Workday- Fostering in-depth cybersecurity skills through industry-academia partnership
Workday is committed to closing the cybersecurity skills and talent gap in the European Union by equipping cybersecurity and digital trust professionals with the holistic knowledge to address evolving cyber threats effectively and fully comply with the EU cybersecurity legal framework. We pledge to deliver together with Technological University (TU) Dublin and Ireland's Foreign Direct Investment Agency (IDA Ireland) a unique series of free of charge, voluntary, and comprehensive cybersecurity trainings to approximately 300 employees, with modules lasting between 3 and 36 months, by the end of April of 2027.
Our pledge
At the heart of our commitment is our goal to expand and strengthen the cybersecurity expertise of our Product and Technology teams in Europe. This training will empower them to adopt a ‘Security Mindset’ right from the start of the product development lifecycle and equip them with the holistic knowledge needed to effectively address ever-evolving cyber threats.
Our initiative
Title: Advanced cybersecurity training for ICT professionals: Secure Programming, Application Security, Secure Communication
Description: These programmes constitute three robust modules that are designed to build knowledge and understanding while also opening up the possibility for staff to progress to master’s level (National Framework of Qualifications Level 9, equivalent to Master’s Degree). At the core of Workday’s commitment to expand the cybersecurity skills of Workday’s Product and Technology teams in Europe is the goal to enable them to adopt a “Security Mindset” right from the beginning of the product development lifecycle. The primary module “Secure Programming” will teach our ‘Security Champions’ cohort how to develop secure applications through secure coding techniques and practices. For ‘Champions’ who would like to take further learning and qualification we will make available the option to take two further modules (“Application Security” and “Secure Communication”) which will allow them to pursue a Postgraduate Certificate in Cybersecurity or potentially a Master’s degree (MSC) in Applied Cybersecurity.
Target audience: 300 employees
Location: Ireland
Language: English
Workday is dedicated to reviewing and updating the status of this pledge every six months
Pledge status updates
As of December 2024, Workday has trained 259 employees in advanced cybersecurity skills, making significant progress toward its goal of training 300 employees by April 2027. Through modules such as Secure Programming, Application Security, and Secure Communication, this initiative strengthens the “Security Mindset” within Workday’s Product and Technology teams in Europe, empowering them to develop secure applications and explore further qualifications in Applied Cybersecurity.
Background
Historically, security programmes at their core have focussed on detecting, blocking, and responding/remediating security threats and risks, however, as the landscape of cybersecurity threats evolves a greater emphasis must be placed on preventing security vulnerabilities in the design and implementation phases where it is less challenging, improves quality and is more cost effective. This can only be achieved by empowering developers to adopt modern tools, methodologies, and training, so that they can take ownership of the security of the innovative products and services they build and deploy. Fundamentally, this approach addresses the historical disconnect impacting developers, operations teams, and security experts, by encouraging all involved to think about the bigger security picture and mutual benefits.
Workday has invested 18 months in designing and developing this programme in collaboration with TU Dublin. Each module is reviewed following a robust feedback process and the intent is that the programme will remain leading edge with ongoing improvement baked into the process. The qualitative output in terms of upskilling and re-tooling is significant for the business and will create a center of cyber security excellence for Workday in Ireland. The downstream impact for larger societal scale skills uplift and knowledge transfer are significant through the TU Dublin collaboration.
