We pledge to provide resources to support cybersecurity education to 25,000 individuals across the European Union by end of March 2030 through grants by the Kyndryl Foundation, with a focus on underserved communities in the countries where we operate. This includes support for local initiatives in Spain, Czechia, and Poland. In line with our company culture, the Kyndryl Way, we believe in building trust through action—partnering locally, listening deeply, and empowering people with the skills they need to thrive in a secure digital future.
Our pledge
In alignment with the European Commission's vision for a digitally empowered society, Kyndryl is committed to closing the cybersecurity skills and talent gap in the EU. Through the Kyndryl Foundation grants, we aim to empower individuals and communities with the knowledge and skills necessary to protect themselves and their organizations from cyber threats. By pledging to the EU Cybersecurity Skills Academy, we reinforce our commitment to comprehensive, community-driven learning. We acknowledge that closing the cybersecurity skills gap requires local partnerships, long-term investment, and a shared responsibility to ensure people thrive in a secure digital future.
Our initiative
Title: Kyndryl: Powering cyber skills for all
Description: Provide annual grants to nonprofit organisations offering cybersecurity skilling programmes in Europe. The Kyndryl Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm, will fund selected cybersecurity skilling activities led by nonprofit organisations in the countries where we operate in the EU, with the aim of training 25,000 entry-level cybersecurity professionals, and a focus on underserved communities. Initiatives currently supported by the Kyndryl Foundation include career-enhancing and cybersecurity training for women as well as for underserved communities in Spain, Portugal, Czechia, Poland and Hungary. In 2025, AI skills development was added by the Kyndryl Foundation as an area for its grantmaking to address the significant gap existing between organisational intent and actual readiness to mitigate risk in both cybersecurity and AI. With this initiative, Kyndryl will help train the next generation of European cybersecurity incident responders, architects, auditors, educators, implementors, researchers, risk managers, and penetration testers
Target audience: Nonprofit organisations in the EU
Location: online, hybrid, Spain, Portugal, Czechia, Poland, Hungary
Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Polish, Hungarian
Cost: Free
Link to the initiative
Kyndryl is dedicated to tracking and reporting on the status of this pledge every six months.
Background
The Kyndryl Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm, supports communities where Kyndryl operates through grant funding, volunteerism and investments. The Foundation seeks to advance human progress by equipping and empowering individuals in countries where our Kyndryls work and live. Since 2024, the Kyndryl Foundation has been providing annual grants to nonprofits for advancing cybersecurity. In its fiscal year 2025, the Kyndryl Foundation added AI skills development as an area for its grantmaking, and offered grants to 12 nonprofit organizations from 11 countries, including four from the European Union.
Additional research from Kyndryl on the need to close the skills gap can be found in Kyndryl’s recent market studies, Kyndryl’s People Readiness Report 2025 and AI Readiness Report, which shed light on the existence of a cyber skills gap and the urgency of bridging it to realise the full potential of AI.
Kyndryl’s People Readiness Report, which surveyed 1,100 business and technology leaders in 8 markets between February and March 2025, highlights the scale of the challenge we face on skills today. According to the study, 71% of leaders surveyed admit their workforces are not yet ready to harness AI’s full potential. More than half report their organizations lack the skilled talent to manage AI, and yet CEOs and their tech leaders aren’t aligned on how to solve the challenge.
Similarly, in the Kyndryl AI Readiness Report, a global survey of 3,200 business executives combined with data from Kyndryl Bridge, our AI-powered digital business platform, we found an emerging paradox among business and technology leaders. While 86% of leaders reported confidence in their AI implementation and believe it is best-in-class, only 29% said that their AI is ready to manage future risks. Lack of security skills remains a key barrier, with 64% of leaders reporting that their IT is not prepared for AI implementation because of a lack of IT skills and talent. Ultimately, customers and employees are more likely to engage with systems designed to feel intuitive, empathetic, and reliable. That starts with a workforce with the right AI and cyber skills.
