ADF veterans reskilling for cybersecurity roles

The inaugural class of graduates from the SANS Institute Veteran Cyber Academy was recognised at a graduation ceremony held at The Australian War Memorial in Canberra last month.

Designed for Australian veterans with little or no prior experience in cybersecurity, the 16-week program delivers world-class training courses, practical simulations and team exercises to develop veterans’ cybersecurity knowledge and skills, opening up new career opportunities beyond the Australian Defence Force (ADF). In addition to their new abilities, graduates will enter the cybersecurity industry with three industry-renowned certifications from the Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC): GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies (GFACT), GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC) and GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH). These certifications show employers that Academy graduates have the cybersecurity knowledge and skills to operate in a cybersecurity role.

“SANS is focused on providing practical — yet technical — hands-on cybersecurity training to individuals and organisations,” said Steven Armitage, Country Manager for Australia at SANS Institute. “The Veteran Cyber Academy’s objective was to reskill Australian veterans and provide them with opportunities to re-enter the workforce, after they’ve moved on from the ADF. This also helps to support and empower Australian veterans, which has never been more important than it is today. These students have shown an incredible level of high achievement, with GFACT exam scores averaging at 87% and the highest score being 97% — well above the industry norm.”

Having now completed the course, graduates have started to secure full-time employment, helping to fill highly sought-after cybersecurity roles. As official partners of the academy, Securus Consulting Group and Bluerydge have already hired graduates into cybersecurity positions. Other graduates are currently applying for cybersecurity positions with Telstra, Fortescue Metals and the Australian Signals Directorate, who also participated in the program. Additional partners of the program include the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), Atlassian, WA Police and Woolworths.

“Previously, I served in the Royal Australian Navy and was deployed on many HMAS ships as an ICT specialist,” said Jose Hernandez, Veteran Cyber Academy Graduate. “Stepping out of this role, I recognised the value of having a multifaceted skill set that opens the door for my next position in an exciting and challenging industry.

“By graduating from the academy, I’ve laid the foundation to begin my cybersecurity career as an ICT security consultant with Securus, a key IT security partner for Defence and other government agencies. I am confident in what will come next in my career as I venture in the next professional chapter,” Hernandez said.

“Through the academy, Securus was able to fill a critical cybersecurity capability gap in its team supporting Defence,” said Patrick Campbell-Dunn, Managing Director at Securus.

“Our newest recruit has been trained by the best in the industry and not only demonstrates aptitude, integrity, determination and passion, but also brings valuable life experience underpinned by his SANS studies — all of which are key to a high-performing cybersecurity team.”

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Gorodenkoff