Leonardo- Addressing the cyber gap in the EU labor market
Leonardo is committed to closing the cybersecurity skills and talent gap in the European Union. We pledge to offer trainings and to raise awareness to 10,920 EU citizens by 13th March 2024.
Our pledge
Leonardo firmly commits to presenting a pledge within the framework of the Cybersecurity Skills Academy project, aimed at proactively addressing the cybersecurity gap that the European labor market is experiencing. The organisation's resolute dedication underscores its effort to contribute significantly to resolving this pressing issue.
Our initiative
Title: Young & Security Academy
Description: To raise awareness among young people about the potential risks and dangers of the internet, Leonardo has joined a project launched by Di.Gi.Academy aimed to improve cyber security culture of young generations. This initiative, Young & Security Academy, will extend to middle and high schools across Italy, providing them with an opportunity to participate in project. The core objective is to engage students in critical discussions on various topics related to cyberbullying, social networks, revenge porn, identity theft, electronic register violations, IoT, and more. Experts in the field will interact with students, fostering an educational and informative environment. Accompanying this project is the introduction of a web-series titled "Gli Irregolari del Web" (The Irregulars of the Web). This web-series comprises 12 episodes entirely crafted by the children of Leonardo’s employee and Plenitude, partner in the project. By combining the interactive Young Cyber & Security Academy Roadshow with the compelling web-series, Leonardo aims to empower young individuals with practical knowledge and insights, equipping them to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly. The approach of involving students in the creation of the web-series not only adds authenticity to the content but also encourages creativity and engagement.
Target audience: 10,000 students and teachers
Location: Italy (entire national territory)
Languages: Italian
Cost: Free
Title: Cybersecurity Foundation Course
Description: Leonardo is committed to provide a free of charge Cybersecurity Foundation Course, available for both individual participants and corporate groups. This course, which will take place on the 21st and 22nd of November 2023, aims to deliver an introductory and comprehensive overview of cyber and information security, equipping learners with fundamental language and theoretical-practical skills. It serves as an ideal opportunity to establish a solid foundation in cybersecurity within a condensed timeframe. The course delves into crucial topics, including current and near-future scenarios, while also exploring key technical aspects, allowing participants to explore simple attack techniques hands-on. This comprehensive approach ensures that learners gain a holistic understanding of cybersecurity essentials. The course is highly recommended for individuals seeking to pursue further specialistic courses maximizing their learning journey in the realm of cybersecurity.
Target audience: 100 students and professionals
Location: online
Language: English
Cost: Free
Link to the initiative: contact
Title: Cyber Shield
Description: In September 2023, Leonardo will organize a team exercise named Cyber Shield to promote the enhancement of practical skills among operators in the cybersecurity sector. This interactive training initiative, based on a ‘’Capture The Flag’’ gaming paradigm, aims to create a dynamic platform that caters to various industry operators. During the exercise, multiple operational groups will engage in a simulated game where they will be challenged by a group of cyber criminals. Through a series of immersive simulations, the participating teams will be exposed to diverse cyberattack scenarios, covering a wide range of threats spanning different fields of cybersecurity, including shorthand, mobile and drone forensic, reverse engineering software, password cracking, and log analysis. These cyber exercises hold immense value as they enable participants to develop the ability to respond promptly and effectively to real-world cyber threats. Furthermore, these activities foster cohesion and teamwork, allowing individuals to collaborate, share knowledge, and test their technical and operational proficiencies. To ensure the success of the exercise, Leonardo's dedicated team will oversee the preparatory activities and actively manage the exercise in real-time. Leonardo’s role involves in moderating and intervening during the practice to facilitate a conducive learning environment and ensure optimal outcomes for all participants. The Cyber Shield exercise stands as a pivotal opportunity for industry professionals to strengthen their cybersecurity acumen and work collectively toward a safer and more resilient digital landscape.
Target: 120 students and observers
Language: English
Location: Milan, Genoa and Rome
Cost: Free
Title: Security Awareness Course- National Order of Journalists of Lombardia Region
Description: Following the successful 1st edition in 2022, which saw approximately 200 journalists participating, Leonardo and the National Order of Journalists of Lombardia Region are joining forces again in 2023 to organize a security awareness course tailored to meet the mandatory training requirements of the National Order of Journalists. The primary objective of this program is to heighten awareness of cyber risks among professionals in the field. The course lectures will be thoughtfully structured to provide participants with the essential skills and knowledge needed to cultivate a culture of cyber prevention within the country. Through this approach, the goal is to elevate consciousness and sensitivity regarding computer security and the safeguarding of personal data. Ultimately, the aim is to strengthen defenses against attempts to illicitly obtain confidential information.
Target: 200 journalists
Language: Italian
Cost: Free
Link to the initiative: Security Awareness
Title: Cyber & Security Business Area- Upskilling
Description: Cyber & Security Business Area acknowledge the significance of investing in an internal upgrade of its own competences. The objective is to reinforce the development of strategic core capabilities within its internal operational and organisational units. The Company firmly commits to upskilling and enhancing the professionalism of its workforce by acquiring enabling skills, both transversal and vertical, which are distinctive for the Leonardo and related to emerging technological domains and to new HW and SW development methodologies.
Target audience: 500 employees
Language: Italian and English
Leonardo is dedicated to reviewing and updating the status of this pledge every six months.
Update on pledge milestone
Leonardo successfully completed its pledge in March 2024, exceeding the initial target by an impressive 339%—impacting over 36,000 people. Building on this success, Leonardo has reaffirmed its commitment to the Cybersecurity Skills Academy goals through a new pledge.
Background
The shortage of cybersecurity professionals is not merely a theoretical concern: Europe also needs cybersecurity professionals with hands- on experience on critical systems to be hardened, monitored, and protected against ever evolving heterogeneous threats. In this sense, addressing the cybersecurity challenge necessitates more than just investing in skilled professionals. A comprehensive national and supernational security culture must be fostered to effectively recognize and react to advanced and always changing threats.
At Leonardo, to tackle these two educational needs, we have understood the necessity of the establishment of a new educational environment which stands in between the academic institutions and industries: the Leonardo Cyber & Security Academy. An advanced training center with the ultimate goal of developing skills and capabilities needed to recognize and deal with the emerging risks that threaten Countries' security. Central to the Academy's mission is the dissemination of security awareness among both the public and private sectors. Drawing upon Leonardo's distinctive expertise in operating within critical civil and military domains and leveraging cross- domain competences at the Group level (Divisions and JVs), the Academy endeavors to capitalize on the profound expertise of Leonardo's specialists, who actively safeguard critical national and European assets.
The educational model embraced combines traditional training moments with hands-on laboratory and gaming activities. The use of cutting- edge proprietary platforms, such as the Leonardo Cyber Range, enables the training of the most skilled cybersecurity professionals. Additionally, beyond fortifying hard skills within the security domain, the Academy places significant emphasis on developing essential soft skills, including effective communication, collaborative teamwork, conflict resolution, and prudent decision- making in the context of collective engagements.
