Free training for women to bridge the gap

Cybersecurity vendor Tesserent hopes to help bridge the gap for women in cybersecurity by becoming ‘Champion of Change’ Ambassador of the 0xCC conference. The event runs late this week (5–6 May) in Melbourne and offers free training for women in one of five two-day courses:

• Hacktastic Voyage: Explore Web App Hacking Fundamentals
• Introduction to Code Review
• Introduction to Digital Forensics
• Malware Analysis and Reverse Engineering
• Scripted Recon
   

The conference is developed by women for women and has a strong focus on accessibility and technical training that has led past attendees to credit 0xCC for their success in entering the industry.

“0xCC is committed to encouraging women to pursue careers in cybersecurity and supporting women in the industry by boosting their technical knowledge,” said founder of the initiative Alannah Guo.

“The training format provides a unique platform for women to come together, learn, network and grow in their careers. The event is free because we firmly believe finances shouldn’t be a barrier to development, especially when we’re trying to break barriers.

“0xCC is only possible thanks to the dedication of our industry-leading trainers, and our generous partners who not only allow us to run the conference for free, but also enable us to provide travel grants to students and others such as mothers returning to the workforce who may otherwise find it financially infeasible to attend. This year, our wonderful partners have enabled the provision of nine travel grants,” she said.

According to the 2021 Census women only represented 16% of the Australian cybersecurity workforce. The Australian cyber sector currently employs 26,500 people but enhanced demand for talent means an estimated 30,000 jobs will need to be created by 2026 to meet industry needs. Globally the cybersecurity industry projects a massive 3.5 million jobs will be unfulfilled by 2025.

“I am ecstatic to welcome Tesserent as 0xCC 2023 ‘Champion for Change’ Ambassador. Tesserent is playing an active and important role in encouraging the future pipeline of female talent the cybersecurity industry desperately needs, as well as building towards a better professional environment. We encourage all women in, or interested in cybersecurity to keep in touch and join us for 0xCC in 2024,” Guo said.

Developed from their extensive experience in the field, Tesserent’s managing consultant, Melody Lei and senior security consultant Renae Schilg will be teaching the sold-out training course, Hacktastic Voyage: Explore Web App Hacking Fundamentals.

“We are excited to partner with 0xCC to encourage diversity and further enhance the support and upskilling for female talent in technical roles in the industry. Tesserent Academy has been designed to address the skills shortfall in the sector,” said Kurt Hansen, Tesserent CEO.

“Tesserent Academy recently completed the acquisition of the Australian cybersecurity training business ALC Group to deliver cybersecurity training services to the Australasian market, develop a pipeline of high-quality cybersecurity talent and address talent shortages in the cyber market by providing additional work experience services to bridge the gap between client needs and cybersecurity talent.”

Image credit: iStock.com/guvendemir